Beacon Landing

Beacon Landing is a 54-unit supportive/affordable housing development in the City of Fairfax, developed by Wesley/Lamb (Wesley Housing). The project secured financing in September 2025 and broke ground in November 2025, with completion anticipated in December 2026. A key element of its financing was a one-time city grant of approximately $700,000 drawn from cash-in-lieu affordable housing funds that had accumulated over roughly seven years (paid by developments such as Mount Vineyard and the Enclave in lieu of on-site affordable unit set-asides). The project relied on 23 separate financing sources, including Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), and the city's investment was described as necessary for Beacon Landing to secure the remainder of its financing. The grant was included in the adopted FY 2027 Budget (approved unanimously 6-0 on May 5, 2026 via the Fairfax Renaissance Housing Program line item), and as of July 2026 staff had begun developing formal affordable housing grant guidelines and an application process, partly in response to concerns about the lack of a competitive process for the Beacon Landing award.

In this wiki

• Meeting history — every action, vote, and update, with links to the moment in the meeting video
• Positions & open questions

2026-03-10 — City Council Meeting

Agenda item 11a: Work Session – Beacon Landing Tax Grant Request

• Outcome: Discussion held; no Council action taken. Staff presented the history of Wesley/Lamb's tax grant request for the Beacon Landing affordable housing development (54 supportive housing units). Project closed on financing in September 2025, broke ground in November 2025, and is anticipated for completion in December 2026.
• [11a] Staff briefed Council on the history of the Beacon Landing tax grant request by Wesley/Lamb; the project closed on financing in September 2025, broke ground in November 2025, and is expected to be completed in December 2026. No Council action was taken.
• Status after: in_progress

2026-05-05 — City Council Special Meeting: Budget Adoption

Agenda item 3g: Consideration and appropriation of the FY 2027 Budget, FY 2027 Schedule of Rates and Levies, FY 2027–2031 Capital Improvement Program, and establishment of Real Estate and Personal Property Tax Rates

• Outcome: All motions approved unanimously (6-0). Council adopted the full FY 2027 Budget with all sub-funds, the FY 2027–2031 CIP, the Schedule of Rates and Levies, employee compensation adjustments, established tax rates (real estate at $1.0725/$100; personal property/machinery and tools at $4.13/$100; volunteer fire/rescue at $0.01/$100), and approved appropriation resolutions R-26-16 through R-26-24.
• Vote (passed): Amend the main budget motion to incorporate all changes in the Budget Adjustment Sheet (Attachment I). — Amos: yes, Bates: yes, Hall: yes, Hardy-Chandler: yes, McQuillen: yes, Peterson: yes
• Vote (passed): Set the real estate tax rate at $1.0725 per $100 of assessed value, personal property and machinery/tools tax rate at $4.13 per $100 of assessed value, and personal property tax rate for qualifying volunteer fire/rescue members at $0.01 per $100 of assessed value, all effective January 1, 2026. — Amos: yes, Bates: yes, Hall: yes, Hardy-Chandler: yes, McQuillen: yes, Peterson: yes
• Vote (passed): Adopt the FY 2027 Budget (all sub-funds), FY 2027 Schedule of Rates and Levies, FY 2027–2031 CIP, FY 2027 health benefit contribution rates, 2.0% market rate adjustment for general pay scales (July 1, 2026), 1.0% COLA for general employees (July 1, 2026), 2.0% COLA for public safety employees (July 1, 2026), 3.0% salary adjustment for eligible general scale employees (January 1, 2027), and programmed annual step increase for public safety employees. — Amos: yes, Bates: yes, Hall: yes, Hardy-Chandler: yes, McQuillen: yes, Peterson: yes
• Vote (passed): Approve appropriation resolutions R-26-16 through R-26-24 for the General, Capital, Wastewater, Transit, Stormwater Utility, Cable, Old Town, Transportation Tax, and Debt Service Funds for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026. — Amos: yes, Bates: yes, Hall: yes, Hardy-Chandler: yes, McQuillen: yes, Peterson: yes
• [3g] The adopted FY 2027 budget includes a one-time grant to support Beacon Landing, as noted in Councilmember Hall's statement.

Open questions

• Completion of Beacon Landing construction is anticipated December 2026 — final completion has not yet been confirmed in the record.
• Formal agreements between Wesley Housing, Beacon Landing, and the Economic Development Authority/Office in conjunction with the City are noted as a next step if Council proceeds — it is unclear from the record whether these have been finalized.
• The Housing and Healthy Communities Advisory Board is developing formal affordable housing grant guidelines and an application process (presented July 14, 2026); adoption or finalization of those guidelines has not yet been recorded.
• Whether the new grant guidelines will incorporate bonus provisions for nonprofits, faith-based partners, or workforce housing (80–120% AMI) as raised in the July 14, 2026 discussion has not been resolved.

Member commentary

• Hall — At the May 5, 2026 budget adoption, Councilmember Hall specifically noted that the FY 2027 budget includes a one-time grant to support Beacon Landing as part of the Fairfax Renaissance Housing Program, and called it an important investment. On July 14, 2026, Hall emphasized the critical impact of the Beacon Landing funding, framing the city's approach as being about how to invest money to support housing for a range of residents — service workers, very low AMI households, and people with disabilities — rather than focusing on the dollar amount.
• McQuillen — At the April 28, 2026 budget work session, McQuillen explicitly stated appreciation that Beacon Landing was 'retained' in the budget, describing it as 'a critical thing that is protected,' and confirmed her understanding that the budget scenario under discussion (Scenario 3) kept the Beacon Landing grant in. On July 14, 2026, McQuillen provided context on the origins of the cash-in-lieu funds used for the grant, explained why no competitive application process had existed at the time of the Beacon Landing award, and characterized the $700,000 investment as well-placed given that it secured 54 affordable units across 23 financing sources.