Update to the TMP Program:  The Transportation Management Plan (TMP) requirement for new development is being updated with a new TMP Policy.  The Planning Commission approved this Policy at their meeting on March 30, and the City Council will review this at their April 15 meeting.  The Planning Commission meeting can be viewed online with the TMP discussion starting at minute 56:30. View the PRESENTATION. On January 23, staff hosted a webinar about the proposed changes and how this will impact existing TMPs.  The webinar can be viewed here.  If you have questions about the TMP program or the proposed Policy, please contact GO Alex at GOAlex@alexandriava.gov.  

A Transportation Management Plan (TMP) is a site-specific plan of TDM strategies to encourage residents and employees to take public transportation, walk, bike or share a ride, as opposed to driving alone. The TMP is required by ordinance through the City's development review process, depending on the size of the development.

In May 1987, City Council approved the Transportation Management Plan Ordinance, Section 11-700. The Ordinance was updated in March 2014. The ordinance requires that projects submit a Special Use Permit application which must include a multimodal transportation study and a Transportation Management Plan. The thresholds for developments requiring a TMP are as follows:  

Residential: 20 dwelling units or more

Commercial: 10,000 square feet or more

Retail: 10,000 square feet or more

Hotel: 30 rooms or more

Industrial: 30,000 square feet or more

Mixed Use: Each use is separately assessed

f you received your Certificate of Occupancy after March 15, 2016, or if you have a condition in the SUP conditions that the TMP will be subject to the new TMP, the rates in the Zoning Ordinance apply. For details on the standardized fund rate and administrative fines, please visit the Ordinance.

All TMPs are conveyed in perpetuity with the Special Use Permit. Prior to signing any lease/purchase agreements, the applicant/developer shall prepare appropriate language to inform tenants/owners of the transportation management plan special use permit and conditions therein. The City Attorney's office reviews and approves such language.

If your proposal meets the development thresholds above, then you will be required to go through the site plan review process for transportation, and details of this process can be found on page 3 in the Transportation Planning Administrative Guidelines . The Guidelines provide technical procedures to analyze and report the effects of new development on transportation facilities in Alexandria. The Guidelines standardize the submittal requirements and transportation systems evaluated to provide a comprehensive analysis of impacts related to development proposals and proposed mitigation strategies. The transportation study results will be used to determine the level of mitigation needed for development, most notably the level of participation in the City's TMP program.

The first step is to submit a Transportation Screening Worksheet  to determine the level of review required for the project. The results of the transportation review process will determine the details required in the TMP and what type of study should be conducted. 

Generally, there are three types of TMP tiers that determine program participation: Tier 1 TMPs are for smaller developments, Tier 2 for mid-sized developments and Tier 3 for larger developments. The table below shows the defining thresholds by development size.

For a development or building that includes more than one use, each use shall be separately assessed and the highest applicable tier shall apply to the whole development. If a development has more than one use in the same tier, then the next highest tier will be used to define which TMP development tier will apply.

Each TMP project, depending on the development tier, has the following requirements and options with regard to the type of program participation:

Joining the Citywide program requires the designation of a TMP Coordinator who is responsible for regular payments to the TDM fund and provide access to the property residents and employees by the City to implement TDM measures such as surveys, mailings and hosting events to encourage participation.

Partnering with an adjacent TMP requires that a joint proposal shall be submitted by both TMP parties and the proposal shall be reviewed and approved by the Director of Transportation & Environmental Services.

The stand-alone TMP requires a TMP Coordinator to be named with contact information on file in the City's Transportation Planning Division. The Coordinator is required to administer the TMP program and submit annual surveys, annual reports and semi-annual fund reports.

All TMPs have a Special Use Permit (SUP) number. The SUP is the original document from which all the site-specific TMP details originate. If you do not have documentation for the original TMP SUP, but have your SUP number, you can look up the SUP . If you do not know your TMP SUP number, please email GO Alex at GOAlex@alexandriava.gov.

TMP Coordinators are required to keep current contact information on file. If you are a new Coordinator, please email GOAlex@alexandriava.gov with your contact information and to set up a one-on-one session to review the TMP requirements for your property.

The Transportation and Environmental Services Department (T&ES) administers the TMP program. City staff verifies compliance with the conditions of the TMPs through the following documents:

Semi-Annual TMP Fund Report

• This form is used to record the TMP financial contributions and expenses made by a TMP property to support TDM activities on site for a six month period. Deficits are shown as additional contributions by the TMP holder to avoid carrying negative balances. Fund reports are due to the City by January 15 and July 15 of each year. 

Annual Report

• This report is a narrative of the activities carried out during the year and indicates what activities are planned for the coming year. The template for the report is provided by the City as an electronic survey. The Annual Report is due on July 15 of each year and should be completed by the TMP Coordinator.

Resident and Employee Surveys

• The surveys are completed by residents and employees of TMP properties to measure the effectiveness of the transportation strategies carried out by TMP properties. Surveying is done annually, generally between April and July of each year, and the surveys are provided to the TMP Coordinators by the City.

Most TMPs require a TMP fund based on the size of your property. Standard TMP fund rates for newly created TMPs are listed above. Please review your TMP SUP to determine the rate that applies to your property and how the Consumer Price Index affects the rate.

The Coordinator is required to spend TMP funds to support the TMP mode share goals stated in the TMP SUP. Every TMP should include a combination of program components to mitigate vehicular traffic, including transit subsidies, incentives for carpool/vanpool/shuttles, carshare and bikeshare memberships and marketing programs available to all City residents and employees. Approved TMP expenses are listed here however, if you have an idea about ways to spend your TMP funds that would be relevant to your community, please ask for approval before spending any money. The Director of T&ES may approve modifications to agreed TMP activities, if the changes are consistent with the goals of the TMP.

For all lease/purchase agreements on a TMP property, tenants and owners must be notified of the TMP SUP using appropriate language of the Special Use Permit and conditions therein. The City Attorney's office reviews and approves such language. Please verify that your purchase and leasing documents contain this language.

• For City of Alexandria's GO Alex Program with resources and incentives available to residents and employees, and content for TMP Coordinators for newsletters or email distribution, visit www.alexandriava.gov/GOAlex
• Curious about creative ways to implement TDM practices at your TMP property?  Visit VTPI for case studies and examples of successful TDM programs. 
• To stay up-to-the-minute about City of Alexandria events, register for eNews .
• Contact GOAlex@alexandriava.gov to request free brochures to display on-site.

For questions or comments about the TMP program, please email GOAlex@alexandriava.gov.