City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: RASHAD M. YOUNG, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
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Introduction and First Reading. Consideration. Passage on First Reading of a Proposed Amendment to Extend Metered Parking Zones.
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ISSUE: Consideration of an ordinance to amend Section 5-8-92 of the City Code to extend metered parking zones.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council pass the ordinance on first reading and set it for public hearing, second reading and final passage on Saturday, September 21, 2013.
DISCUSSION: In 2009 the City completed an Old Town Area Parking Study (OTAPS) that looked at parking supply and demand in the Old Town area and provided a series of recommendations to manage the inventory of on-street parking spaces. The City convened an Old Town Area Parking Study (OTAPS) Work Group once in 2010 and for the second time in 2012 to review recommendations from the 2009 Old Town Area Parking Study which included adding meters in non-metered commercial blocks, extending meter hours, installation of multispace meters, and implementing pay by phone parking technology and others.
In 2012, the City replaced single-space meters with multi-space meters on the majority of the commercial blocks along the King Street commercial corridor. However, there still remain several commercial blocks that are not metered. Studies conducted since the installation of the multi-space meters have shown that parking turnover has increased as a result of the multi-space meter installation in 2010.
One of the recommendations of the Study, which was supported by both the 2010 and 2012 OTAPS Work Groups, was to add meters on non-metered blocks with commercial ground floor retail in order to support two goals: (1) create turnover in high demand parking areas and (2) encourage long-term parkers (e.g., employees) to park in off-street parking facilities. Alexandria Police Department (APD) representatives who served on both 2010 and 2012 OTAPS Work Groups also indicated that it is easier to enforce metered parking than non-metered, time-restricted parking spaces.
Staff presented this recommendation before the City's Traffic and Parking Board in May 2013. The Board expressed some concerns about metered blocks with ground floor retail and above floor residential. The Board received comments from residents residing in dwelling units located above retail and commercial uses on Harvard, Payne and Peyton Streets. Three of the 11 speakers supported staff's recommendation, five were against, two were concerned regarding visitors' reluctance to park in new metered spaces, and one had a general comment regarding the role of technology in parking. After hearing these comments a motion was made to approve staff's request subject to elimination of blocks with ground floor retail and above floor residential. The motion did not receive a second and was not voted upon. Subsequently, a motion was made not to approve staff's request and carried. Staff modified the recommendation to address these concerns, excluded blocks with upper floor residential uses, and returned before the Board on July 22, 2013. The Board unanimously approved staff's recommendation to install meters in the following non-metered non-residential blocks with ground floor retail. The recommended commercial blocks are highlighted on the map in green (See attachment 1).
Parking Meter Zone 1
• Both sides of the unit block of Prince Street
• Both sides of the unit block of Duke Street
• West side of the 200 block of S Union Street
Parking Meter Zone 2
• Both side of the 100 block of N Fayette Street
• South side of the 1300 and 1400 blocks of King Street
The Department of Transportation and Environmental Services plans to install 13 multi-space and 11 single-space meters that accept credit card in aforementioned blocks. Section 5-8-92 of the City Code addresses the location of metered parking blocks. Staff is recommending changes to this section of Code to extend metered blocks, consistent with the recommendations of the 2010 OTAPS Work Group and the reconvened 2012 OTAPS Work Group.
FISCAL IMPACT: The City's FY 2014 Approved Operating Budget adopted on May 3, 2013 includes $160,000 for meter expansion in Old Town. Each multispace meter costs $11,000 and each single space meter that accepts credit card costs $ 600 to purchase and install. The cost to purchase 13 multi-space and 11 single-space meters that accept credit card is $149,600. There is $165,000 available in prior year funds that can cover the cost of the meter acquisition. This would leave the $160,000 allocated in the FY 14 budget which will eventually be utilized to convert the remainder of single space meters that only accept coin to meters that accept credit card, or swept back into other needed CIP funding.
The proposed blocks cover approximately 80 non-metered parking spaces. The net revenue and annual operating costs are estimated as follows:
Revenue (1) $ 160,000
Monthly Operating Cost ($960)
Transaction fees ($15,000)
Parts, etc. ($9,500)
Net Revenue $134,540/year
(1) According to historic data each parking space generates $2,000 per year.
Excluding the depreciation fee, the new net new revenue would be $134,540 per year. Considering the net new revenue of $134,540 per year, the payback of the meter capital costs will occur in just over a year.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: Map of Proposed Blocks
Attachment 2: Ordinance Cover
Attachment 3: Ordinance
STAFF:
Richard J. Baier, P.E., LEED AP, Director, T&ES
Joel Marcuson, Deputy Director, T&ES
Jerome Fletcher, Special Assistant to the City Manager, CMO
Sandra Marks, AICP, Division Chief, T&ES
Bob Garbacz, P.E., Division Chief, T&ES
Antonio J. Baxter, Division Chief of Strategic Management Services, T&ES
Faye Dastgheib, Principal Parking Planner, T&ES