Fairfax City Wins Commonwealth Planning Award

FAIRFAX CITY, VA — The American Planning Association Virginia Chapter announced Monday it plans to honor Fairfax City with the organization’s Commonwealth Plan of the Year Award. The city earned the award for its 2035 Comprehensive Plan, which takes issues facing the community and turns them into opportunities, according to a release.

The 2035 Comprehensive Plan, which seeks to create a more livable city, provides a picture of how the community wants to develop over the next 15-20 years. As a policy document, the plan provides a framework for residents and decision-makers to conceptualize how the city should look and function, as well as the best methods and strategies to achieve those goals, according to Fairfax City’s website.

The plan addresses several key issues by identifying opportunities including economic development through land use, transportation improvements through additional funding, affordable housing through the establishment of new ordinances and sustainability through reduced energy use in city-owned facilities.

The city created the plan through extensive public input, including surveys and open houses. Fairfax City officials were commended for their engagement of the public during the process. The APA also noted the plan’s user friendliness, and the city’s use of scenario planning and educational events to communicate different planning options.

The award was presented to Fairfax City at the American Planning Association Virginia Chapter’s annual conference in Hampton, Va.