City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: MARCH 29, 2022
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
THROUGH: JAMES F. PARAJON, CITY MANAGER /s/
FROM: JOANNA C. ANDERSON, CITY ATTORNEY
CHRISTINA ZECHMAN BROWN, DEPUTY CITY ATTORNEY
YON LAMBERT, DIRECTOR, T & ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES (T&ES)
HILLARY ORR, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, TRANSPORTATION, T&ES
CHRISTOPHER ZIEMANN, DIVISION CHIEF, TRANSPORTATION PLANNING,
T&ES
MEGAN OLEYNIK, LONG RANGE PLANNER, TRANSPORTATION
PLANNING, T&ES
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Public Hearing, Second Reading and Final Passage of an Ordinance to amend and reordain Article C (Street names) of Chapter 2 (Streets and Sidewalks) 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: Council consideration of an ordinance to update the City Code to remove provisions that are no longer in practice and to make street naming practices consistent across the City.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council pass this proposed ordinance (Attachment 2) on first reading on April 5, 2022, and schedule it for second reading, public hearing, and final passage on Saturday, April 23, 2022.
BACKGROUND: Sec. 5-2-64 of the City Code prescribes how new streets shall be named in the City. It outlines different street naming practices east and west of Quaker Lane. The existing Code language indicates that east of Quaker Lane, new street names “shall be in harmony with the existing developments insofar as possible,” whereas west of Quaker Lane, streets shall be named alphabetically moving east to west at 600-foot intervals.
The street naming Code was adopted in the early 1960’s at the time when the West End of the City was transitioning from rural into suburban neighborhoods. The intent was to provide uniformity and geographic context with street names. For example, street names starting with letters at the end of the alphabet would likely be located near the far western edge of the City, while street names in the beginning part of the alphabet were located much closer to Quaker Lane. This practice was utilized for almost 40 years.
In the late 1990’s, Cameron Station developed as a large-scale new neighborhood with a primarily private street grid. As such, it was not required to follow the naming conventions outlined in the Code. By the early 2000’s, most of the new streets west of Quaker Lane were private, and in recent years, new streets in both the east and west parts of the City have generally been named to be consistent with nearby streets and developments. The Code gives Planning Commission the authority to assign names to newly acquired or dedicated streets. Generally new streets are built as part of larger new developments, and developers and City staff work together to propose street names that fit the character of the new development and surrounding neighborhood to bring to Planning Commission for their consideration.
DISCUSSION: The proposed ordinance would remove the language that differentiates street naming in the West End to make street naming consistent across the City. As with the current language for streets east of Quaker Lane, the proposed language would have all new street names, regardless of location, to be named in harmony with existing developments. This update will allow a unified approach to street naming across the City and make the Code language consistent with recent practices. It gives developers, staff, and Planning Commission flexibility to determine appropriate names for new streets.
FISCAL IMPACT: Adopting the proposed ordinance will not incur any fiscal impact to the City.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: Ordinance Cover
Attachment 2: Ordinance
STAFF:
Joanna C. Anderson, City Attorney
Christina Zechman Brown, Deputy City Attorney
Emily A. Baker, Deputy City Manager
Yon Lambert, Director, T&ES
Hillary Orr, Deputy Director, Transportation, T&ES
Christopher Ziemann, Division Chief, Transportation Planning, T&ES
Megan Oleynik, Long Range Planner, Transportation Planning, T&ES