[Archived] Alexandria City Council Permanently Establishes Outdoor Dining in Old Town

City Press Release


	For Immediate Release	For More Information, Contact
	June 24, 2005 PIO# 210-05/jps	Barbara J. Gordon, Public Information Officer, or Raynard Owens, Communications Officer, at 703.838.4300 Raynard Owens, Communications Officer, at 703.838.4300

Alexandria City Council Permanently Establishes Outdoor Dining in Old Town

The Alexandria City Council passed an ordinance on June 21 that permanently establishes outdoor dining on the public sidewalk right-of-way along King Street and intersecting streets in Old Town. Council passed the ordinance after the successful completion of a pilot outdoor dining program last fall.

Two dozen restaurants participated in the pilot program, which ran from September through December 2004. The approved outdoor dining area covers the 17 blocks of King Street from the river to the King Street Metro Station, a section of Diagonal Road, as well as the 100 north and south blocks of streets that intersect King Street.

The outdoor dining program is consistent with the principles of the King Street Retail Strategy recently passed by City Council. The strategy advocates a variety of enhancements to increase street-level vitality.

Changes to the pilot program include requiring restaurants to maintain at least five feet of unobstructed sidewalk space to improve pedestrian safety.

For more information on Alexandria’s outdoor dining program, call Tom Fairchild, the City’s Business Facilitator, at 703.838.4227.

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