Alexandria City Board Meeting on Parking Changes and Transportation Updates – June 23, 2026
Alexandria City Board Meeting on Parking Changes and Transportation Updates – June 23, 2026
The board discussed and voted on several recommendations to convert on-street loading zones to parking or retain them, heard public comment on a loading zone, and received updates on a left-turn signal issue and a smart mobility initiative.
Public Comments & Testimony
- A speaker expressed concern about a construction zone reducing traffic space and argued that maintaining a loading zone on a specific block for at least part of the day is important for workers and retail deliveries. They said an alternative loading zone on the next block is not feasible because it is already used by shops.
Discussion Items
- Board members reviewed a list of 11 locations where loading zones or 20-minute parking could be converted to standard parking. One board member suggested preserving loading zones near restaurants and for ride-share pickups. Another asked staff to reach out to businesses about the opportunity to use new parking spaces. Staff provided details on existing loading zones in the Cameron Street and Royal Street area. A board member also asked about promoting parking garages west of King Street and encouraging use of metro and trolley. Staff noted existing maps and outreach efforts. The board then considered two motions.
- A commissioner discussed a left-turn issue at Jameson and Mill Road, requesting a protected left-turn signal that is not automated and only activates when a driver is present, to improve safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and buses. Staff agreed to follow up.
- Another commissioner reported on a smart mobility presentation from the Transportation Commission, highlighting new traffic signal technology that captures data and allows better roadway management, including priority for buses and emergency vehicles. The commissioner recommended inviting the presenter to a future board meeting.
- The board also received a brief update on a digitized trail map and thanked an outgoing board member for their service.
Key Outcomes
- First motion passed: The board recommended to the Director of T&ES to add parking to three locations: three spaces on the north side of the 600 block of King Street (currently restricted 7–11 PM only), two spaces on the north side of the 600 block of Prince Street, and two spaces on the north side of the 500 block (street name unclear). Additionally, a taxi stand on the south side of the 400 block of King Street was to be removed and replaced with metered parking and a handi-drop zone.
- Second motion passed: The board recommended removing loading zones or 20-minute parking areas at six locations and replacing them with the prevailing parking restrictions: 200 block of South Union Street near Prince Street, 200 block of North Lee Street near Queen Street, east side of the 100 block of South Royal Street (mid-block north of alley), east side of the 100 block of North St. Asaph Street (mid-block north of alley), north side of the 500 block of King Street (mid-block), and south side of the 600 block of Prince Street near Washington Street.
- Staff will follow up on the left-turn signal request at Jameson and Mill Road.
- The board expressed interest in having a presentation on smart mobility at a future meeting.
Meeting Transcript
Detail shop in progress. Now we given the fact that there is a construction zone going on on this block that already reduces the space available for the traffic. Limiting the access of these trucks to be able to park in the current loading zone at least from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. or even for a shorter period of time would be really reduced the risk of having cars double parking and reducing the access, increasing the traffic and the probability of accidents. I do not believe that the solutions of having a loading zone on the next block is very feasible. That loading block is being used by the you know by the shops, they're there, and that's where they park the car for most part of the day. So that is not working as an alternative. Therefore, I really think it would be really important to maintain that loading zone at least for a certain period of the day, because that serves the people that work in that area and the people that serve the retails in the area. Thank you. Thank you very much. Anybody else would like to speak on this item? Not seeing any other hand streets at this moment. I'll give it one more minute. Thank you. All right, so I'm gonna come back to what I was gonna um, which is um as I suggested that uh and I'm gonna just show these outs. You guys either write it down or something. I think the ones that we might consider for one A C F J and A C F and then the ones I would uh recommend that we preserve the loading zones for, and again, these are kind of based on where the loading zone is on the blocks or thread can't grow any other block. So these would be one B HIV that suggested earlier thing to the items doing three mixed sense converting so comments or questions on that so for one B is your recommendation to retain the full loading zone or a portion of it the full or the three spaces, yes. I would uh maybe also add a comment that the ones that also jump out to me for potential preservation of loading zones might be ones as kind of Dan I think was alluding to that are near a number of restaurants, and other potential use I could see for loading zones are um over each type of pickups where drivers are getting to it and taking that, or even you know the nautically it's a regular person driving in the um I could see those being useful, especially if there are a lot of restaurants in there. This is just sort of a side on that. I think given how successful apartments are and how much more widely they are, it's crazy that we force business to the promise with such a view of the certain general. But I I kind of get the thinking, but I guess I would ask staff to maybe look into why we're doing that when it kind of pushes us into a way of people's street, but it may be less ideal for really dismissive like tracks, but's place is really the one from Springs Mike here, but also just could I think really benefit from some of that outdoor space? I mean even a small five control barrier in there has a little bit of a side. Yeah, certainly part of the discussion we talked about work was uh sometime ago in terms of price remote, but from a business perspective, you know, they're painting their uh bridge and water building somehow they're paying or at least so giving them more space for no charge, probably what's a real incentive on that to just grab more of the curb space, and there's all an amazing demand for curb space beyond just parking. Yeah, there is in some instances the demand to try to create more space for people riding bikes or service daylighting interceptions for so it's not just the space just sitting there waiting for restaurants to grab and make their businesses more successful, yeah. They could do that by expanding their business. So yeah, I do get the incentive. I guess I would at least have staff to try to reach out to these businesses if some of these spots are made into uh leader parking and just sort of inform them on the opportunity