ALEXANDRIA, VA — The car-free pedestrian zone along lower King Street could get extended more in Old Town Alexandria.
At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Mayor Justin Wilson and Councilmember John Taylor Chapman presented the proposal to extend the pedestrian zone to the 200 block of King Street. There is already a pedestrian zone in the 100 block and unit block.
“Since we did the 100 block closure, there’s been a lot of folks who have suggested that we continue further up and make the pedestrian plaza go from the unit block all the way to the 200 block to Market Square,” said Wilson at the meeting.
“I do think we’ve seen such a successful rollout of the 100 block,” Chapman added. “It’s caught the attention of not just folks within the city but folks around the region. I think we have a unique opportunity to expand it and see if it is something that can be expanded.”
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ALX Now previously reported that some business owners shared concerns like parking for employees and handicap accessibility The mayor said he and Chapman met with some business owners on the block to discuss some challenges of closing
“We heard some good feedback, some support, some concerns, but no issues that I think are insurmountable,” said Wilson.
Wilson and Chapman are asking city staff to prepare a pilot program proposal for the 200 block, potentially between the city’s late November holiday tree lighting and New Year’s Eve First Night Alexandria event. The city did a shorter pilot in the 200 block during the Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend in 2023.
The 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 mayor said there are more improvements coming to the 100 and unit blocks, and residents can check for updates on the city’s website.
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