Vehicles Banned On One Block Of Alexandria Street

ALEXANDRIA, VA — The permanent pedestrian zone near Alexandria's waterfront is expanding.

On Saturday, Alexandria City Council approved the 200 block of King Street as a permanent pedestrian-only block closed to vehicles. The only exception to the vehicle closure is a 22-foot-wide space allowing for emergency vehicle access.

The block has been part of a pilot program that would have expired at the end of September without City Council action. The first phase of the pilot ran from Nov. 22, 2024 to Jan. 3, 2025 to coincide with the holiday season. The permanent closure will start on Oct. 1.

There are already permanent pedestrian zones in the 100 block of King Street, the unit block and the Strand.

A survey with 1,842 responses found 87 percent support for the pedestrian block. In addition, 12 of 16 business owners on the block support the proposal.

According to WUSA9, City Council members acknowledged resident concerns about parking, busier weekends, noise and more. The city could look to install more permanent fixtures to improve the pedestrian use, such as platforms.

According to a memo from the city's Transportation and Environmental Services, the 200 block is a two-way street with retail and restaurant uses as well as two upper-floor residences and the Alexandria Visitor Center. The closure of the block to pedestrian use would permanently remove 17 parking spaces, including two-hour metered parking and one 15-minute space for the visitor center. City staff noted there are 13 public parking garages within a six-minute walk of the pedestrian block.

Councilmembers shared suggestions for how to address parking by removing some on-street spaces.

Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley called for encouraging public transit use and signage to better redirect people to the parking garages.

Councilmember Canek Aguirre said the city should promote locations of accessible parking for people who may have difficulty getting to the pedestrian zone from the garages.

Councilmember John Taylor Chapman encouraged discussion on a parking incentive program involving retail and restaurants.

"What we're all saying is it's had a lot of success we want it to continue to have success and thinking through the investments that are needed," said Mayor Alyia Gaskins at Saturday's meeting.