City Council · Feb 17, 2026

City Council Special Meeting and Work Session

▶ Watch recording Agenda Minutes Read the transcript3h 30m · 8 agenda items · 3 votes, all unanimous · 9 tracked topics

3h 30m total — hover for items, click a segment to watch that part.

What was decided

✓2
Consideration of a resolution to endorse the City's application to the Transportation Planning Board's Regional Roadway Safety Program
Approved unanimously (6-0). Resolution authorizes the City Manager to submit a letter of endorsement for the City's FY 2027 application to the Regional Roadway Safety Program, including citizen input and proposed scope of work.
Passed, unanimous
Discussed for 12m · also names City of Fairfax 2035 Comprehensive Plan, Pickett Road Connector Trail, Safety Action Plan · read the transcript
- Regional Roadway Safety Program Application (FY 2027)approvedCouncil approved a resolution authorizing the City Manager to submit a letter of endorsement for the City's FY 2027 application to the Transportation Planning Board's Regional Roadway Safety Program for up to $80,000 in technical assistance.
- Pickett RoadPickett Road between Main Street and Fairfax Boulevard is the subject of the proposed roadway safety audit, cited for over 200 crashes in the past five years.
watch 0:35
✓3
Consideration of a resolution endorsing an application to the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation's Transit Ridership Incentive Program
Approved unanimously (6-0). Resolution endorses the City's application to DRPT's Transit Ridership Incentive Program for a second TRIP grant effective FY 2027.
Passed, unanimous
Discussed for 8m · also names Affordable Housing Strategic Plan · read the transcript
- Transit Ridership Incentive Program Application (FY 2027)approvedCouncil approved a resolution endorsing the City's application to DRPT for a second TRIP grant to support the CUE bus system's zero-fare program beginning FY 2027.
- CUE Zero-Fare PolicyThe CUE bus system's four-year zero-fare pilot (adopted FY22, expiring end of FY26) prompted the application for a second DRPT TRIP grant to continue support starting FY27.
watch 12:10
✓4
Consideration of a resolution to adopt the Affordable Housing Strategic Plan
Approved unanimously (6-0). Resolution adopts the City of Fairfax Affordable Housing Strategic Plan as a strategic framework to guide future study, prioritization, and policy development, subject to available resources and future City Council approval.
Passed, unanimous
Until the next chapter, names Green Building Policy ×27, Small Area Plans ×17, City of Fairfax 2035 Comprehensive Plan ×8, Construction Manager at Risk ×7, Special Exceptions ×3, Willard Sherwood ×3 · read the transcript
- Affordable Housing Strategic PlanapprovedCouncil adopted the City of Fairfax Affordable Housing Strategic Plan as a strategic framework for future housing affordability study and policy development; it does not constitute an implementation plan or funding commitment.
watch 20:09

Presented

1 (Closed)
Closed Meeting – Board and Commission Interviews and Appointments · Closed meeting held to conduct interviews for boards and commissions and discuss appointments, per the agenda and actions report. No further detail recorded in the minutes.
- Board and Commission Appointments[1 (Closed)] A closed session was held to conduct interviews and discuss appointments to boards and commissions.
6a
Discussion on the development of the Green Building Policy · Work session discussion held. Council gave consensus that the proposed policy has the right balance between ambition and feasibility, directed staff to proceed with adoption of the Green Building Policy contingent on having a dedicated position to run the program, and directed staff to research green building incentives. No formal vote taken.
- Green Building Policyin progressCouncil reached consensus to proceed with adoption of the Green Building Policy for public and private sector construction and major renovations, with the caveat that a staffing position must accompany the policy, and directed staff to research green building incentives.
6b
Introduction of draft Small Area Plan Zoning Ordinance Amendments · Draft amendments introduced for Council review. No Council action taken. A follow-up work session was noted for March 10.
- Small Area Plan Zoning Ordinance Amendmentsin progressDraft zoning ordinance amendments related to small area plans in activity centers were introduced to Council; no action was taken and a follow-up work session is scheduled for March 10.
6c
Discussion of Alternative Delivery Methods for Construction · Work session discussion held. Council gave consensus for staff to move forward bringing a resolution for adoption at a future City Council meeting. No formal vote taken.
- Alternative Delivery Methods for ConstructionCouncil reached consensus to direct staff to bring a resolution on alternative delivery methods for construction projects (per Code of Virginia §2.2-4382) to a future City Council meeting for adoption.
8
City Manager Report Out · City Manager Daniel Alexander reported on City Council goals and overall priorities, noting that the Council as a continuing body is operating under the previous City Council vision and goals until the Council decides to change them. Priority areas identified: Economic Development, Environmental Sustainability Stewardship, Community, Transportation, and Governance.
Discussed for 1m · read the transcript
watch 208:41

Named in discussion

Tracked topics the transcript names that no agenda item is filed under. Their own pages and wikis do not yet record this meeting; the passages below are the only trace.

