Small Area Plan Zoning Ordinance Amendments
in progressStatus set at Planning Commission Regular Meeting/Work Session on Apr 13, 2026 · ▶ watch the moment
- Proposed
- Under reviewJan 13, 2025
- Decided
Summary
The Small Area Plan Zoning Ordinance Amendments project is an effort by the City of Fairfax to update its Zoning Ordinance to align with previously adopted small area plans for the city's activity centers and commercial corridors. The process began in early 2025 with introductory work sessions before both the Planning Commission (January 13, 2025) and City Council (January 14, 2025), featuring consultant Justin Wallace of White & Smith LLC (later White, Smith, Cousino), who was engaged to assist staff. Through 2025, the project remained in an information-gathering and background-analysis phase, with progress updates noted at Planning Commission staff reports in March and July 2025. The project accelerated into 2026: draft amendments were formally introduced to the Planning Commission on February 9, 2026, and to City Council on February 17, 2026, followed by continued detailed work sessions in both bodies through March 2026 covering topics such as frontages, open space, tree conservation and landscaping, parking, dimensional standards, and community benefits. A public open house was scheduled for March 26, 2026 at the Sherwood Center. As of April 2026, the amendments remained in active development, with staff noting the work is ongoing and that a future work session on reviewing and updating the underlying small area plans themselves is also anticipated. Transcript excerpts from June 2026 confirm that continued Council discussions on the zoning ordinance amendments were planned for Council meetings on June 14 and beyond, with a separate but related discussion on small area plan review and update processes scheduled for June 23, 2026. The tree conservation ordinance is being developed in conjunction with these amendments.
Open questions & options on the table
- Continued Council discussion on small area plan zoning ordinance amendments was scheduled for the June 14, 2026 City Council meeting and a follow-up thereafter — outcomes of those discussions are not yet in the record.
- A separate June 23, 2026 City Council work session was scheduled to introduce a process for reviewing and updating the underlying small area plans on a recurring basis — outcome not yet recorded.
- No formal Planning Commission or City Council vote on the draft amendments has been taken; the timing and structure of a public hearing and formal adoption process remain open.
- The relationship and sequencing between finalizing the zoning ordinance amendments and any updates to the small area plans themselves has been raised as a question by council members and has not been fully resolved.
- The tree conservation ordinance, being developed in conjunction with these amendments, has no separate recorded resolution in this material.
What members have said
At the January 2026 work session preview, Peterson noted that the upcoming agenda represented a significant information load and emphasized the quality of the items, asking whether advance reading materials would be provided. In June 2026, Peterson asked clarifying questions about how the small area plan zoning ordinance amendments process relates to a separately scheduled June 23 discussion on reviewing and updating the small area plans themselves, indicating the connection between the two tracks was not immediately clear to them.
In June 2026, Bates articulated an understanding of the two-track structure: that the current small area plans are informing the zoning ordinance amendment process, while the June 23 discussion is about establishing a future recurring process for reviewing and updating the small area plans — demonstrating engagement with the sequencing of the overall effort.
Positions as recorded in meeting minutes; votes without recorded comment aren’t summarized.
Discussion time
Minutes of named discussion per transcribed meeting.
Full history
[8b] Potential amendments to the City of Fairfax Zoning Ordinance related to adopted small area plans were introduced and discussed at the work session; consultant report presented and incorporated into the record.
[12a] Potential Zoning Ordinance Amendments related to Small Area Plans were introduced and discussed during the work session; no formal action was taken.
[10] An update on potential zoning ordinance amendments related to Small Area Plans is expected at the May 12, 2025 Planning Commission meeting.
[8a] Potential zoning ordinance amendments related to adopted Small Area Plans were discussed at the work session; a presentation was made by consultant Justin Wallace of White, Smith, Cousino. No formal action was taken.
[12e] Council received a discussion and update on potential zoning ordinance amendments related to Small Area Plans in work session; no action taken.
[9] Noted by staff as an upcoming item that may come before the Planning Commission.
[8c] Draft Small Area Plan Zoning Ordinance Amendments were introduced and discussed at the work session; continued discussion was scheduled for February 23, 2026 and a public meeting on March 26, 2026 at the Sherwood Center.
[6b] Draft zoning ordinance amendments related to small area plans in activity centers were introduced to Council; no action was taken and a follow-up work session is scheduled for March 10.
[7a] Continued work session discussion on potential Zoning Ordinance amendments related to adopted small area plans, focusing on frontages, open space, tree conservation and landscaping, and parking. A City Council work session on the same topic was noted for March 10, 2026, and a public open house scheduled for March 26, 2026.
[11b] Council received a follow-up briefing on draft Small Area Plan Zoning Ordinance Amendments; no action was taken and discussion will continue at future meetings.
[10] Staff noted that small area plan zoning ordinance amendments are underway and that a future work session on reviewing and updating small area plans is anticipated.
Discussed alongside
Topics that come up in the same meetings.