City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: NOVEMBER 2, 2021
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration of the Creation of Residential Permit Parking District 13 in Potomac Yard.
BODY
ISSUE: Consideration of the Creation of Residential Permit Parking (RPP) District 13 in Potomac Yard.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council amend the Residential Permit Parking District Map to add District 13 in Potomac Yard.
BACKGROUND: In 2019, City staff worked with a subcommittee of the Traffic and Parking Board and the community on the RPP Refresh Project to develop code amendments to the residential permit parking section of the City Code, which were approved by Council in December 2019. This amendment included language allowing staff to initiate new RPP districts through a resident ballot for neighborhoods within 1 mile of an existing or proposed transit station. Under this new process, the City must receive responses from occupants of more 50% of the residences in the proposed new district, and at least 60% of the responses must support the new district to continue with the process.
Residents of Potomac Yard expressed interest in being part of an RPP District in the past but never met the criteria for a district defined in City Code. Given the proximity to the future Potomac Yard Metro station and its late 2022 opening and potential commuter parking issues if the streets were left unrestricted, City staff initiated a ballot process to propose a new RPP district in the area shown in Attachment 2. The proposed district boundary is the area with the highest expected impact from the Potomac Yard Metro Station and was developed in coordination with the Potomac Yard Civic Association. Blocks not fully occupied and multifamily buildings were not included. However, residents in those areas could petition to expand the proposed district using the typical resident-initiated petition process after the district is created. Additionally, blocks from Maskell Street to E. Glebe Road are metered or planned to be metered.
DISCUSSION: Ballots were mailed to all residents within the proposed new RPP District on May 12, 2021. A sample ballot letter is provided in Attachment 2. Staff requested ballots be returned by June 11, 2021 either via mail, email scan, or through an online form using a password protected Survey Monkey. Each address was also assigned a unique pin through their ballot to ensure only those who received a ballot could vote and only one vote per household.
Staff received 238 responses from a total of 446 ballot letters sent, for a 53% response rate, exceeding the required 50% response rate. Of these responses, 78% indicated they supported the creation of the new district, exceeding the 60% rate of support needed to proceed.
The ballot asked residents to indicate if they supported the creation of a new district, however, it did not specify that specific blocks be posted with signage. Per City Code, with the creation of a district, “if City Council determines that signs should immediately be posted, it shall identify the blocks within the district along which signs are to be posted, and shall specify which of the parking restrictions described in section 5-8-72(b) are to be imposed by such signs.”
In order to ensure that signs are installed before the Metro Station opens on each block where the majority of the residents have requested posted District 13 restrictions, the Traffic and Parking Board recommends the following process:
• If occupants of more than 50% of the residential properties that abut the block submit a petition by February 2022 indicating support for posting restrictions on the block, the petitions would be reviewed by the Traffic and Parking Board as a group, allowing signs to be installed on the block by in March 2022.
• That initial RPP restrictions should be 2-hour parking, Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to address expected commuter parking issues.
• That blocks requesting other restriction hours or for those requesting signage after February 2022 use the typical petition process with a hearing by the Traffic and Parking Board for signage requests.
Staff developed this timeline with the Potomac Yard Civic Association based on the original planned opening date for the Metro station in Spring 2022. The opening date for the Metro station has since been pushed back to late 2022. However, the Civic Association expressed an interest to continue with the original timeline.
Traffic and Parking Board considered the proposed new RPP District at a public hearing in July 2021. The sole public speaker testified in favor of the district, and the Board unanimously recommended Council approval.
Residents of Potomac Greens have also approached staff about initiating a parking district for their neighborhood, also in anticipation commuter parking issues once the Metro Station opens. That process has not yet begun but could in the next few months if there is support from the civic association.
FISCAL IMPACT: The fiscal impact of approving the creation of District 13 is minor. Approximately 8 new signs will be required for each block that requests RPP signage. The cost to fabricate and install these signs is approximately $100 per sign and is anticipated to be offset by the new parking permit revenue for these blocks. There would be 446 new households that would be eligible to purchase District 13 parking permit stickers at the annual cost of $40 for the first vehicle, $50 for the second vehicle, and $150 for each additional vehicle. Parking enforcement will be required for block faces that implement RPP restrictions, but will be integrated into existing patrol schedules and will be enforced by parking enforcement staff consistent with enforcement on other residential permit restriction blocks.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: Proposed District Boundary
Attachment 2: Sample Ballot Letter
Attachment 3: Presentation
STAFF:
Emily A. Baker, Deputy City Manager
Don Hayes, Acting Chief, Police
Yon Lambert, Director, T&ES
Hillary Orr, Deputy Director, Transportation, T&ES
Katye North, Division Chief, Mobility Services, T&ES
Alex Block, Principal Planner, Mobility Services, T&ES
Megan Oleynik, Urban Planner III, Transportation Planning, T&ES