200 Block Of King Street Pedestrian Zone Slated For Approval In Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, VA — The vehicle-free pedestrian zone on lower King Street in Old Town Alexandria is slated to be extended for the holiday season.

On Tuesday, Alexandria City Council approved on first reading a pedestrian zone pilot program for the 200 block of King Street. There are already permanent pedestrian zones in the 100 block of King Street, the unit block and the Strand. A public hearing and final action will be at City Council's Saturday meeting.

Under the proposal, the closure to vehicular traffic will happen in two phases. The first phase will coincide with the holiday season from Nov. 22, 2024 to Jan. 6, 2025. The city will reopen the 200 block in January and February to address issues as needed, and the second phase would be held from March 14, 2025 to Sept. 20, 2025.

A memo to City Council said conditions on the block will require further considerations before a permanent closure decision. Community feedback would be collected before City Council considers a permanent closure in September 2025.

"Staff and several members of the business community believe that this extended timeline will allow us sufficient time to collect and analyze data, engage with the community, to assess the impacts of pedestrianizing the block and prepare recommendation for council on whether to make the pedestrianization permanent, especially given that the busiest time of the year for this block is typically during the summer months," Max Devilliers, an urban planner with the city's Transportation and Environmental Services, told City Council.

Mayor Justin Wilson and Councilmember John Taylor Chapman had presented the proposal in September to extend the pedestrian zone to the 200 block of King Street. The 200 block of King Street is a two-way street with businesses and on-street parking. The adjacent 100 block became a pedestrian zone in May 2020, and the change was made permanent in October 2021. The unit block and the Strand were added as a pedestrian zone over Memorial Day weekend 2022, and the permanent pedestrian zone was approved in November 2022. The 200 block had been temporarily closed during the busy Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend.

The temporary closure would remove 17 parking spaces, one of which is a 15-minute spot for the visitor center and the remainder are metered parking spots. The closure does not impact bus services, as buses and the King Street Trolley already stop at Market Square and turn at Fairfax Street. Devilliers says the city is working with rideshare services on geofencing pickup and drop-off locations and will consider adding more loading zones.

Councilmember Sarah Bagley asked city staff to consider additional signage directing drivers to parking garages and how much changing garage prices has worked.

Katie North, the city's division chief of mobility services, said the nearby Market Square Garage charges $2 per hour and a $5 flat rate on evenings and weekend.

"It's a very affordable price, and we're trying to encourage people into that space. We could go further," said North. "I think the break in between the two pieces of the pilot from the January, February months can help us understand whether we need to do that, whether parking has been an issue, and whether we need to try to incentivize people into market square or courthouse into those two garages."

One exception to closing blocks to vehicular traffic is emergency vehicle access. Like the other pedestrian blocks, the city proposed a 22-foot-wide clear zone for emergency vehicle access in the 200 block. A 5-foot-wide path is also required on both sidewalks for emergency personnel access to buildings.

Councilmember Alyia Gaskins, who will become the city's mayor in 2025, called for metrics to measure how the pedestrian zone does on the business side.

"It's great to have sort of one set of metrics as it relates to the transportation related traffic and pedestrian related impacts," said Gaskins. "But I think the other goal of this is we are trying to drive additional vibrancy and economic opportunity."

City staff are working with businesses on the block to encourage participation in the parklet and outdoor dining permitting program. The city has waived a requirement that businesses use a platform for the outdoor space during the temporary pedestrian block activation.

One restaurant already participates in the parklet program, and two others have expressed interest, according to the city. For spaces not used by businesses, city staff are collaborating with Old Town Business on pop-up activities and additional seating.