On July 19, 2022, the Board of Supervisors endorsed several modifications to the Site-Specific Plan Amendment (SSPA) process, which is Fairfax County’s process for reviewing proposed land use changes (called “nominations”) to the County’s Comprehensive Plan for individual sites. The process modifications were developed through a retrospective assessment and are detailed in a report. As endorsed by the Board of Supervisors, the changes to the SSPA process include:
- More frequent opportunities to submit SSPA nominations through a two-year Countywide nomination period (compared to the previous four-year alternating reviews of the North and South County areas).
- New submission criteria (including a required concept plan and property owner’s consent) for nominations to provide the level of detail expected by stakeholders and help determine planning priorities.
- Enhanced community engagement during the screening phase by using community meetings to reach people who would be most impacted by the proposed changes.
- A Planning Commission workshop during screening to provide a forum for considering the nominations and the balance of other planning priorities as a whole.
- Reducing the overall timeline for the nomination and screening period to improve efficiency and make better use of stakeholders’ time and resources.
