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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Alexandria Transportation Commission Meeting - May 21, 2026

Public Meetings — Thursday, May 21, 2026

BodyAlexandria, Virginia

SessionPublic Meetings

DateThursday, May 21, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:35:53

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:20

Okay, okay.

0:22

Anyway, I I wanted to share that for while we had while we have the time.

2:24

Should be live.

2:26

Just a second.

2:32

Hey Matt and Jim, can you hear us?

2:39

I can now.

2:42

I'm trying to turn the video on.

2:46

I'm getting the hourglass here.

2:48

There we go.

2:49

Yes, can hear you.

2:52

Can you see us?

2:54

Cannot see you.

2:56

See the opening slide.

3:05

Okay.

3:10

Go through it.

3:12

You have to talk about it.

3:13

It sounds like you have some background noise.

3:16

Um, we could see you.

3:55

All right, we have a quorum, and uh I'll call this meeting to order at 7005 p.m.

4:03

Is there a statement that was to read at this point?

4:06

Yes.

4:11

Uh twentieth twenty twenty-sixth meeting of the transportation commission is being held in person at twenty-nine hundred business center drive and electronically.

4:19

Members of Transportation Commission and staff are participating in person and from remote locations to video conference call on Zoom.

4:27

Maybe can be accessed by the public in person or via Zoom.

4:32

So um the first item on our uh well, agenda is public comment.

4:38

Um we have any speakers in a signed up for we do.

4:44

Um let's see, Mr.

4:45

Fisher, would you like to say um would you like to speak in the public comment period?

4:51

Yes, uh, sure, thank you.

4:53

And uh okay.

4:53

I have to just remind you, even Mr.

4:55

Fisher, you have three minutes.

4:58

Yep, not a problem.

5:00

Uh if you hear any background noises because my one month old son is in my lap right now sleeping.

5:03

We'll see if that happens for three minutes straight.

5:06

That would be really great.

5:07

Uh my name's Carl.

5:09

My name's Carl Fisher.

5:10

I live on Henry Street in Old Town.

5:12

Uh I actually submitted written comments and an attached memorandum earlier today for your consideration regarding cut through traffic and uh you know consideration for a possible dwell time based approach to studying pass-through commuter traffic in old town.

5:26

I mainly want to attend tonight to emphasize that this is an issue with real day-to-day impact on residents.

5:31

Actually, just looking out my window, I think Henry Street finally cleared up after about two hours of typical traffic that we see uh every weekday here.

5:39

Uh the city's prior traffic mitigation studies found that approximately 42% of traffic within the studied area, which was actually around uh the Duke Street corridor consisted of cut through trips that neither originated nor terminated in Alexandria.

5:52

I think that's pretty typical for the entire city.

5:55

Uh many of us who live along the corridors, uh like Henry, Patrick, Duke, Washington, Braddock, to name a few, uh, experience this congestion noise and safety impacts associated with that traffic pattern on a on a daily basis.

6:08

Uh the intent of my uh what I submitted is just for your consideration, uh, not to advocate for that to be the immediate sort of uh idea, but rather to encourage the commission and staff to continue exploring innovative and data-driven approaches to distinguishing destination traffic from regional pass-through traffic uh that we all have to deal with.

6:27

Appreciate the commission's time and consideration.

6:30

Thank you for the work you do on transportation issues to affect the city.

6:36

Thank you.

6:37

Thank you very much.

6:38

So I have a question to you guys.

6:40

Um how would we sort of keep the ball alive with Ms.

6:44

Then is this something that you guys would take somewhere else within the staff to kind of give some honoring thought to?

6:53

I mean, this is clearly a you know a big deal to kind of go to congestion pricing, but I know this DC has just sort of had a report on it, and I don't know if that would be kind of the most logical first step to do something like that, whether it's the kind of thing you'd go get a grant for to be able to uh to do that.

7:12

It would be.

7:13

Um unfortunately though, the state has not given us permission to do congestion pricing.

7:18

Got it.

7:18

And so uh we we could study it as much as we want, but we would never be able to act on it until legislation is proposed.

7:25

So then what we would probably think is to perhaps put it in the legislative package for uh because I don't think we've ever done that.

7:33

I was gonna ask if anyone in Virginia has.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Transportation Safety███████████████████████████████████████39%

Public Engagement███████████████████████23%

Planning And Zoning█████████████13%

Active Transportation████████████12%

Procedural██████████10%

Parks and Recreation██2%

Affordable Housing█1%

Summary of Proceedings

Alexandria Transportation Commission Meeting - May 21, 2026

The Transportation Commission met on May 21, 2026, at 7:05 PM in person at 2900 Business Center Drive and via Zoom, with a quorum present. The meeting included public comment, approval of minutes, a discussion of the Duke Street Land Use Plan, and an action on Smart Scale grant applications.

Public Comments & Testimony

Carl Fisher, a resident of Henry Street in Old Town, testified about cut-through traffic. He noted that prior city studies found approximately 42% of traffic within the Duke Street corridor consisted of trips that neither originated nor terminated in Alexandria. He urged the commission to explore data-driven approaches to distinguish destination traffic from regional pass-through traffic. He had submitted written comments proposing a dwell-time-based approach.
Commissioners discussed the viability of congestion pricing, noting that the state has not granted permission to implement it. Staff suggested that a legislative package might be a long-term goal and that further study or a presentation from D.C. could be beneficial.

