City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: APRIL 3, 2019
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration of the Creation of a Restricted Overnight Parking District on Certain Blocks in the Seminary West Neighborhood.
BODY
ISSUE: Consideration of the creation of a restricted overnight parking district on certain blocks in the Seminary West neighborhood.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council approve a restricted overnight parking district in the Seminary West neighborhood on the blocks discussed below, which would be in effect from midnight to 6 a.m., seven days a week.
BACKGROUND: In 2005, the City Council approved an ordinance to establish Section 5-8-82 of the City Code, which allows for the creation of restricted overnight parking districts. Pursuant to this section, parking on streets within these districts is restricted between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m. except for vehicles that are registered with the City of Alexandria or that have an appropriate guest or visitor pass. Three neighborhoods have requested and been approved for these restrictions on their streets since the program was established, as shown in Attachment 1. All households within restricted overnight parking districts are provided with one transferable guest pass by mail every two years and are eligible for guest permits online or at City Hall.
The residents of the blocks listed below have submitted a petition (Attachment 2) requesting the creation of a restricted overnight parking district in their neighborhood as depicted in Attachment 3:
• 5600 Block Rayburn Ave.
• 5600 Block Harding Ave.
• 2300 Block N. Sibley St.
• 2200 Block N. Chambliss St.
• 2300 Block N. Chambliss St.
• 2400 Block N. Chambliss St.
• 2500 Block N. Chambliss St.
• 5700 Block Grigsby St.
• 2300 Block Tracy St.
Most of the blocks have enacted the District 12 daytime parking restrictions (No parking 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, except for vehicles with a City decal), so there is a noticeable increase in vehicles, particularly non-resident vehicles, on the street past 5 p.m. The proposed restricted overnight parking district borders the City of Alexandria and Fairfax County boundary.
DISCUSSION: Pursuant to Section 5-8-82 of the City Code, a request to create a restricted overnight parking district should be made by a petition signed by residents from at least two thirds of the properties within the proposed district. The residents have submitted a petition with signatures from residents of 90% of the properties. The proposed restricted overnight parking district includes more than 200 spaces, as required by City Code. There is parking on the service roads along Rayburn Avenue, Harding Avenue, and Sibley Street which would not be included in the proposed district but can be privately enforced. Finally, the Code requires that a survey be conducted during the restricted parking hours (midnight to 6 a.m.) to determine if more than 25% of the parked cars are owned by non-residents. A survey conducted on January 22, 2019 found that 32% of the parked vehicles did not display a City of Alexandria decal and were non-residents.
In March 2019, City Council approved the elimination of tax windshield decals. As part of the transition, staff from the Department of Transportation & Environmental Services, Department of Finance, and the Alexandria Police Department are replacing the District 12 and 12A enforcement process with virtual permitting. Under this process, a list of registered vehicles will be uploaded to handheld license plate recognition devices currently used by Parking Enforcement Officers (PEO), enabling the PEOs to identify vehicles eligible for parking privileges. District signage will need to be revised accordingly.
The Traffic and Parking Board held a public hearing to review this request at their meeting on February 25, 2019. Six members of the public spoke in favor of the request. The Board voted unanimously to recommend approval of the request to create the proposed district. Seminary West Civic Association was notified that this block is being considered for a restricted overnight parking district via email.
FISCAL IMPACT: If the district is approved, staff will post the affected blocks with new signage indicating the restricted parking hours. Most of these blocks already have daytime parking restrictions posted, so the signs could be modified to include the additional restrictions. Staff estimates the cost to fabricate/modify and install signage for all streets will be approximately $8,000. Maintenance can be incorporated into the existing annual operating budget.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: Map of existing restricted overnight parking districts
Attachment 2: Petition from residents in proposed restricted overnight parking district
Attachment 3: Map of the proposed area for the restricted overnight parking district
STAFF:
Emily A. Baker, Deputy City Manager
Yon Lambert, Director, T&ES
Hillary Orr, Deputy Director, Transportation, T&ES
Katye North, Division Chief, Mobility Services, T&ES
Megan Oleynik, Urban Planner III, Mobility Services, T&ES