The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors adopted the Comprehensive Plan Amendment for the Lorton area on July 14. This marks the completion of the Lorton Core Study, which was initiated in 2019 to create a vibrant, forward-looking vision to guide future land use, transit and community design in the Lorton-South Route 1 Suburban Center of the Lower Potomac Planning District and Mount Vernon Supervisor District.
The updates reflect extensive staff analysis and a robust community engagement process steered by the Lorton Visioning 2040 Task Force.
Key Highlights of the Adopted Plan
The Comprehensive Plan guidance has been updated for approximately 3,200 acres in Lorton. Key elements of the approved framework include:
- A Mixed-Use Core: Establishes a land use framework centered around a well-designed, walkable core area east of I-95.
- Six Distinct Activity Nodes: Focuses future growth, community activity, urban design and placemaking within four primary nodes of the Core Area, including Gunston Plaza, Lorton Marketplace, Lorton Station Town Center, and the Lorton Library and Community Center. Two additional nodes are recommended for increased employment activity, south of the core.
- Enhanced Multi-Modal Mobility: Revises the planned local street network and incorporates significant transit upgrades, including the extension of the Richmond Highway Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system (“The One”) from Fort Belvoir to the Occoquan River, along with dedicated new BRT stations.
- A Reimagined Lorton Road: Accommodates a task-force-recommended focus on Lorton Road as the "Main Street" of Lorton, optimizing the corridor for wide, lighted landscape buffers, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, and a tree-lined median.
“The adoption of the Lorton Visioning 2040 Comprehensive Plan Amendment is a wonderful milestone for our community and the culmination of years of collaboration, thoughtful planning and public engagement. Together, we have created a shared vision that preserves Lorton's unique character while providing a roadmap for thoughtful growth, new transportation options and vibrant community spaces that will benefit residents and businesses for generations to come," said Mount Vernon District Supervisor, Dan Storck.
A Vision Built by the Community
The Lorton Core Study represents a deep commitment to equity and inclusive community representation. Over the course of seven years, the 12-member, supervisor-appointed Lorton Visioning 2040 Task Force convened over 45 public meetings.
To capture the voices of Lorton’s culturally and socioeconomically diverse population, the county and task force deployed a wide-reaching outreach strategy. This included bilingual community surveys, stakeholder interviews with local HOAs, nonprofits and small businesses, open houses at the Lorton Library and Community Center, a virtual community planning workshop, pop-up sessions at local community events, and two additional community meetings that were facilitated after the Planning Commission public hearing.
Thousands of ideas from local community members helped create the final plan, ensuring it focused heavily on the following guiding principles:
- Placemaking
- Housing and Neighborhood Stability
- Economic Development
- Health and Recreation
- Accessibility and Connectivity
- Heritage Resources and Environment
- Equity and Access
Learn More
For more information about the Lorton Core Study, including the staff report, visit the Lorton Core Study Project Page.
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