Engage Fairfax
Engage Fairfax is the City of Fairfax's online public engagement platform used to collect resident, business owner, and stakeholder input on a wide range of city projects, plans, and budget processes. 3 separate matters touch this plan or program; each has its own status.
The Fairfax Circle Small Area Plan is one of four Activity Center Small Area Plans adopted by the City of Fairfax. Plan development began in Spring 2023.
- Jun 12, 2025Parks and Recreation Advisory Board · item 4aFuture Stream Restoration Projects – Satoshi Eto, Storm Water Manager
Engage Fairfax was cited as one of the public outreach channels used to collect community feedback on the stream restoration project.
Thaiss Park
Thaiss Park is a City park undergoing full redevelopment, including new ballfields, a playground, adult exercise equipment, a clubhouse building, and related infrastructure. The City Council approved a $7,725,650 construction contract with Bright Masonry, Inc. on October 8, 2024, and the project was fully funded.
- Dec 12, 2024Parks and Recreation Advisory Board · item 5bThaiss Park – Update
The Engage Fairfax website was updated with information about the Thaiss Park construction.
Urban Forest Master Plan
The Urban Forest Master Plan (UFMP) is the City of Fairfax's first-ever 20-year roadmap for stewardship of its urban forest, developed beginning in May 2024. The planning process included two Steering Committee meetings, multiple public meetings and open houses (July 2024, October 2024, October 2025), a public survey, stakeholder interviews, and presentations to the Planning Commission, City Council, PRAB, and the Environmental Sustainability Committee.
- Oct 10, 2024Parks and Recreation Advisory Board · item 4bUrban Forest Master Plan – Presentation by Sophia Chapin
The Engage Fairfax website is being used as an ongoing engagement tool for the Urban Forest Master Plan and will be continually updated.
- Nov 14, 2024Parks and Recreation Advisory Board · item 4aWillard Sherwood Health & Community Center – Brooke Hardin, James Pattison
Engage Fairfax portal was one of several channels through which public feedback on the WSHCC project was collected.
- Feb 13, 2025Parks and Recreation Advisory Board · item 8bStakeholder Updates – Environmental Sustainability Committee
Upcoming invasive plant removal events and the Green Building Policy final draft are listed on the Engage Fairfax page.
- Jan 10, 2026City Council · item 5Communications & Engagement
Engage Fairfax was highlighted as the city's platform for residents, business owners, and stakeholders to share comments on issues and projects; its role in the broader communications ecosystem was reviewed.
In full
It functions as a persistent, continually updated hub rather than a one-time tool, hosting project documents, surveys, comment periods, and event information. Its role was formally reviewed at the January 2026 City Council Retreat, where Communications and Marketing Director Matthew Kaiser presented it as a core component of the city's broader communications ecosystem. The platform has been used across a growing number of departments and topic areas, including parks and recreation (Urban Forest Master Plan, Thaiss Park, WSHCC, stream restoration), environmental sustainability (invasive plant removals, Green Building Policy, stormwater projects), and finance (FY27 budget engagement, including a Community Budget Exchange event held via Zoom on April 16, 2026).
By February 2026, the Urban Forest Master Plan project page had attracted over 2,700 unique visitors throughout the plan's development period. As of fall 2026, Engage Fairfax is being used to solicit public feedback on concept-phase park/infrastructure projects through an open comment period running through October 30, 2026, and for ongoing safety audit engagement.