City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: FEBRUARY 5, 2026
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
THROUGH: JAMES F. PARAJON, CITY MANAGER
FROM: RYAN FREED, CLIMATE ACTION OFFICER
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Introduction and First Reading. Consideration. Passage on First Reading of an Ordinance to amend Sections 3-2-82 and 3-2-85 (Encroachment fees) Article G of Chapter 2 of Title 3 (Finance, Taxation and Procurement) and Section 5-2-29 (Street Encroachments) of Chapter 2 (Streets and Sidewalks) of Title 5 (Transportation and Environmental Services) to allow publicly accessible electrical vehicle charging equipment encroachments into public rights-of-way.
BODY
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ISSUE: Consideration of an amendment to Section 5-2-29 (street encroachment ordinance) with the goal to allow publicly accessible electrical vehicle (EV) charging equipment encroachments into public rights-of-way (ROW) and make corresponding changes to Sections 3-2-82 and 3-2-85 (encroachment fees) to enable updating the fees with Council resolution.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council:
1. Introduce and adopt the proposed ordinance (Attachment 1) on first reading to authorize the City Manager to initiate and establish the process for allowing the use of the public ROW for the installation, operation, and maintenance of publicly accessible electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) at no cost to the City;
2. Introduce and adopt the proposed resolution (Attachment 2) on first reading to establish fees for publicly accessible EV charging equipment in the public ROW; and
3. Schedule the ordinance for second reading, public hearing, and final approval on February 21, 2026.
BACKGROUND: In April 2021, the City finalized the Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Readiness Strategy (EVRS), which acts as a roadmap to meet the EV charging infrastructure and technical needs of City residents, workforce members, and visitors as EV adoption increases and to meet the goals outlined in the City’s Environmental Action Plan 2040. In order to address EVRS Recommendation A-2 - Consider Right-of-Way Charging Opportunities for Residents Lacking Off-Street Parking, the City is proposing a Curbside EV Charging Program to allow qualified vendors to install Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) in the ROW at no cost to the City.
DISCUSSION: This docket item is presented in conjunction with item 26-0642: Introduction and First Reading. Consideration. Passage on First Reading of an Ordinance to adopt Section 10-4-28 (Parking in spaces reserved for charging plug-in electric motor vehicles) of the Code of the City of Alexandria, Virginia.
In May 2023, the City finalized the Energy and Climate Change Action Plan (ECCAP), which helps the City respond to climate change impacts and environmental emergencies, align with the 2019 updated Environmental Action Plan 2040 (EAP2040), and build upon existing City energy, greenhouse gas reduction, and climate action efforts. The ECCAP establishes the following goals for EV adoption:
• 50% of personal vehicle sales are EV by 2030, and
• 100% of personal vehicle sales are EV by 2050.
Implementing the recommendations in the EVRS will help promote EV adoption so the community can benefit from the City’s electric vehicle ecosystem and meet the goals in the ECCAP. Alexandria residents are adopting electric vehicles at a rate faster than the national average; however, analysis conducted in the EVRS shows that the City currently does not have enough publicly accessible EV charging stations to meet the growing demand.
The U.S. Department of Energy studies show that 80% of EV charging occurs at home. However, for residents without a dedicated driveway or garage, or that live in a multi-family community, home charging may not currently be an option. Allowing publicly accessible EV chargers to be installed in the ROW will allow more Alexandrians to purchase EVs.
Consistent with EVRS Recommendation A-2 - Consider Right-of-Way Charging Opportunities for Residents Lacking Off-Street Parking, the City is proposing a Curbside EV Charging Program to allow qualified vendors to design, install, own, operate, maintain, repair, upgrade, and remove publicly accessible EVSE in the ROW for up to five years at no cost to the City. Vendors may also request an EV Charging Only parking space for each charging port to increase utilization of the EVSE.
Under this program, Section 5-2-29 (street encroachment ordinance) of the City Code will be updated to add publicly accessible EVSE as an allowable encroachment into the ROW (Attachment 1). Corresponding changes to Sections 3-2-82 and 3-2-85 (encroachment fees) of the City Code will be made to establish required fees based on the square footage of the public sidewalk occupied by the EVSE and the EV Charging Only parking space (Attachment 2). Vendors must execute the Curbside EV Charging License Agreement and comply with the Curbside EV Charging Requirements (Attachment 3) to obtain the necessary permits to install the EVSE.
Under the proposed Curbside EV Charging Requirements (Attachment 3), the EVSE must have a minimalistic design, and be of a design, material, and color compatible with the surrounding streetscape. If a vendor plans to locate EVSE in an Alexandria historic district, the vendor must present the charging station design at a Board of Architectural Review hearing for approval.
The proposed Curbside EV Charging Requirements also include limitations on charger siting, including location, required minimum distance between curbside chargers, the number of charging ports that can be installed on each block, and the minimum and maximum number of charging ports that can be installed by a vendor.
The City presented the EV Charging Requirements to the Traffic and Parking Board on December 8, 2025 and received their recommendations. Vendors requesting an EV Charging Only parking space must obtain a Letter of Support from the owner(s) or occupant(s) of the property to be fronted by the EV Charging Only parking space. The City will post a sign for 14 days at the proposed EV Charging Only parking space, and provide notice on the City website to invite public comment. If no concerns are received, the EV Charging Only parking space will be approved administratively by staff. If concerns are received, the City will coordinate with the EV Charger vendor to address issues and may require review by the Traffic and Parking Board at a public hearing.
Effective July 1, 2022, Section 46.2-1219.3 of the Code of Virginia was enacted by the General Assembly, giving localities the authority to adopt an ordinance to establish a traffic infraction for any person to park a vehicle that (i) is not a plug-in electric motor vehicle, or (ii) is a plug-in electric motor vehicle, that is not in the process of charging in a parking space adjacent to an electric vehicle charging station that is clearly marked as reserved for charging plug-in electric motor vehicles. Under this program, the proposed Section 10-4-48 of the Code of the City of Alexandria, Virginia is recommended to be adopted to establish this traffic infraction (Attachment 4). Such ordinance is being brought forward as a separate docket item 26-0642 but is included in this item as well, for reference.
Under the proposed program, the City will issue five-year licenses for two years. The issue of licenses will be paused for at least one year to analyze data on charger usage and collect feedback on program implementation. The City will use this information collected during the evaluation period to recommend whether to continue the program, and what changes may be implemented.
FISCAL IMPACT: Qualified vendors will design, install, own, operate, maintain, repair, upgrade, and remove publicly available EVSE at no cost to the City. Vendors will be required to pay annual fees for the sidewalk encroachment and the EV Charging Only parking space, per the proposed ordinance. The City will continue to pursue federal and state grant opportunities to facilitate the installation of additional chargers across the City. Staffing efforts during the franchise term include permitting reviews, community engagement, and project oversight to ensure the EVSE are installed, operated, and maintained in accordance with City standards and community expectations and the terms of the License Agreement (Attachment 3).
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: Proposed Encroachment Ordinance Amendment
Attachment 2: Proposed Encroachment Fee Resolution
Attachment 3: Curbside EV Charging License Agreement and Curbside EV Charging Requirements
Attachment 4: Proposed Parking Ordinance Amendment
Attachment 5: Presentation
STAFF:
Emily A. Baker, Deputy City Manager
Bonnie Brown, Deputy City Attorney
Amy Posner, Electric Vehicle Planner
Alex Boulden, Interim Deputy Director, Transportation and Environmental Services
Katye North, Division Chief, Transportation and Environmental Services