Rachel McQuillen

Rachel's 228 votes by the kind of item, read from the agenda titles.

The 27 no votes

Grouped by what was before the council. The tally is the whole body's; “with” names who voted no alongside Rachel.

The matters Rachel has voted on most

Every motion links to the topic it was about. Several motions on one night count separately.

On the record

What the minutes and transcripts record Rachel saying, by topic. 32 topics.

• George Snyder Trail

  denied

  Councilmember McQuillen voted against the western-half option and against full cancellation in June 2025, and voted in favor of reaffirming the full project. McQuillen voted no on both the December 2025 supplemental appropriation introduction and the January 2026 supplemental appropriation, effectively contributing to the project's financial deadlock and cancellation.

• Urban Forest Master Plan

  approved

  Councilmember McQuillen voted no on the substitute motion and yes on the main adoption motion on February 10, 2026. At the July 14, 2026 work session, McQuillen asked which investments staff would suggest have the greatest impact on achieving UFMP goals, in light of budget or staffing barriers, as budget season discussions begin.

• 4131 Chain Bridge Road

  Councilmember McQuillen voted against all three approvals at the July 22, 2025 City Council meeting.

• Appointments to boards and commissions

  On April 14, 2026, McQuillen was called upon during a business meeting discussion about the appointments process; the presiding member clarified that the closed-session input from council members was not a formal dais vote but rather the body acting collectively, and McQuillen was invited to make further comments in that context.

• Willard-Sherwood Community Center

  in progress

  McQuillen voted in favor of the failed May 2025 amendment to defer the Willard-Sherwood community center expansion to the FY 2027 budget, and voted against the SUP, special exceptions, and Certificate of Appropriateness at the October 14, 2025 hearing (except the Certificate of Appropriateness, on which McQuillen voted yes). McQuillen voted yes on R-26-13 to proceed to construction in April 2026.

• 9495 Silver King Court

  McQuillen voted yes on the Comprehensive Plan Amendment but voted no on the Rezoning/General Development Plan Amendment/Master Development Plan and no on the Certificate of Appropriateness at the September 22, 2026 City Council meeting. No recorded verbal comments are available from the material.

• Comprehensive Plan Amendment

  approved

  Council Member McQuillen voted yes on the Comprehensive Plan Amendment but voted no on the rezoning/General Development Plan Amendment and no on the Certificate of Appropriateness at the September 22, 2026 meeting.

• 10300 Willard Way

  in progress

  Councilmember McQuillen voted to defer on July 22, 2025 and voted to deny the special exceptions and Certificate of Appropriateness on October 28, 2025.

• Ordinance Amending Chapter 90 Article VI Section 90-262 (Meals Tax)

  proposed

  Voted against introduction of the ordinance on April 8, 2025.

• FY 2026 Budget

  approved

  Voted yes on the motion to defer budget adoption to May 13, and yes on all three failed amendments (lower real estate tax rate at $1.75, defer Willard-Sherwood expansion, split pay study 50/50 over two years). Voted no on incorporating the Budget Change Document and ultimately voted yes on final budget adoption.

• Z-23-00073

  approved

  Councilmember McQuillen voted against all three approvals at the July 22, 2025 City Council meeting.

• Conflict of Interest

  Voted yes on the January 13, 2026 ordinance enacting updated conflict of interest financial disclosure requirements. In April 2026, expressed a preference for resolving ethics and conflict of interest issues before moving forward on related matters.

• Move Fairfax City

  At the June 23, 2026 session, McQuillen raised the pedestrian level-of-stress analysis from the Move Fairfax City Steering Committee and the question of how the city would track improvements in pedestrian safety over time, such as measuring progress at five-year intervals. McQuillen voted yes on cancelling the George Snyder Trail on January 13, 2026.

• Accessory Dwelling Unit Occupancy

  Voted yes on July 22, 2025 to approve Ordinance 2025-06; no recorded verbal comments in the material.

• Scout on the Circle

  Voted no on July 22, 2025 to reverse the April 8, 2025 pause on the Pickett Road Trail project, and voted yes on directing staff to set up the public outreach meeting for Scout on the Circle and Foxcroft Colony residents.

