When I moved into Old Town Alexandria in 1985, I had one major requirement and that was owning a parking space, or I would have remained in suburban Fairfax County. Without a dedicated parking space (which is not a possibility for many Old Town homes), I would have had to search for parking on the street, which can be a daunting experience when laden with shopping bags, or returning late from work. Finding a parking space is also a common problem for visitors to Old Town.
Although tourists can park at a meter, a parking lot, or in one of the residential parking areas, there are strings attached. First, meters offer only two hours of parking in most cases, especially those meters east of Alfred Street. This is insufficient time for an enjoyable shopping and dining experience.
Next, parking lots and garages often charge huge fees, which is a disincentive for parking at these locations. Most non-expense account visitors will seek out free parking spaces in one of the residential areas, which diminishes opportunities for residential parking. The bottom line is that potential visitors to Old Town see parking as an issue, so they take their business elsewhere.
To add to the mix, for a number of years the City Council has not emphasized affordable parking facilities. Moreover, it has exacerbated the situation by allowing parking to be reduced for new developments, or eliminated altogether — what can they be thinking? An example is the 100 parking spaces opposite Chadwicks on the waterfront, the 66 parking spaces at the King Street Metro, and the list goes on. The parking crisis just adds to the mix, since there are numerous traffic problems and unchecked traffic violations that are ignored. This is not acting on behalf of the public good.
Townsend A. “Van” Van Fleet
Alexandria