City of Alexandria, Virginia
____________________
MEMORANDUM
DATE: MAY 3, 2017
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Introduction and First Reading. Consideration. Passage on First Reading of an Amendment to City Code Section 10-4-8 to Allow for the Provision of an Exemption to the Existing 72-Hour On-Street Parking Rule.
BODY
_________________________________________________________________
ISSUE: Consideration of a proposed ordinance to amend City Code section 10-4-8 to create an exemption to the existing 72-hour on-street parking rule.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council approve the proposed ordinance on first reading and set it for public hearing, and final passage on Saturday, May 13, 2017.
BACKGROUND: City Code Section 10-4-8 currently prohibits vehicles from parking in the same place on City streets for more than 72-hours, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. This rule applies to all vehicles-including vehicles parked with stickers in Residential Parking Permit (RPP) districts. There are varying opinions about the original intent of this decades old rule. In practice today, the rule is used to encourage the turnover of on-street parking spaces. Different sections of City Code address abandoned vehicles (sections 5-8-21 and 5-8-22). In 2016, City Council directed staff to review this rule and this project was added to the Citywide Parking Work Plan.
At City Council April 25th Legislative meeting, Council received a report on potentially amending the existing 72-hour on-street parking rule (Attachment 3). This report outlines the extensive process undertaken by staff to analyze the use of this parking rule, engage with the public on potential modifications, and develop a recommendation. After receiving the report, Council directed staff to docket the item for a public hearing and consideration.
DISCUSSION: The proposed ordinance change, unanimously recommended by the Traffic and Parking Board, provides residents relief from section 10-4-8 by allowing a vehicle to park on-street for a maximum of two weeks within 1/8 mile of a resident’s home address-roughly two blocks in Old Town. Exemptions would be provided on a per-vehicle basis. Residents would be allowed to apply for an exemption a maximum of four times per year per vehicle. As proposed, no more than two contiguous exemptions would be provided per vehicle. All on-street restrictions would still be applicable; therefore, exempted vehicles would still be subject to restrictions in RPP districts should they not have the necessary RPP decal.
In total, the proposed exemptions allow a maximum of 56 days of relief per vehicle per year. As staff recommends that no more than two contiguous exemptions be granted, a vehicle could potentially be parked on-street in the same location for a period of 28 days. This should allow residents sufficient time to park on-street for vacation or business travel, assuming they are not subject to other signed restrictions.
Implementation of Proposed Exemption
Using an online form, plates will be registered and approved through a system managed by the APD in coordination with T&ES. The exemption provision is slated to sunset on November 1st, 2018, at which time T&ES and APD will review a year’s worth of data between June 2017 and June 2018 to assess existing procedures and resident needs. Any necessary changes will be addressed in future Code changes. Should demand not warrant a continuation of the exemption program, staff will propose the removal of the exemption provision.
Next Steps
Once the ordinance is approved, the exemption will go into effect immediately. Staff will advertise the provision of the exemption via social media and the City’s website. A flyer about the exemption will also be included on check-notices placed on reported vehicles. Staff will also work with the Finance Department to include information about the exemption with the annual City decal mailers.
FISCAL IMPACT: Staff does not anticipate funding needs extending beyond the means of existing resources. The registration system will be automated. APD and T&ES staff will only monitor the automated system to approve exemption requests and respond to complaints. At the termination of the pilot, staff will reassess the program to determine whether or not fees should be considered to account for any administrational costs incurred by the program.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: Ordinance Cover
Attachment 2: Ordinance
Attachment 3: April 25 City Council Legislative Meeting Docket Memo 16-6352
STAFF:
Emily A. Baker, Deputy City Manager
Yon Lambert, Director, T&ES
Michael L. Brown, Chief of Police
Carrie Sanders, Deputy Director of Transportation, T&ES
Christopher Ziemann, Division Chief, T&ES Transportation Planning
Katye North, Principal Planner, T&ES Transportation Planning
Patrick Reed, Urban Planner, T&S Transportation Planning