City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: APRIL 9, 2026
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
THROUGH: JAMES F. PARAJON, CITY MANAGER
FROM: LEAH RILEY, DIRECTOR, TRANSPORTATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Introduction and First Reading. Consideration of Passage on First Reading of an Ordinance to amend and reordain Section 5-8-93 (PARKING METERS; HOURS AND DAYS OF OPERATION; MAXIMUM TIME LIMITS; RATES) of Article G (PARKING METERS) of Chapter 8 (PARKING AND TRAFFIC REGULATIONS) of Title 5 (TRANSPORTATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES) of the Code of the City of Alexandria, Virginia, 1981, as amended. [ROLL-CALL VOTE]
BODY
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ISSUE: Consideration of the addition of Sunday meter operations.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council:
1. Introduce the proposed ordinance (Attachment 2) on first reading,
2. Set the ordinance for public hearing on Saturday, April 18, 2026, and
3. Set it for second reading and final passage on April 29, 2026, with budget adoption.
BACKGROUND: Metered parking areas include Old Town along King Street and one to two blocks north and south, Carlyle and Eisenhower East, Potomac Yard, and Oakville Triangle. Meters are in effect Monday-Saturday, from 8 a.m. to either 6 p.m. or 9 p.m. depending on the location. With the exception of six blocks that have an all-day rate, parking at the meter is limited to 2-3 hours. See Attachment 3 for parking meter locations.
Section 5-8-93 of the City Code establishes the days for meter operation as every day of the week except Sunday and Federal holidays. Currently, no meters are in operation on Sunday, although residential permit parking restrictions and residential pay by phone restrictions are on some blocks on Sundays starting at 11 a.m. Additionally, all of the City’s parking lots and garages require payment to park on Sundays.
DISCUSSION: Pricing and restrictions are key tools in managing parking and have become more important as demand for the curb increases from uses other than parking, including parklets, pick up and drop off zones, and accessible bus stops.
Operationally, there is a need to manage parking on Sundays as this can be a busy day for visitors to the City. Without hourly or meter restrictions, prime on-street spaces can be occupied for the entire day by the same vehicle, which impacts turnover of spaces in the area. By allowing free parking on Sundays, this disincentivizes visitors from using off-street parking for longer visits. This proposal adds Sunday hours to all existing meter blocks.
Staff notified the Traffic and Parking Board about this proposal to add Sunday meter restrictions at their meeting on March 23, 2026.
On April 29, 2026, the date of budget adoption, staff will present Council with a related resolution to (1) set the hours of operation and maximum time limits for parking meters on Sundays; (2) increase the parking meter rate from $1.75/hour to $2.50/hour; and (3) increase the pay by phone rate to $2.50/hour for all pay by phone areas where the rate is currently less than $2.50/hour.
FISCAL IMPACT: The addition of meter operations on Sunday would generate approximately $500,000 at the current meter rate. Since the City does not have any transaction data for Sundays, this was estimated by determining the meter revenue collected on Saturdays and adjusting by 50% to account for reduced parking activity on Sundays.
There would be a small administrative cost to update the posted signage indicating the days of operation.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: Ordinance Cover
Attachment 2: Ordinance
Attachment 3: Map of Parking Meter Locations
Attachment 4: Map of Off-street Parking Options in Old Town
Attachment 5: Parking Meter Rate in Other Jurisdictions
STAFF:
Emily A. Baker, P.E., Deputy City Manager
Cheran Ivery, City Attorney
Lindsay Dubin, Assistant City Attorney
Hillary Orr, Deputy Director, T&ES
Katye North, Division Chief, T&ES, Mobility Services
Sheila McGraw, Principal Planner, T&ES, Mobility Services