Small Area Plans
in progressStatus set at Planning Commission Regular Meeting/Work Session on Jun 8, 2026 · ▶ watch the moment
- Proposed
- Under reviewJun 8, 2026
- Decided
Summary
Small Area Plans are policy documents adopted by the City of Fairfax to provide more specific guidance for redevelopment in activity center areas previously identified only in general terms in the Comprehensive Plan. They include development benchmarks (e.g., an estimated 1,250 residential units for the Old Town area), goals, and objectives covering topics such as transportation, open space, public art, and urban design. The topic was listed as part of a land-use overview presentation at the January 2025 City Council Retreat, with no recorded outcome. An introduction to a process review of Small Area Plans was reported as a forthcoming agenda item at the May 2026 Planning Commission meeting. A second draft of zoning ordinance amendments intended to bring the City's Zoning Ordinance into greater conformance with the adopted Small Area Plans was scheduled for work session discussion at the Planning Commission on July 13, 2026, and discussed — without formal action — at a City Council work session on July 14, 2026. The July 14 discussion surfaced significant conceptual debate about the relationship between the Small Area Plans, existing zoning, and the protection of public interest.
Open questions & options on the table
- No formal action has been taken on the second draft of zoning ordinance amendments related to Small Area Plans; the next step toward adoption has not been recorded.
- A broader review/update of the Small Area Plans themselves was referenced in the July 14, 2026 discussion as something being looked at, but no schedule or formal process for that review has been recorded.
- The July 13, 2026 Planning Commission work session on Implementation Guide updates tied to adopted Small Area Plans had no recorded outcome; it is unclear whether that discussion was concluded or requires further action.
What members have said
At the July 14, 2026 work session, Bates expressed support for the direction of the zoning ordinance amendments, specifically endorsing review of off-street parking requirements — particularly for office uses — and emphasizing that the goal of the amendments is to bring the zoning ordinance into greater conformance with the Small Area Plans, which he characterized as the guiding policy.
At the July 14, 2026 work session, Peterson raised sustained conceptual concerns about the amendments, questioning whether the transition from existing zoning to a Small Area Plan-driven framework could result in tradeoffs against the public interest — including quality of life and community benefits — that had previously been protected through zoning. Peterson also sought clarification on whether the Small Area Plans' development benchmarks should be understood as goals, and pressed staff on whether a compare-and-contrast analysis of public interest impacts had been conducted.
Positions as recorded in meeting minutes; votes without recorded comment aren’t summarized.
Discussion time
Minutes of named discussion per transcribed meeting.
Full history
[3] Small Area Plans were listed as a topic in the scheduled land-use overview presentation; no outcome recorded as no minutes or actions report exist.
[10] An introduction to the upcoming process review of small area plans was reported as a forthcoming June Planning Commission agenda item.
[8b] The Planning Commission discussed a potential review and update to the adopted small area plans for Old Town, Northfax, Kamp Washington, and Fairfax Circle.
[8b] A second draft of zoning ordinance amendments related to adopted Small Area Plans was scheduled for work session discussion at this meeting. [8c] Approved Small Area Plans are also referenced as a basis for Implementation Guide updates scheduled for presentation at this work session.
[12a] The second draft of amendments to the City of Fairfax Zoning Ordinance related to adopted Small Area Plans was discussed in a work session on July 14, 2026; no formal action was taken.
Discussed alongside
Topics that come up in the same meetings.