Permanent Block Closure On King Street Slated For Approval

ALEXANDRIA, VA — A permanent closure of a block of lower King Street to vehicular traffic was passed on first reading by Alexandria City Council Tuesday with a final vote scheduled for Saturday.

Following a Lower King Street Multi-modal Feasibility Study in 2015, City Council asked city staff in 2019 to develop a pilot program for a 100 block of King Street closure. The pilot program called King Street Place proposed closing one lane of the block to vehicular traffic, but the plan was put on hold due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

When restrictions started to be lifted in May 2020, the city adopted temporary business restrictions for outdoor restaurant and retail use. As part of these flexibilities, the 100 block of King Street was closed to vehicular traffic for outdoor business use and pedestrian space on May 29, 2020. The flexibilities were extended several times and are currently allowed through April 1, 2022.

A permanent closure of the block would come with a more permanent design considered through the city's capital budget. City staff recommended adding 5-foot wide pedestrian paths along both sidewalks and maintaining the current 22-foot Emergency Vehicle Easement down the center of the street for pedestrians only. Remaining areas would be available for business use through a permitting process. Short-term improvements such as new barricades, street furniture and signage would be funded through $100,000 from the city's first American Rescue Plan Act allocation.

A public survey with 2,776 responses found 88 percent had a positive experience in the 100 block of King Street. With 86 percent of respondents being residents and 11 percent visitors, 92 percent of these respondents indicated they'd like the program to continue permanently.

"This is an exciting thing, and I was so glad when it came forward at a time when the restaurants really, really needed help," Councilmember Del Pepper told City Council. "This is our statement that we are open for business."

According to city staff, a traffic study found traffic volumes on surrounding streets are down in 2021 compared to the same time period in 2019. However, there has been an increase in evening trips around the waterfront from Fridays to Sundays. City staff believe traffic trends are "uncertain" due to the pandemic's impact on traffic. The city's Transportation & Environmental Services plan to conduct traffic counts for trucks and heavy vehicles on Duke Street and adjacent streets this fall through spring 2022.

On the transit side, the block closure has prompted the King Street Trolley route to end at Market Square rather than the waterfront. DASH and city T&ES staff evaluated alternative routes to provide closer access to the waterfront but decided against any changes.

As for parking, the city is seeing a return to pre-pandemic levels. The 100 block closure eliminated 25 metered parking spaces, but city staff believe there are several nearby public parking options that can fulfill parking demand.

Vice Mayor Elizabeth Bennett-Parker brought up resident concerns about Captain's Row, a cobblestone block of Prince Street parallel to the 100 block of King Street. A planner with T&ES said options to address conditions on Prince Street could be discussed at Saturday's meeting.

Mayor Justin Wilson told City Council the busy parking conditions near the waterfront could demand a response from the city. He said there should be a separate conversation on options to address parking conditions.

"Specific to the parking conditions that are going on, I think a lot of that based on the data that I've seen is coming more from the very, very successful waterfront restaurants we have and less from what happened on 100 King," said Wilson.

The city is also studying whether to propose closing the unit block of King Street. The city's T&ES is studying traffic and struck delivery this fall before making a recommendation likely in spring 2022.