Introducing the City of Fairfax Citizens for Smarter Growth

Over the past few weeks, a group of city residents (including myself) have been working to establish The City of Fairfax Citizens for Smarter Growth, a local advocacy group for smarter growth and environmental sustainability in and around the city.

For more information on The City of Fairfax Citizens for Smarter Growth, please visit our web-site here.

This group will have many functions, including advocacy to public officials, occasional group meetings, representative speakers at key public meetings, and an online discussion group. 

Our first order of business was to send a survey to mayoral and city council candidates to gauge their interest in smart growth and local environmental issues.  Responses to the survey will be posted here on Patch in early April.  Below is an excerpt from our introduction letter to the candidates:

City of Fairfax Citizens for Smarter Growth is a group of city residents concerned about smarter growth, economic development, and environmental stewardship in and around The City of Fairfax.  We believe that environmental conservation is critical to sustainable economic development in our community. We believe that the city needs to grow its tax base to support its excellent services and to improve the infrastructure needed to protect our environment and enhance our quality of life.  With proper efforts by public officials and city staff, we believe the City of Fairfax can support an environmentally and economically sustainable future, while enhancing quality of life for our citizens.

Land use planning is a critical tool for both sustainable economic development and environmental protection. We support more commercial, business and residential development along Fairfax Boulevard and in Old Town. Compact, mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly development in these already developed nodes uses less impervious surface and reduces stormwater runoff. It provides residents with more transportation options, such as walking, bicycling and transit.  It preserves the residential character of our neighborhoods. Designed properly, compact, mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly development also will give the city’s commercial nodes a more distinct “sense of place” and greater diversity of retail businesses needed to attract residents from throughout the region and capture market share.

With , a major comprehensive plan re-write just around the corner, and an economy in recovery mode, this is an ideal time to step up our game of encouraging redevelopment of the commercial corridors in the City of Fairfax.  If you are interested in participating in the City of Fairfax Citizens for Smarter Growth, or just following along, please join our Yahoo Group here.