because I think sometimes businesses are so used to the few things that they may not even work. The other question for staff. Um so on the camera 300 block, um we'll repeat where the loading zones are that you are recommending to make. So I think it was one of I think it's the 400 block, kind of by tapping on me on Cameron and Royal, and then the south side of Cameron across from one eye, is that correct? Are there others in that proximity? Um other loading zones are there over the firm loading deliveries, et cetera. So on the south side of uh the three inch block of Cameron Street, there are no loading zones. On the north side of that block, there's that one small loading zone at the end of the block over the intersection of North Royal. Um on the porn block of Cameron Street, there's the Pudow zone, it's in front of Cafe Gun Me. Um, and then on the 100 block of North Royal Street, there are kind of uh sporadic loading zones on the um east side of the block, which we plan to address once we once the hall reopens right now, it's you know I'm not being used on the west side of that block. There are no loading zones for regular vehicles. There's a motor coach loading zone that's pretty small, and then a lot of that block is used for boating. Uh so there's not much we can do there because of the voting uh location. And then for obviously there's no loading on the 200 block of North Royal, and there's that small loading zone on the 200 block north Fairfax, which is under consideration here, but it's very small. Um it says two spaces here, but it's smaller than that. And then um on the 100 block of north Fairfax, there is a small, very small PUTA zone in front of Tolchi Gilati and the visitor center. And then again, there are some on the west side of that block, but that's under renovation right now, uh being used for staging, and that's it. So um I wanted to ask about I I know you guys are doing a big blast on social media and trying to inform people about all of the different locations, all of the parking garages in light of the loss of our city hall garage. Um what is the city doing about trying to get more people to metro and take our trolley down king, or even if you're driving and come in from wherever you get to take your car? about all of the different locations of all of the parking garages in light of the loss of of that our city hall garage um what if what is the city doing about trying to get more people to metro and take our trolley down king or even if you're driving you know you come in from wherever you got to take the car can't they even park up at some of those garages by the King Street Metro and hop on the um uh the trolley like can we do more outreach about like go park further west and pick up the trolley to make your way down like it seems like this end is so much more crowded than that end and I didn't know if we can try to encourage people one it might be nice to help you businesses on the western side of King Street but is there any way to get them to park up there and use our little trolley I didn't know like are we losing trolley users because we reduced the number of of uh stops a few years I mean it's been actually yeah quite a few years um we can definitely do some that could create again that we could do some um posts highlighting people can park in other logs and then take our free bus or the trolley down um we can definitely highlight that well yeah we do we have a where to park an old town website with a map that we update pretty much every year with the rates for all the publicly accessible private garages um and showing you know where they are exactly um we get calls and emails of three on ones about it too um I think in general what we try to do is you know like make our publicly our publicly owned garages cheaper and and lots cheaper get them to park there and then we also make some of those high demand blocks in the old town more expensive there's also less meter fewer metered um blocks west of Washington Street we have the parking viewer that people can use and then basically now for every event our communications team is really good about saying like here take the metro take the trolley do all this we also have a goalics team that's dedicated to that entirely um reaching out to businesses and um like employers and uh other organizations to try to educate people and we have people at the metro stations we're trying it's just really difficult because people have been used to driving for you know 100 years while we're trying do we have good have we done any polling down at the bottom of King Street to see how people arrived if they drove and park versus public transportation yeah um I don't think we have any data on that I think there was something we were on like on our list of parking things to do was look again see if there was any kind of data we could get um to figure that out I think that some events coordinators might be the one so we could do that when they have a set up for um like the jazz fest or for the sale event that that could be a question they asked there is how to well there was that post right so many there was something after the jazz test vote thing that I don't know at least push or something so I'm gonna try to bring us back to this uh particular dock that I have those are good questions but I don't know if it's any specific document so um to move this forward you guys like to vote on these 11 uh whether they be parking or uh voting zone and and then we can address two and three separately there's a comfortable features uh weigh in on each of these one last quick question um and you might already know um how far do we have like a little map of like the bike racks in this area or whether to consider some of these also for an additional bike rack area so are you talking bike racks or the corrogs the crowds but there is I think there is a on one of the maps there's a on the GIS map parking of yeah I'll just we put the dockless corals in this park old town in the daylighting space we have never brought it to you wall to the parking for a while is pretty sure but it is good daily okay of her whether we may first go on to and success one how do I want to absolutely so um that uh and if you guys agree we can do that uh then let's uh do I have a motion to um recommendation do I have a motion to um make the following changes oh go ahead yes go ahead but I so um I'm going to move that the board recommend that the director TDS make the following changes to on street parking inscriptions add parking to the following location We have never brought it to you won't parking for a cow is such a but it is good daily okay I'll go whether we might first go on to and then discuss one by one absolutely so um that uh and if you guys agree we can do that uh then let's uh do I have a motion to uh regulation do I have a motion to um make the following changes oh go ahead yes go ahead but I so um I'm going to move that the board recommend that the director TDS make the following changes to on street parking restrictions add parking to the following locations with the prevailing restriction for the block uh uh three spaces on the north side of the 600 block of King Street from St. ASAP Street to the no parking for bus stop the space is currently marked 7 to 11 p.m.
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