Fairfax Center Area Study - Phase III, Core Area

2016 Proffer Reform Bill - Exempt Area

PLUS Record Number:
PA-2020-00007

The Fairfax Center Area Study (Plan Amendment 2013-III-FC1) is a multi-phase planning study to examine the Comprehensive Plan guidance for the Fairfax Center Area. The Fairfax Center Area comprises approximately 5,500 acres west of the City of Fairfax and east of Centreville, generally between Route 50 and Route 29. Phases I and II of the study have been completed.

Phase III of the study (Plan Amendment 2013-III-FC1(C)) was reauthorized by the Board of Supervisors on April 11, 2023. Phase III will evaluate and update the Plan recommendations for the Core Area, to include a transportation analysis and may also include editorial updates to the Fairfax Center Area text to ensure that the recommendations account for existing and entitled development. Phase III will also consider Tax Map Parcel 56-2 ((1)) 1C (Reserve at Fairfax Ridge) for an increase in planned intensity from 0.35 floor-area ratio (FAR) up to 0.42 FAR to accommodate additional residential uses and consider topography and pedestrian connectivity to the adjacent Fairfax Corner Development. The Reserve at Fairfax Ridge was introduced as a Site Specific Plan Amendment during the 2022-23 nomination cycle. 

Click on the map (above) for a detailed enlargement of the area. 

Government Center Visioning

As part of Phase III, the Board is considering changes to the long-range plan for the county’s Government Center campus in the heart of the core area. The campus was planned and developed under its 1987 master plan. Since that time, the Fairfax Center Area and the needs of the county’s residents have changed. County policies have changed since 1987 as well, with the adoption of the County’s One Fairfax policy and the Countywide Strategic Plan, which is positioning local government to better serve residents equitably through its public lands and facilities.

Government Center Visioning is reexamining the long-range plan for the Government Center campus to determine how it can advance County goals while maintaining its important role as the seat of local governance. Specifically, this effort focuses on repurposing existing, underused surface parking lots for other public and community serving spaces; expanding the breadth of services available to the residents; and supporting a healthy, vibrant, and sustainable environment and community. It is a long-term vision that will position the Government Center to be an innovative model of public service for the coming decades.