Planning Commission · Nov 10, 2025

Planning Commission Regular Meeting/Work Session

▶ Watch recording Agenda Minutes Read the transcript55m · 7 agenda items · 2 votes · 10 tracked topics, 2 in the wiki

55m total — hover for items, click a segment to watch that part.

What was decided

2
Discussion / Adoption of Agenda
Agenda adopted as presented, 4:0.
Passed
watch 0:42
4
Consideration of the October 27, 2025 Meeting Minutes
Minutes approved 3:0:1, with Ms. Lockhart abstaining.
Passed
Names Capital Improvement Program · read the transcript
watch 1:31

Presented

5
Items Not Requiring a Public Hearing · None.
watch 2:08
6
Public Hearings · None.
watch 2:11
8a
Presentation of the Draft FY2027–FY2031 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) · Acting City Manager Melanie Zipp and CFO Juan Carlos Martinez presented the draft CIP staff report, which was incorporated into the record by reference. Commissioners received the presentation; Ms. Briggs expressed she looks forward to the release of the draft document. No formal action was taken.
Discussed for 44m · also names General Fund ×12, Fire Station ×6, Willard Sherwood ×2, Capital Improvement Program, City of Fairfax 2035 Comprehensive Plan, Elementary School Renovation · read the transcript
- FY2027-FY2031 Capital Improvement ProgramapprovedwikiThe Draft FY2027–FY2031 CIP was presented by Acting City Manager Zipp and CFO Martinez at the Work Session; no formal action was taken and the document has not yet been released publicly.
watch 2:18
9
Staff Report · Planning Division Chief Paul Nabti reported on recent and upcoming City Council actions and community events, including the denial of the Courthouse Plaza redevelopment, upcoming work sessions on the Affordable Housing Strategic Plan and Legislative Program, and a public meeting on the City's Solid Waste Management Program.
- Courthouse PlazadeniedwikiCity Council denied the request for the Courthouse Plaza redevelopment at its October 28, 2025 meeting by a vote of 4:2.
- Affordable Housing Strategic PlanapprovedA work session on the Affordable Housing Strategic Plan was held at the November 4, 2025 City Council meeting, as reported by staff.
- Legislative Programin progressA Legislative Program Review work session was held at the November 4, 2025 City Council meeting; a public hearing on the Legislative Program is scheduled for the November 18, 2025 City Council meeting.
- City's Solid Waste Management ProgramA public meeting on the City's Solid Waste Management Program is scheduled for November 20, 2025 at the Katherine Johnson Middle School Library.
- Katherine Johnson Middle School LibraryNamed as the venue for the November 20, 2025 public meeting on the City's Solid Waste Management Program.
- Façade Improvement Grant CommitteeStaff noted that a vacancy remains on the Façade Improvement Grant Committee.
watch 48:40
10
Commission Comments · Commissioners offered informal comments. Mr. Rice announced GIS Day at George Mason University on November 20, 2025 (1–4 pm), noting city planning, GIS, and stormwater staff will present. Chair Feather noted a recent lunch with the Fairfax County Planning Commission Chair covering topics including accessory dwelling units, and an invitation to speak to the Fairfax Rotary in February 2026.
Discussed for 7m · also names Capital Improvement Program ×2, Affordable Housing Strategic Plan, City of Fairfax 2035 Comprehensive Plan, Courthouse Plaza, Legislative Program, Special Exceptions · read the transcript
- George Mason UniversityNamed as the venue for GIS Day on November 20, 2025, where city planning, GIS, and stormwater staff will present.
- GIS DayCommissioner Rice announced GIS Day at George Mason University on November 20, 2025, from 1–4 pm, open to the public, with city staff presenting.
- Accessory Dwelling Unitsin progressChair Feather noted accessory dwelling units were among topics discussed during a recent lunch with the Fairfax County Planning Commission Chair.
watch 48:42

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.

General Fund12 passages, 9m
“…is infrastructure repair and maintenance and we've moved those projects back to the general fund”
watch 4:40 every passage
Fire Stationin progress6 passages, 4m
“…starting in FY 26 through 29 with construction to hopefully start in 2028 and then fire station 3 is a general fund project funding is in place the goal was completion in the fall of 27 but the council is still evaluating that project and we will talk”
watch 14:34 every passage
Capital Improvement Programproposed4 passages, 3m
“…evening, which is a presentation on the draft, fiscal year 2027 to fiscal year 2031 capital improvement program. We welcome our staff here to present, Acting City Manager, Melanie Zipp, and our CFO, JC Martinez. Welcome.”
watch 1:48 every passage
Willard Sherwoodin progress2 passages, 2m
“…and really coordinate this project with the Blenheim Boulevard project and the Willard Sherwood project to ensure we don't have three large construction projects happening at the same time in the same location and then really making sure that the Van…”
watch 16:35 every passage
City of Fairfax 2035 Comprehensive Planapproved2 passages, 1m
“…with a little bit of guidance from the Planning Commission, whether it aligns to the comprehensive plan. Granted, it is an internal facility. The hard part there is it currently sits in a floodplain and trying to balance that. Should we invest whatever that…”
watch 32:17 every passage wiki
South Street Extensiononce
“South Street extension is smart scale funding and the funding is starting in FY 26 through 29 with construction to hopefully start in 2028 and then fire station 3 is a general fund project funding is in place the goal was completion in the fall of 27 but the…”
watch 14:34 every passage wiki

