The Story · A Timeline · October 2026

The story so far

How a cable across a sidewalk became a case file, in order. Everything here is from public records or our own experience; the research behind the proposal is on the rest of the site. The short version: we wanted to charge the car, the rules had no way to say yes, and the only process that ran was complaint.

1. January

   We buy a house three blocks away

   Our old place on E Linden had a driveway and a charger. The new one had a charger whose cord crossed the sidewalk under a protective ramp, the kind you see at construction sites and concerts. We'd seen them all over Alexandria. Not a problem, we thought.

2. May

   A notice from the City

   An inspector had been by: remove the cord from the sidewalk. Odd, we thought. The cord is out there about three hours a week. We didn't think much more of it.

3. June

   Someone has been busy

   A second notice. I looked at the public records on Alex311 and found four or five reports already. It seemed too silly to be serious, so I made a snarky website declaring myself a scofflaw. The dossier

4. Early July

   Research, a meeting, and sign one

   The reporting started to feel like harassment. I dug into the rules looking for a lawful way to do this, and started estimating what households without driveways actually pay. I met with City staff, who told me the City had no way to enforce the encroachment rule. Reassured, I posted a snarky sign: these reports cost everyone time and do nothing. Sign one

5. Late July

   The website becomes the proposal

   With more research it became clear that without a driveway you are simply out of luck if you want an EV, and that the City's strategy, public Level 2 charging, leaves the gap open. Peer cities allow this; Alexandria should too. I emailed City Council, and at least one member forwarded it to staff. The proposal Peer cities

6. Early August

   The City says no, and mentions jail

   A second meeting with staff, who were not sympathetic. The City would not support charging across the sidewalk; a permit program would be too onerous for residents and staff. Could it be lighter, with approved equipment instead of permits? No. They corrected the earlier reassurance: there are fines, or jail, to fall back on, and Council was considering punitive options. What residents risk

7. Late August

   The penalty sign and the vote

   The reports kept coming, and the first sign had enraged the two or three people filing them. New signs went up: one on the penalty situation, then a vote board. A driveway costs at least $10,000; a fast charger, thousands a year; or people could be cool while we worked it out with the City. Kindness won, 67 to 33, with one suspicious burst of ten votes for the other side after a single passer-by. Still a win. And if a few neighbors will say “find $10,000 if you want an EV,” those neighbors should not set public policy. The vote Signs two to six

8. Early September

   The commission seat

   Not content with 311, the people filing found that I sit on the City's Environmental Policy Commission and that the handbook lets Council remove a commissioner who violates the law. They took it to Someone Important, who let it be known that I would have to step down or stop using the cable protector. Meanwhile several more reports arrived that were just photographs of our signs, not of any encroachment. And yet neighbors kept stopping by with sympathy, and many used the website to email Council.

9. September 11

   The surrender

   I was tempted to let my automatic disobedience circuits kick in. Instead I signed a pledge and swore off charging at home. Then I drove to a supercharger to see what the alternative is like. It sucks, and another sign says so. The kindness of neighbors became overwhelming, including offers to charge in their driveways. The pledge The supercharger test

10. Late September

    A unanimous letter, and a final burst of reports

    The Environmental Policy Commission voted unanimously to send City Council a letter supporting residential curbside charging access. Many thanks to my fellow commissioners. After a final burst of bizarre reports, two of which reported the pledge itself and two of which reported the City for closing earlier reports, the total reached twenty-seven, six of them after we had already stopped. There is a whole separate argument about whether 311 should be usable as a harassment tool, especially in an era of AI generation; that is its own rabbit hole. What the record shows

11. October

    An uneasy truce

    We charge in neighbors' driveways and send payment by Venmo. That is a testament to good neighbors. It is not a substitute for City policy.