PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

The Department of Planning and Zoning (703-838-4666) is responsible for planning the physical development of the City and is charged with preserving and enhancing the City’s natural, historic, and architectural resources. It maintains the City’s Master Plan, and undertakes planning studies to establish a vision for future development and redevelopment. The department coordinates and evaluates all applications for development, as well as for special use permits, special exceptions, variances, and subdivisions. It enforces zoning ordinance, monitors economic and demographic trends, and maintains the Geographic Information System (GIS) technology program for the City.

The Department of Planning and Zoning is organized into six groups:

• Neighborhood and Community Planning undertakes long range planning studies for geographical areas of the City, in a consensus building format, in order to establish a vision for the area; establishes design and development standards and guidelines; manages City-wide studies on special subjects, such as parking, open space, or infill development; and monitors economic and demographic trends.
  
• Zoning reviews all applications to the City for zoning compliance; processes special exceptions and variances; provides information to the public, reviews building permit and certificate of occupancy applications; and enforces the zoning ordinance.
  
• Development coordinates all stages of the development application process from a proposal’s conceptual beginning through design issues and final site plan administration; processes all proposals for development, including site plans, development special use permits, and Transportation Management SUPs.
  
• Historic Preservation reviews applications for certificates of appropriateness to the Boards of Architectural Review and prepares reports for the Boards.
  
• Urban Design (703-838-4666) prepares plans for redevelopment of specific areas of the City and provides architectural design advice to City departments and on developmental projects.
  
• Geographic Information System (GIS) oversees the development of the City’s geographic information system.

The Department of Transportation and Environmental Services (703-838-4966) is responsible for the engineering, design, construction, inspection, and maintenance of streets, bridges, and traffic control mechanisms, and environmental regulation and management. Its services include the following:

• Provides engineering and design advice and services for all City requirements (703-838-4966);
  
• Acquires required right-of-way, easements, and real estate agreements (703-838-4969);
  
• Develops and administers the capital improvement program for streets, sewers, drainage channels, and traffic control devices (703-838-4324);
  
• Coordinates the planning and construction of Metrorail transportation facilities in Alexandria (703-838-4966);
  
• Manages right-of-ways and assets in the right-of-way (i.e. parking, traffic signals, etc.);
  
• Supervises City street, sewer, and sidewalk construction contracts and similar construction performed by private developers and enforces the soil and erosion control law (703- 838-4324);
  
• Maintains streets, bridges, sidewalks, curbs, gutters, storm and sanitary sewers, and fire hydrants and supervises snow removal (703-838-4488);
  
• Sweeps and flushes streets and collects leaves from streets during the fall leaf pick-up period (703-751-5130);
  
• Collects refuse, old newspapers and multi-material recyclable products (glass, plastic and aluminum) at curbside. Collects white goods (stoves, washers, dryers, refrigerators, hot water heaters, etc.) on Thursdays, upon request, at a cost of $25 per item. To arrange pick-up service, call 703-751-5130. Note: The City holds an annual spring clean-up and will pick up large items at the curb on publicized dates at no cost (703- 751-5130);
  
• Installs and maintains traffic signals, signs, meters, and pavement markings (703-838-4411); and
  
• Conducts traffic surveys, investigates accidents, and coordinates parades and other special uses of the streets (703- 838-4411).

The Department’s Environmental Quality Section is responsible for monitoring air, surface water, noise pollution, vacant lotcontaminated site clean-up, review of site plans for regulatory compliance, and environmental capital projects.

The Office of Transit Services and Programs (703-838-3800) which is located within the Department of Transportation and Environmental Services, is responsible for the coordination, planning, development, monitoring, and evaluation of City-sponsored transit and paratransit services, as well as those services initiated by the regional transit authority and other agencies. This Office administers the City' s ridesharing program and specialized transportation services for the mobility impaired. The Alexandria Transit Company (703- 370-DASH), a non-profit public service corporation wholly owned by the City of Alexandria, is responsible for providing local DASH bus service.