Membership Meeting Minutes-November 8, 2017

  • Call to Order
  • Alexandria Police Report
  • Del Ray Parking Study
  • Guest: Yon Lambert, Director, Department Transportation and Environmental Services
  • Announcements

  • Call to Order: 7:07pm
  • Alexandria Police Report: Capt Dennis Andreas
    • Burke & Herbert Robbery
      • “Note job” at B&H on Monroe, no weapon displayed
      • Description of perpetrator available
      • Bank robbers often operate in sequence. Be alert.
    • Traffic issues
      • “Vision Zero” just adopted by City
      • Traffic Safety Section (Lt. Mike May in charge)
        • Safety starts with: How *we* behave
        • Traffic Safety Plan is aligned with Vision Zero.
        • Online for comment for a week
        • Any police officer’s job to make a stop if infraction observed
          • Issue warning, tickets, etc.
        • Seek crash (fka “accident”) reduction
        • 15 officers in Traffic Safety Section
        • Radar in all cruiser to come (obviate handhelds)
        • Changes in how DUI/DWI is handled
          • Education (Prom time, elder drivers)
      • Questions, comments?
        • Are increased penalties effective?
          • No data seen
        • Effectiveness of speed camera, red light cameras?
          • No data seen
        • Aren’t pedestrians, joggers, cyclists part of problem?
          • Yes
        • Are studies done at peak times on MVA?
        • Use City’s Call-Click-Connect service for traffic complaints
        • Which are the highest corridors for speeding?
          • Quaker, Duke, Rt 1, Van Dorn
          • Need to coordinate with State Police for some roads
        • Commonwealth and Del Ray Ave. very dangerous.
          • Four-way stop no always heeded.
          • Roads come together with impaired line of sight
        • Monroe Ave speedbumps encourages drivers to swerve into bike lane.
          • Bad!
        • Have we considered 3-D, trompe-l’œil crosswalk designs used in Ireland
          • Actually used in Iceland. But no.
        • Have we tried to employ clowns to raise awareness of traffic safety?
          • Not yet.
  • Motion to fund $500 donation for Domestic Violence Program, by Tom Ortiz, seconded.
    • Motion carries
  • Special guest:  Justin Wilson, Vice Mayor, former DRCA President
  • Parking Study: Katie North (lead planner, Department Transportation and Environmental Services)
    • Revisit Del Ray Commercial Parking study
      • Commercial Parking Standards change
      • First part: Multifamily Parking study
      • Task force busy for a year
      • 1963 last time plan updated
        • Back then: no Metro, DASH
    • Land sue: 10% parking lots
      • “Suburban style development”
    • 40% of SUP applications ask for parking reductions
      • All approved
      • Times have changed
    • Certain assumptions:
      • Hotels: cabs and Uber usage outweigh private vehicle use hence less need for parking.
      • Restaurants patrons:  52% walk?
    • Recommendations
      • Rework minimum and maximum ratios for parking
      • Develop a  “Combined Retail” Ratio
      • Establish a neighborhood business exemption:
        • Requesting a parking reduction typically adds 3 months to opening and all have been approved. Why bother?
      • Shared parking
        • Health and Human Services building (MVA & Mt Ida) parking structure is a possibility  for evening and weekends
    • Recommendations from DRCA
      • Shared parking agreements
      • Increased enforcement (adjudications process changes=more officers on street)
      • Wayfinding for parking
      • Advertise off-street parking provided or required by SUPs
    • Introduction: Danielle Fidler, Parking Standards Task Force
      • Too much time on parking reductions in Land Use Committee
  • Special guest: Yon Lambert, Director, Department Transportation and Environmental Services. 
    • With T&ES since 2006
    • City parking districts
      • Created in response to opening of Metro and expected commuter use of neighborhood spaces
    • Add new district in conjunction to changes on MVA (meters, time changes)
      • (But no plans yet for meters)
    • Employee parking cited a problem at some business.
    • Residential excess (four cars from one household on street, not moving after three days)
    • Personal experiences, anecdotes shared
    • Today Vision Zero (2028) plan released
      • Goal: No one hurt or killed in crashes
    • Mount Vernon Avenue resurfacing project presents some opportunities.
      • Change some bus stop locations, remove others.
      • Add bulb-outs to provide more pedestrian visibility.
      • Changes are expected to be parking neutral (no loss of parking)
      • Traffic signals require engineering warrants
        • Signals often induce more traffic so are a mixed blessing
    • What about Dewitt? Some intersection four-way stops; others not? Inconsistency confusing.
  • Dominion VA Potomac Substation Update
    • Dominion plans to decommission substation in 2018.
    • Does this present an opportunity for a public space that DRCA should pursue with City?
  • Announcements
    • No DRCA party for Holidays this year.
    • Del Ray Business Association announcements: Gayle Reuter
      • Register early for Turkey Trot. It can fill up!
      • Del Ray Tree Lighting: December 2
      • Del Ray Pub Crawl, benefiting Alexandria Neighborhood Health: December 9