The Alexandria City Council unanimously voted Saturday to permanently close the 200 block of King Street to vehicular traffic, extending the city’s pedestrian zone after a successful pilot program.
The 7-0 vote on second reading makes the closure effective immediately, eliminating 16 metered parking spaces and one short-term visitor space in front of the Alexandria Visitor Center.
The decision follows a two-phase pilot program that ran from November 2024 through September 2025. City staff reported that 87% of 1,842 survey respondents supported making the closure permanent, with 12 of 16 businesses on the block backing the proposal.
The closure extends Alexandria’s pedestrian zone that began with the 100 block closure in 2021, followed by expansion to Waterfront Park in 2022. Both previous closures started as pilot programs during the COVID-19 pandemic before becoming permanent.
Mixed community response
Only one resident spoke during Saturday’s public hearing. A resident who lives on Prince Street near the closed block asked council members to ensure order is maintained in the area.
“Saturday night will be our challenging evening,” Scara said. “And there are problems that have been created with parking, problems with access to people’s homes, problems with the carnival atmosphere that’s being created.”
Mayor Alyia Gaskins acknowledged the residents’ concerns and said the city recognizes additional work is needed around enforcement, aesthetics, engineering, and noise control.
“One of the things we asked was for Mr. Carpenter and our city attorney to come together and talk to us a little bit more about some of the authority we have to enforce not only some of the behaviors you’re mentioning,” Gaskins said. “We talked about smoking, we talked about pedestrian safety.”
However, public comments submitted before the meeting showed sharp divisions among residents. Several residents from Prince and Duke streets opposed the closure, citing increased traffic congestion, parking problems, and noise concerns on residential streets.
“By diverting traffic off of King Street, you are sending traffic down the residential streets,” wrote Bridget Scanlan of Duke Street. “That additional traffic brings an incredible increase in noise heard within our homes and a risk to pedestrians.”
Other residents supported the closure, including Anita Winsor and Nahid Dehgan, though they were outnumbered by opponents in the written submissions.
Traffic and operational changes
Traffic studies conducted during the pilot program found that pedestrian volumes outnumbered vehicular volumes by five to 12 times at the three studied intersections. The closure resulted in a 35% increase in eastbound traffic and 32% increase in westbound traffic on parallel streets, but staff reported the increases were manageable and evenly dispersed.
Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley highlighted alternative parking options during the meeting. “Within a six-minute walk of the pedestrian zone, there are 13 publicly accessible parking garages,” staff confirmed.
Bagley emphasized the importance of providing clear signage to direct visitors to available parking. “I think it’s now incumbent upon council and future projects and budgets to make sure signage is readily available in on prints, on camera, and on some of the immediately adjacent blocks, directing people to those available garages,” she said.
Emergency services access the block from Lee Street, with lightweight metal barricades that can be moved when needed. The city has coordinated with police and fire departments throughout the pilot program.
Implementation costs and next steps
Initial implementation costs are estimated at $200,000 for improvements, including new bollards, uniform platforms, and traffic signal changes. The closure results in approximately $50,000 in lost annual parking meter revenue.
Unlike the 100 block, the 200 block is not included in the Lower King Street waterfront improvement project, meaning any permanent streetscape design would require separate funding through the city’s Capital Improvement Program.
Council members requested several follow-up items, including improved signage and better coordination with downtown businesses. Councilman Canek Aguirre requested information about handicap parking spaces, noting that “not everybody is able to walk the six minutes.”
Councilman Abdel-Rahman Elnoubi focused on furniture and design elements for the space. “I’ve seen in other places like Brooklyn, New York, that the kind of furniture they used made the place more inviting,” he said. “There were like modular platforms. Furniture really invites people to just sit and stay and enjoy the space.”
The City Manager, James Parajon, was directed to compile all requested follow-up items into a formal memo with options for implementation.
The ordinance approval follows recommendations from both the Traffic and Parking Board, which unanimously supported the closure in July, and the Planning Commission, which found the closure consistent with the city’s master plan.
