Planning commission denies broad encroachment for King Street retaining wall, approves limited alternative
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Summary
The commission voted 7-0 to reject a property owner's request to rebuild a retaining wall that would continue to encroach into the public right-of-way along King Street at Carlisle Drive, and instead approved a staff-recommended, smaller modified encroachment.
The Alexandria Planning Commission unanimously approved staff's alternative to an encroachment application for a retaining wall along the 2200 block of King Street (near 400 Carlisle Drive), concluding the proposed full replacement in its current location would privatize public right-of-way and prevent a future five-foot sidewalk.
David Sharon of the Department of Planning and ZoningDevelopment Engineering Division summarized the request and staff analysis. The existing wall encroached approximately 4.7 feet from the property line and sits beside a sidewalk only 4.4 feet wide, below city standard. "Based on this criteria, city staff could not give this a favorable recommendation," Sharon said, adding that staff recommended disapproval of the requested encroachment and approval of a modified, limited encroachment.
Why it matters: The wall sits on a steep slope along King Street; residents argued the wall is necessary to control runoff and protect the streetscape, while staff and commissioners emphasized the long-term public-interest need to keep the right-of-way available for an eventual standard-width sidewalk.
Public comment and applicant position - Nearby resident Marjorie Leon Greenberg opposed the requested encroachment, arguing the slope, mature trees and utilities make moving the wall difficult and that small retaining walls help keep slough and debris off the sidewalk. She said many neighbors would prefer modest walls to hold back soil. - The applicant's representative (Spike Mechart) said the existing wall is failing and described a possible compromise to push the new wall back 6 to 8 inches to allow a wider sidewalk while maintaining landscaping; he said tying into a neighbor's existing wall is intended to limit impacts.
Commission discussion and result - Commissioners pressed staff and the applicant on long-term implications: staff responded the city's goal is to restore property-line alignment over time to enable a continuous five-foot sidewalk along King Street, and that a city capital project later could require removal of any encroaching wall. - The commission approved the staff-recommended modified encroachment (a short dogleg that limits public right-of-way occupation and allows the applicant to connect to the adjacent wall) by a 7-0 vote. Commissioner Brown introduced the motion to approve staff's recommendation and commissioners emphasized minimizing future disruption to neighboring homeowners' investments while enabling long-term public improvements.
Practical effect: the applicant may replace the failing wall but must limit encroachment consistent with the modified plan approved by staff and the commission; any future city capital project could still require removal or relocation if the city needs the right-of-way.