• Stacy Sherwood Community Center

  in progress

  McQuillen voted against the Special Use Permit and two special exceptions on October 14, 2025, but voted yes on the Certificate of Appropriateness that same day, and voted in favor of R-26-13 on April 28, 2026.

• Budget Open House

  completed

  At the March 25, 2025 City Council meeting, McQuillen encouraged the public to attend the spring Budget Open House at the Stacey Sherwood Center on April 2, 2025.

• Transform 66 Outside the Beltway Concession Funding

  Voted no at both the December 9, 2025 introduction and the January 13, 2026 final vote, consistently opposing the $4.6 million supplemental appropriation for the George Snyder Trail.

• Pickett Road

  At the October 2026 work session, Council Member McQuillen asked staff to confirm that the Road Safety Audit would evaluate the possibility of the Walmart distribution center being built and the resulting addition of roughly 172–200 trucks per day on Pickett Road, noting broad community interest in this scenario up and down Main Street as well.

• Northern Virginia Transportation Authority

  Voted no on January 13, 2026 on the motion to approve the $4,600,000 supplemental appropriation from Transform 66 Outside the Beltway Concession Funding for the George Snyder Trail.

• Meals Tax

  McQuillen opposed the meals tax increase and voted against it on May 5, 2026, citing a newly completed regional food system resilience report indicating growing food insecurity (up to 26% of residents) and arguing that a tax directly connected to food was the wrong place and wrong time for an increase. While voting against the meals tax measure specifically, McQuillen stated support for the overall FY27 budget, acknowledging the difficult fiscal pressures the city faces.

• FY 2027 Budget

  approved

  Council Member McQuillen voted yes on all four FY 2027 budget adoption votes on May 5, 2026.

• Special Exceptions

  in progress

  At the July 7, 2026 session, McQuillen raised concern that when the Council grants a Special Exception, developers subsequently use that precedent to justify requesting their own Special Exceptions, leading to a cumulative escalation — for example, asking what becomes six floors or more. She emphasized that Small Area Plans reflect substantial community and board input and should be respected, and that Special Exceptions risk undermining that work.

• Special Use Permit

  approved

  McQuillen voted yes on the substitute motion to defer the detached ADU ordinance (July 28, 2026) and no on final approval, aligning with the position that deferral was preferred. No recorded verbal comments specific to SUPs are attributed to McQuillen.

• Zoning Map Amendment (Rezoning)

  approved

  McQuillen voted no on both the rezoning/General Development Plan Amendment and the Certificate of Appropriateness at the September 22, 2026 City Council meeting, though no specific comments are recorded in the material.

• Courthouse Plaza

  in progress

  McQuillen voted yes on the July 22, 2025 deferral and yes on both denial motions on October 28, 2025, voting to deny the first-cycle application.

• Detached Accessory Dwelling Units

  approved

  Councilmember McQuillen voted against the ordinance on July 28, 2026. No specific recorded comments from McQuillen are available in the material beyond the vote.

• Warwick Ave /Fairfax Blvd /McLean Ave Intersection Improvements

  approved

  Voted yes on April 22, 2025 to award the construction contract to Sagres Construction Corporation. No additional recorded comments.

• Capital Improvement Program FY2026 to FY2030

  approved

  At the May 6, 2025 special meeting, McQuillen voted in favor of deferring budget consideration to May 13 and supported all three failed amendments (lower real estate tax rate, deferring the Willard-Sherwood expansion to FY2027, and splitting the pay study 50/50 across FY2026-2027). McQuillen voted against incorporating the Budget Change Document but ultimately voted yes on the final budget and CIP adoption and all appropriation resolutions.

• Pickett Road Connector Trail

  in progress

  McQuillen voted no on the April 8, 2025 pause motion and no on the April 22, 2025 motion to pause while examining alternatives. She voted no on the July 22, 2025 motion to reverse the pause.

• Ordinance Amending Chapter 38 Article II Noise

  approved

  Voted yes on March 24, 2026 to continue the public hearing and defer action to May 12, 2026.

• Highlands at Mantua

  approved

  Voted yes on the Comprehensive Plan Amendment but voted no on both the rezoning/GDP Amendment and the Certificate of Appropriateness at the September 22, 2026 City Council meeting.

Positions as recorded in meeting minutes; votes without recorded comment aren't summarized.

Voting record