Consent Calendar

The minutes of the April meeting were approved by voice vote, with one abstention (Commissioner Mislanka, who had not attended the previous meeting).

Discussion Items

Duke Street Land Use Plan Update: Michael D'Arazio from the Department of Planning and Zoning presented an update. The plan covers a four-mile stretch from the Landmark Mall site to the Union Station/Metro area. The process began in June 2025 and has included 50 pop-ups and extensive community engagement. A framework plan has been released focusing on mobility, parks, open space, and land use. Key elements include proposed bike facilities, new street networks for redevelopment sites, and building on the Duke Street Transitway concept. The next meeting on housing and health is May 28, 2026, with a transportation-focused meeting in June. Commissioners raised concerns about language outreach for non-English speakers, the need to address utility poles in sidewalks (citing Columbia Pike as a model), the safety of shareows, and connectivity to adjacent areas like Cameron Station and the Holmes Run Trail. A specific challenge at the Van Dorn and trail connection was highlighted due to grade changes and narrow sidewalks.
Smart Scale Grant Applications: Sarah Brant Burrell, a capital project manager with T&ES, presented two applications for the fiscal year 2033-2034 Smart Scale funding cycle. The first is the King Street Bradley Safety and Mobility Enhancements project (requesting up to $27 million), which includes a dedicated bus lane, improved sidewalks, a protected two-way cycle track, and stormwater treatment. The second is the Mount Vernon Avenue North Intersection Improvements project (requesting up to $8 million) for safety improvements at Executive Avenue and Russell Road. Both projects have undergone prior community engagement and were approved by the Traffic and Parking Board and City Council in 2024. The city did not receive funding for the King Street project in the previous round; staff noted that Northern Virginia as a whole received no projects in the last cycle. Commissioners discussed the need for a feedback mechanism from VDOT and the importance of advocating for changes to the Smart Scale criteria. A motion to endorse the applications was made and seconded.

Key Outcomes

Motion to Endorse Smart Scale Applications: The commission voted unanimously by voice vote to endorse a letter to City Council supporting the submission of up to $35 million in Smart Scale grant applications for the King Street Bradley and Mount Vernon Avenue North projects. The letter will also include broader concerns about the competitiveness of the process and the need for feedback.
Commissioner Updates:
- Traffic and Parking Board: A new commission representative, Kristen Phelps, was selected. The board approved valet parking on the 100 block of North Lee Street, despite resident opposition. Food truck vending was removed from Eisenhower Avenue and added on Landover Park near the Warwood pool. A proposal to extend residential parking permits to house managers was deferred for further study.
- Funding awards: The city received funding for the bicycle network gap analysis, the Mount Vernon Avenue corridor study, and a hybrid beacon study with other jurisdictions.
- Dash Advisory Committee: Upcoming community events for spring/summer were announced.
- Councilmember Chapman reported that Councilwoman Sandy Marks has been appointed to the Transportation Commission.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned around 8:30 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Okay, okay. Anyway, I I wanted to share that for while we had while we have the time. Should be live. Just a second. Hey Matt and Jim, can you hear us? I can now. I'm trying to turn the video on. I'm getting the hourglass here. There we go. Yes, can hear you. Can you see us? Cannot see you. See the opening slide. Okay. Go through it. You have to talk about it. It sounds like you have some background noise. Um, we could see you. All right, we have a quorum, and uh I'll call this meeting to order at 7005 p.m. Is there a statement that was to read at this point? Yes. Uh twentieth twenty twenty-sixth meeting of the transportation commission is being held in person at twenty-nine hundred business center drive and electronically. Members of Transportation Commission and staff are participating in person and from remote locations to video conference call on Zoom. Maybe can be accessed by the public in person or via Zoom. So um the first item on our uh well, agenda is public comment. Um we have any speakers in a signed up for we do. Um let's see, Mr. Fisher, would you like to say um would you like to speak in the public comment period? Yes, uh, sure, thank you. And uh okay. I have to just remind you, even Mr. Fisher, you have three minutes. Yep, not a problem. Uh if you hear any background noises because my one month old son is in my lap right now sleeping. We'll see if that happens for three minutes straight. That would be really great. Uh my name's Carl. My name's Carl Fisher. I live on Henry Street in Old Town. Uh I actually submitted written comments and an attached memorandum earlier today for your consideration regarding cut through traffic and uh you know consideration for a possible dwell time based approach to studying pass-through commuter traffic in old town. I mainly want to attend tonight to emphasize that this is an issue with real day-to-day impact on residents. Actually, just looking out my window, I think Henry Street finally cleared up after about two hours of typical traffic that we see uh every weekday here. Uh the city's prior traffic mitigation studies found that approximately 42% of traffic within the studied area, which was actually around uh the Duke Street corridor consisted of cut through trips that neither originated nor terminated in Alexandria. I think that's pretty typical for the entire city. Uh many of us who live along the corridors, uh like Henry, Patrick, Duke, Washington, Braddock, to name a few, uh, experience this congestion noise and safety impacts associated with that traffic pattern on a on a daily basis. Uh the intent of my uh what I submitted is just for your consideration, uh, not to advocate for that to be the immediate sort of uh idea, but rather to encourage the commission and staff to continue exploring innovative and data-driven approaches to distinguishing destination traffic from regional pass-through traffic uh that we all have to deal with. Appreciate the commission's time and consideration. Thank you for the work you do on transportation issues to affect the city. Thank you. Thank you very much.

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