Small Area Plansin progress17 passages, 14m
“…process where we are trying to achieve the benefits to the community that are the small area plans through the development process where we don't have any standards that make this consistent in addition there are also recommendations in the smaller plans…”
watch 120:38 every passage
City of Fairfax 2035 Comprehensive Planapproved9 passages, 8m
“…the screen in the red oval. And why Pickett Road? Why have we chosen this? So in the comprehensive plan it is specifically stated that we want to look at improving safety and efficiency on Pickett Road. received a number of emails from residents with their…”
watch 2:21 every passage wiki
Construction Manager at Riskin progress7 passages, 5m
“but what we're really talking about here is construction manager at risk or CMAR, and there's a little slide there that gives you an illustration of the relationship between the three parties, or two parties, I'm sorry. So under CMAR, we issue a two-step…”
watch 197:07 every passage
Davies Propertyapproved2 passages, 2m
“…lower than the density that we see in some other projects, like on the other hand, Davies property, five stories along Chain Bridge, and then as you get over to university, it's subsided to four stories, but it's a bit more complicated than that”
watch 174:41 every passage wiki
Special Exceptionsin progress3 passages, 2m
“…lead gold, And then for the private sector, they require LEED Gold for rezonings and special exceptions. So these examples show that green building policies are now standard throughout the region. And it shows that the city of Fairfax is not out in the front…”
watch 38:32 every passage
Urban Forest Master Planapproved2 passages, 2m
“…staff is going to be working on anyway, particularly with the recent adoption of the urban forest master plan. And the second item is to look at our parking standards. The”
watch 122:26 every passage wiki
Willard Sherwoodin progress3 passages, 1m
“Okay, I'll look into that for you. The Willard Sherwood Center has been designed to lead gold, so that would meet our current standards. I'd have to look into other planned CIP projects and get back to you on that.”
watch 92:54 every passage
Fairfax Circle Small Area Plancompletedonce
“…open space frontage type. This frontage type was not introduced as an idea until the Fairfax Circle small area plan which was the last of the four that we completed. So it did not exist in any of the others. This frontage type is also only has…”
watch 139:22 every passage wiki
Pickett Road Connector Trailin progressonce
“thank you. Just a quick question on how this may complement or not the Pickett Road Trail that is proposed. would this do anything with regard to pedestrian safety and things like that so I just wasn't sure how the sidewalks were a concern it”
watch 9:45 every passage wiki

Recording · 3h 30m

▶ Watch from the start

0:352 · Consideration of a resolution to endorse the City's application to the Transportation Planning Board's Regional Roadway Safety Program · 12m
12:103 · Consideration of a resolution endorsing an application to the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation's Transit Ridership Incentive Program · 8m
20:094 · Consideration of a resolution to adopt the Affordable Housing Strategic Plan
208:418 · City Manager Report Out · 1m
Other items are not chaptered in the recording.

Topics touched · 9

Board and Commission Appointments
Board and commission appointments are a recurring municipal process by which the City Council seats members on various advisory and governing bodies. The matter has appeared across multiple council meetings over time.
- Resolution of the conflicts-of-interest policy issue that has frozen board and commission appointments as of April 14, 2026.
- Update and completion of the board and commission handbook to address conflicts of interest and other outstanding areas.
Regional Roadway Safety Program Application (FY 2027)approved
Pickett Road
Pickett Road is a major arterial corridor in the City of Fairfax that has surfaced across multiple municipal topics over the past year. It is most prominently the subject of an ongoing Road Safety Audit covering the segment from Fairfax Boulevard to Main Street, prompted by over 200 crashes recorded in the past five years.
- The Road Safety Audit is underway but not yet complete — specific findings, recommended concepts, and any resulting improvements to Pickett Road between Fairfax Boulevard and Main Street have not yet…
- Whether and how the potential Walmart distribution center's projected additional truck traffic (estimated at roughly 172–200 trucks per day) will be formally incorporated as a scenario in the Road…
Transit Ridership Incentive Program Application (FY 2027)approved
CUE Zero-Fare Policy
The CUE Zero-Fare Policy refers to the City of Alexandria's zero-fare pilot program for its CUE bus system, originally adopted for FY22 and running as a four-year pilot set to expire at the end of FY26. In November 2025, City Council received a presentation on the CUE Zero Fare Evaluation at a work session, prompting discussion but no formal vote.
- Whether DRPT will award the City the second TRIP grant to fund the CUE zero-fare program beginning FY27.
- What happens to the zero-fare policy if the TRIP grant application is not successful before the FY26 pilot expiration.
Affordable Housing Strategic Planapproved
The City of Fairfax Affordable Housing Strategic Plan is a strategic framework developed with consultant TPMA to guide future study, prioritization, and policy development related to housing affordability. The process involved review by the Housing and Human Services Advisory Board (HHCAB), which submitted final comments to TPMA by September 9, 2025, focusing on performance indicators and county-city collaboration.
- Housing Trust Fund guidelines, application, and scoring tool were presented to City Council on July 14, 2026 — formal Council action or outcome on those guidelines is not yet recorded in the material.
- The plan's three goals include development, preservation, and (implicitly) other uses such as rental assistance and first-time homebuyer assistance; processes for the latter two have not yet been…
Green Building Policyin progress
The Fairfax City Green Building Policy establishes green building standards for both public and private sector construction and major renovations. Development of the policy was directed by City Council in 2020, and staff spent several years researching best practices, working with consultants (including Cadmus and George Mason University), participating in the U.S.
- A new Energy Programs Manager is anticipated to be hired in fall 2026 — hiring has not yet been confirmed as complete.
- Staff are to conduct further analysis and research on green building incentives in FY31, with a revised policy including potential incentive measures to be presented to Council in FY32 if directed.
Small Area Plan Zoning Ordinance Amendmentsin progress
The Small Area Plan Zoning Ordinance Amendments project aims to update the City of Fairfax Zoning Ordinance to align with the city's adopted small area plans, which govern development in key activity centers and commercial corridors. The effort began in earnest in early 2025, with consultant Justin Wallace of White & Smith LLC (later White, Smith, Cousino) engaged to support the work.
- A City Council work session on continued discussion of the Small Area Plan Zoning Ordinance Amendments is scheduled for June 14, 2026, with further discussion expected on June 28, 2026.
- A separate but related June 23, 2026 City Council discussion on amendments to some of the small area plans themselves raises the question of how that process interacts with and informs the zoning…
Alternative Delivery Methods for Construction

Documents · 17

Filed in agenda order; the agenda names the item each belongs to.