Matthew Rice

Voted yes on July 8, 2024 to adopt Resolution PC-24-02 approving the Fairfax Circle Small Area Plan and recommending City Council approval.

Voted yes on Planning Commission Resolution PC-24-02 on July 8, 2024, recommending City Council adopt the Fairfax Circle Small Area Plan.

Commissioner Rice voted no on the motion to recommend approval and yes on the motion to recommend denial at the June 23, 2025 Planning Commission meeting, on grounds that the proposal is not in conformance with the Comprehensive Plan and other adopted City goals and policies as currently presented.

At the June 22, 2026 meeting, Commissioner Rice raised a question about a safety access plan related to a development proposal, specifically expressing skepticism about whether the site's entrance and exit were realistic for fire department access (e.g., a tower ladder). His comment referenced what appears to be a site-specific safety access plan rather than the citywide Safety Action Plan, though it arose in that context.

Voted yes on July 14, 2025 to recommend City Council approve the zoning ordinance amendments; the July 14 transcript records a clarifying question from a commissioner confirming that a text box with three bullet points represented the abbreviated definition of 'household,' consistent with Rice's participation in the discussion.

At the November 24, 2025 meeting, Commissioner Rice volunteered to serve as the Planning Commission's interim representative on the Façade Improvement Grant Committee while the seat remained vacant.

Commissioner Rice (a GMU professor) has been the primary organizer of and advocate for the city's participation in GIS Day each year. For the 2024 event, he invited the public and colleagues to attend, described innovative city uses of GIS including stormwater infrastructure work, and thanked city staff — specifically Mr. Feather, Patrick Remsen, Maurice Ryu, and Amy Lynn Denny — for attending. For the 2025 event, he announced details at the October 27 and November 10, 2025 meetings, and afterward thanked city staff and a city intern for their contributions, noting potential Fact Book content from GMU students. In December 2025, he reported the session was 'really well received' with seven city staff and leaders attending.

Voted yes on Resolution PC-26-01 recommending City Council approve the FY2027–FY2031 CIP on February 9, 2026.

Recorded as voting 'aye' on the July 27, 2026 Planning Commission motion related to 94-95 Silver King Court; no specific comments on Northfax recorded in the material.

Rice has served as the Planning Commission's liaison to the PRAB since January 2025 and was reappointed in January 2026. At the March 9, 2026 meeting, he described attending the February 12, 2026 PRAB meeting and characterized the board as having 'a quite complex portfolio of projects and responsibilities' that is 'mind-blowing how complex and busy they are.' At the June 22, 2026 meeting, he expressed enthusiasm for the role, stating he is 'excited to continue as a member of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board until somebody else kicks me off.' At the July 13, 2026 meeting, he reported on three major PRAB projects, including the Old Town Hall renovation.

At the February 10, 2025 Planning Commission meeting, Rice noted that Old Town Hall would be offline for approximately twelve months due to renovations, and flagged an upcoming PRAB meeting related to the project.