Recording · 55m

▶ Watch from the start

0:422 · Discussion / Adoption of Agenda
1:314 · Consideration of the October 27, 2025 Meeting Minutes
2:085 · Items Not Requiring a Public Hearing
2:116 · Public Hearings
2:188a · Presentation of the Draft FY2027–FY2031 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) · 44m
48:409 · Staff Report
48:4210 · Commission Comments · 7m

Topics touched · 10

FY2027-FY2031 Capital Improvement Programapproved
The FY2027–FY2031 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) is a multi-year municipal capital planning document. The Planning Commission conducted a series of work sessions on the proposed CIP beginning at least November 24, 2025, with Planning Division Chief Paul Nabti presenting the staff report at the December 8, 2025 session.
This meeting in the wiki Overview
Courthouse Plazadenied
Courthouse Plaza is a mixed-use redevelopment proposal for the shopping center at 10300 Willard Way and 3922 Blenheim Boulevard in Fairfax, anchored by a Safeway grocery store. Combined Courthouse, LLC originally sought 8 Special Exceptions for a mixed-use development in the CR Commercial Retail district and Old Town Fairfax Transition Overlay District; a City Council work session was held on September 24, 2024, and a public hearing was held July 22, 2025, but Council deferred action to October 28, 2025 and ultimately denied the request 4–2 on that date.
- City Council public hearing and action on the Courthouse Plaza land use application (second cycle) is anticipated for the December 8, 2026 City Council meeting — no decision has been made.
- The Board of Architectural Review public hearing on the Courthouse Plaza design (noted as scheduled for the week of September 14, 2026, with reported architectural changes since last review) has not…
This meeting in the wiki Overview
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…
Legislative Programin progress
The City of Fairfax Legislative Program is an annual process by which the City Council adopts a set of legislative priorities to guide the city's advocacy before the Virginia General Assembly and to inform its state delegation. A parallel but distinct process occurs at Fairfax City Public Schools (FCPS), where the School Board adopts its own State and Federal Legislative Program.
- A public hearing on the draft 2027 City of Fairfax Legislative Program is scheduled for the November 10, 2026 City Council meeting.
- A further discussion of the 2027 Legislative Program is scheduled for the December 1, 2026 City Council work session.
City's Solid Waste Management Program
Katherine Johnson Middle School Library
The Katherine Johnson Middle School Library is a public facility in the city that has been identified in municipal meeting records solely as a venue. Across two separate meetings in early November 2025 — an HHCAB Regular Meeting (November 3) and a Planning Commission Regular Meeting/Work Session (November 10) — the library was named as the location for a public meeting on the City's Solid Waste Management Plan Update, scheduled for November 20, 2025.
- The outcome of the November 20, 2025 Solid Waste Management Plan Update public meeting held at the library has not been recorded in the available material.
Façade Improvement Grant Committee
The Façade Improvement Grant Committee (also referred to as the Façade and Interiors Improvement Grant Committee) requires a Planning Commission representative. The seat was previously held by Commissioner Coleman, whose resignation from the Planning Commission in late October 2025 created a vacancy on the committee.
George Mason University
George Mason University (GMU) is a major public research university directly adjacent to the City of Fairfax, and it appears throughout city records as a neighbor, partner, and institutional presence shaping local planning, programming, and civic life. GMU's relationship with the city spans multiple domains: its students created murals on Old Town Hall's exterior during window renovation work (expected April 2025 closure); the university was identified as a potential partner for HHCAB's Home Sharing and Communications/Awareness strategy teams (July 2025); it co-hosted the 2025 Housing Symposium with the Northern Virginia Regional Commission (October 2025); and it served as the venue for GIS Day on November 20, 2025, where city planning, GIS, and stormwater staff presented.
- Whether the HHCAB Home Sharing Strategy Team and Communications/Awareness Strategy Team will formally engage GMU as a partner, and in what capacity (program evaluation, student demand assessment…
- Whether the GMU student organization that works on housing issues will be engaged in connection with home sharing efforts, as noted in January 2026.
GIS Day
GIS Day is an annual global event held on the third Wednesday of November celebrating geographic information systems (GIS) technology. George Mason University hosts a local celebration each year, and the City of Fairfax — through Planning Commissioner (and GMU professor) Matt Rice — has developed a recurring partnership in which city planning, GIS, and stormwater staff present at the event.
- Status of George Mason students' Fact Book map design submissions (due late December 2025) — outcome not yet recorded in the material, with a follow-up question noted as of the March 9, 2026 meeting.
Accessory Dwelling Unitsin progress
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) have been under active consideration in the City of Fairfax since at least mid-2024, rooted in Comprehensive Plan recommendations and a 2023 Housing Assessment calling for expanded ADU permissions. Attached ADUs have been permitted in the city since 2003 (initially as a special use), transitioned to a permitted-with-conditions use in 2016, and an occupancy limitation restricting residents to seniors or disabled persons was removed in 2024.
- Whether the Planning Commission's September 2026 miscellaneous clarifying amendments (nonconforming lots/structures language, detached ADU footprint standard inclusion) have been formally adopted by…
- Whether HHCAB's Zoning Strategy Team has completed or will complete its engagement with the ADU zoning process to assess affordable housing opportunities, as planned in its workplan.

“This meeting in the wiki” opens the topic’s history at this date.

Documents · 3

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