Permanent King Street Block Closure Approved By City Council

ALEXANDRIA, VA — The 100 block of King Street will be permanently closed to vehicular traffic after an Alexandria City Council vote Saturday.

The block has been temporarily closed since late May 2020 as part of business flexibilities offered to businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. A permanent closure has garnered support from many residents and businesses alike.

Short-term improvements such as new barricades, street furniture and signage will be funded through $100,000 from the city's first American Rescue Plan Act allocation.

A more permanent design will be 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.

Testimony provided to City Council centered around businesses wanting to be involved with the permanent design and guidelines discussions. Charlotte Hall, managing director of the Old Town Business Association, testified to City Council that the association supported the permanent closure of the 100 block. However, the association has concerns about the number of street performers in the one block, traffic at King and Union Streets, cleanliness of the street, beautification, barricades, and code enforcement.

"Old Town Business Association wishes to have a seat at the table in the design and the planning of the future of the 100 block of King Street," said Hall. "We want to be your partner in making this a success story."

Cyrus Coleman, owner of the Wharf in the 100 block, is supportive of the block closure but says business owners have concerns about city staff's proposed design, including the 5-foot- wide pedestrian paths along both sidewalks. He noted city staff added language in the ordinance as an amendment to allow collaboration with businesses on establishing guidelines.

"If COVID has shown us one thing, it's how successful we can be when we work together," said Coleman. "I will just also add that the temporary thus far, in my opinion and the opinions of other business owners, has been a huge success."

A Transportation and Environmental Services Department planner clarified the amendment language would allow the Old Town Business Association to be involved with short-term improvements and non-permanent improvements, outdoor dining and retail guidelines. If the city invests in permanent improvements, city staff would engage the community and Old Town Business Association to design and implement the plan.

Fire Chief Corey Smedley noted the fire department will also seek to address concerns in the design, such as safety of pedestrians when fire department vehicles have to enter the block, ensuring apparatus can fit, and ensuring access to fire hydrants.

Vice Mayor Elizabeth Bennett-Parker also brought up potential mitigation measures for Prince Street and surrounding areas. City staff suggested expanding the residential pay-by-phone program and increasing the price of the pay-by-phone program. Mayor Justin Wilson will seek to introduce potential measures at a future legislative meeting, and he said city staff have indicated the measures could be implemented quickly.

As noted by staff at a previous meeting, 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. It was unclear how much of those traffic trends were 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 parking side, 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.