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Community Meeting Toolkit for Plan Forward Phase 2

Community Meeting Toolkit for Plan Forward Phase 2

Fairfax County is updating the Comprehensive Plan Policy Plan which serves as the guide for planning and development in the county. The update, called Plan Forward, aims to streamline the current Plan; align with the Countywide Strategic Plan, the One Fairfax Policy, and other recently adopted plans; and update existing policies and add new policies as needed. Plan Forward Phase 1 included robust community engagement to gather feedback for several Policy Plan elements, summarized in a Community Feedback Report. Phase 1 was adopted by the Board in December 2025. Now in Phase 2, Plan Forward is focused on updates to the Housing, Economic Development, Revitalization, Parks & Recreation, and Heritage Resources elements, and the Chesapeake Bay Supplement.

This Community Toolkit is a resource for community groups to use for facilitating the review, discussion, and feedback on the proposed changes for Phase 2. The toolkit, which can be used for any or all elements, includes:

  1. A link to a introductory videos for the Housing, Economic Development and Revitalization elements, and the Chesapeake Bay Supplement that groups can watch together or separately. Links to presentation slides are also provided.
  2. Links to the draft text and summary document.
  3. Discussion prompts.
  4. A feedback form intended to capture the questions and comments from the group that you would like to share with staff.

Additional information is available on the project webpage. If you have questions or would like to submit individual comments, please email PlanForwardFFX@publicinput.com.  

To allow staff time to review the feedback in advance of preparing a staff report on the Housing element, Economic Development and Revitalization element, and Chesapeake Bay Supplement of the larger Policy Plan amendment effort, please host your community meeting and submit feedback by December 18, 2026.

INTRODUCTORY VIDEOS

Community groups are encouraged to watch the videos below at the beginning of their meeting, or individually prior to the meeting to ensure community members understand the proposed changes that staff recommends for the individual elements. The videos are 10-20 minutes long. The full meeting time should be adjusted to your community's preferences. Additionally, the videos can be reviewed ahead of the meeting if there is a time limit.

 

View a PDF of the Housing presentation.

 

View a PDF of the Economic Development and Revitalization presentation.

 

View a PDF of the Chesapeake Bay presentation.

 

OVERVIEW OF PROPOSED CHANGES

The overview below shows the proposed changes to the following Policy Plan elements. These proposed changes are staff’s recommendations, as detailed in the cover memos and associated draft Plan language for the Housing element, Economic Development and Revitalization element, and the Chesapeake Bay Supplement.   

 

Housing Element

  • The element has been holistically updated to continue advancing the county’s housing priorities including the need to increase overall housing production.
  • The element has been reorganized and streamlined with greater emphasis on the relationships between housing supply, affordability, economic vitality, household stability, and homelessness.
  • Policies were updated to reflect the range of partnerships, funding tools, development strategies, and public resources used to meet different housing needs.

 

Economic Development and Revitalization Element

  • Policies from the existing Economic Development and Revitalization elements are proposed to be revised into a single element into a single unified framework that promotes greater public and private investment.
  • The revised element provides enhanced guidance for enabling and sustaining economic growth by ensuring that the county physical environment, policy and regulatory framework, and public investments work together to support and encourage a diversified, resilient, competitive, and adaptive economy.
  • The policy framework has been broadened to reference Mixed-Use Centers generally, including those not currently identified as Community Revitalization Districts or Areas (CRDs/CRAs), while continuing to recognize those CRDs/CRAs already designated.

 

Chesapeake Bay Supplement

  • This document is being updated for the first time since its adoption in 2004.
  • The revisions provide an updated baseline of environmental and land development conditions in the county that impact the Chesapeake Bay and includes an overview of county policies, regulations, programs, and efforts that advance the county’s commitment to the Chesapeake Bay Program.
  • The revisions focus on the Comprehensive Plan requirements of the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act.