Article Text

Fairfax County supervisors are set to consider expanding residential permit parking near Lake Braddock Secondary School after residents petitioned for restrictions on two Burke streets.

The proposal would add Queen Victoria Court and Cork Place to Residential Permit Parking District 5. The streets are southeast of the school, across Burke Lake Road.

The Board of Supervisors authorized a public hearing on the proposal July 14. The hearing is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Aug. 25. The expansion remained pending at publication and had not received board approval.

If approved, the change would limit weekday parking on the two streets to residents and their visitors from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Those are the restriction hours already used in District 5.

Residents sought the expansion because student vehicles have been taking up neighborhood parking during school hours, according to county staff. Staff described the concern as involving “the large number of student vehicles.” The supplied county information did not include parking counts or other independent measurements of the reported problem.

County staff confirmed that at least 60% of residents along the proposed route signed the petition. Staff also determined that the streets meet the county’s location requirements for inclusion in the permit district.

Under those requirements, an eligible street must be within 2,000 feet of walking distance from a school entrance and/or within 1,000 feet of the school property line. County staff found that Queen Victoria Court and Cork Place satisfy the applicable standard.

The proposal would extend a parking-management approach already used in the area. Portions of several adjoining neighborhood streets around Lake Braddock Secondary School are already subject to residential parking restrictions.

In its report, county staff connected the proposed restrictions with a broader goal of neighborhood cooperation. “Establishing residential parking restrictions to prohibit non-resident vehicles during restriction hours through community engagement and public hearing supports One Fairfax Focus Area 8 by fostering trust among neighbors, and the ability to work together to achieve common goals that improve the quality of life for everyone in the neighborhood,” the report said.

The Aug. 25 hearing will give the public an opportunity to address the proposed addition before supervisors decide whether Queen Victoria Court and Cork Place should become part of Residential Permit Parking District 5.