Rachel McQuillen

Rachel's 231 votes by the kind of item, read from the agenda titles.

The 27 no votes

Grouped by what was before the council. The tally is the whole body's; “with” names who voted no alongside Rachel.

The matters Rachel has voted on most

Every motion links to the topic it was about. Several motions on one night count separately.

On the record

What the minutes and transcripts record Rachel saying, by topic. 28 topics.

• George Snyder Trail

  denied

  McQuillen voted yes on reaffirming the full project (R-25-20) in June 2025, voted no on the supplemental appropriation introduction in December 2025, and voted no at the January 2026 public hearing. McQuillen also voted yes on the final 4-2 cancellation in January 2026.

• 4131 Chain Bridge Road

  Voted no on all three motions at the July 22, 2025 City Council meeting.

• Appointments to boards and commissions

  McQuillen voted yes on both the August 18, 2026 motions to convene and certify the closed session for board and commission interviews, and was separately involved in the April 2026 procedural dispute regarding the appointments process.

• Willard-Sherwood Community Center

  in progress

  Voted against the Special Use Permit and two special exceptions on October 14, 2025, but voted in favor of the Certificate of Appropriateness on the same date. Had previously supported deferring the community center expansion to the FY 2027 budget (May 6, 2025). Voted yes on R-26-13 on April 28, 2026.

• 9495 Silver King Court

  McQuillen voted yes on the Comprehensive Plan Amendment but voted no on the Rezoning/General Development Plan Amendment/Master Development Plan and no on the Certificate of Appropriateness at the September 22, 2026 City Council meeting. No recorded verbal comments are available from the material.

• Comprehensive Plan Amendment

  approved

  Council Member McQuillen voted yes on the Comprehensive Plan Amendment but voted no on the rezoning/General Development Plan Amendment and no on the Certificate of Appropriateness at the September 22, 2026 meeting.

• 10300 Willard Way

  in progress

  Councilmember McQuillen voted in favor of deferral at the July 22, 2025 meeting, then voted against approving the special exceptions and in favor of both denial motions at the October 28, 2025 meeting.

• Ordinance Amending Chapter 90 Article VI Section 90-262 (Meals Tax)

  proposed

  Voted against introduction of the ordinance on April 8, 2025.

• FY 2026 Budget

  approved

  On May 6, 2025, McQuillen voted in favor of the motion to defer the budget to May 13, in favor of all three failed amendments (lower real estate tax rate, deferring Willard-Sherwood expansion, phasing the pay study), and against incorporating the Budget Change Document; McQuillen ultimately voted yes on the final budget adoption.

• Old Town Fairfax Transition Overlay District (TOD)

  Voted against all three approvals at the July 22, 2025 City Council meeting: opposed the Davies Property rezoning to CU with TOD overlay retained, the special exceptions, and the Certificate of Appropriateness.

• Conflict of Interest

  Voted yes on January 13, 2026 to enact the ordinance updating Chapter 2 conflict of interest financial disclosure requirements.

• Move Fairfax City

  At the June 23, 2026 discussion, McQuillen raised the pedestrian level of stress analysis from the Move Fairfax City Steering Committee and questioned what mechanism would be in place to track progress over time — specifically whether the city would have data points (e.g., at five years) to assess improvement on pedestrian safety targets. McQuillen voted yes on the January 13, 2026 cancellation of the George Snyder Trail.

• Scout on the Circle

  Voted no on July 22, 2025 to reverse the April 8, 2025 pause on the Pickett Road Trail project, though voted yes on the motion to set up a public outreach meeting for Scout on the Circle and Foxcroft Colony residents. In an October 2026 discussion, expressed skepticism about density bonus unit frameworks when applied to large footprints like Scout on the Circle's 88,000 square feet, suggesting a minimum floor standard may be more appropriate than incentive-based bonus structures.

• Stacy Sherwood Community Center

  in progress

  Voted against the SUP and special exceptions on October 14, 2025, but voted yes on the Certificate of Appropriateness that same date. Voted yes on R-26-13 on April 28, 2026.

• Budget Open House

  completed

  At the March 25, 2025 City Council meeting, McQuillen encouraged the public to attend the spring Budget Open House at the Stacy Sherwood Center on April 2, 2025.

• Transform 66 Outside the Beltway Concession Funding

  Voted no on both the December 9, 2025 introduction and the January 13, 2026 final appropriation vote, consistently opposing the $4.6 million supplemental appropriation.

• Pickett Road

  Voted yes on the 2026-02-17 resolution endorsing the City's FY 2027 Regional Roadway Safety Program application covering Pickett Road.

• Northern Virginia Transportation Authority

  Voted 'no' on the January 13, 2026 motion to approve the $4.6 million George Snyder Trail supplemental appropriation from Transform 66/NVTA concession funding, which failed 3-3.

• Meals Tax

  McQuillen opposed the meals tax increase and voted against it on May 5, 2026, citing a newly completed regional food system resilience report indicating growing food insecurity (up to 26% of residents) and arguing that a tax directly connected to food was the wrong place and wrong time for an increase. While voting against the meals tax measure specifically, McQuillen stated support for the overall FY27 budget, acknowledging the difficult fiscal pressures the city faces.

• Zoning Map Amendment (Rezoning)

  in progress

  McQuillen voted against the Highlands at Mantua rezoning (Z-24-00236) and the associated Certificate of Appropriateness at the September 22, 2026 City Council meeting, though no specific recorded comments are available in the material.

• Special Exceptions

  in progress

  At the July 7, 2026 session, McQuillen raised concern that when the Council grants a Special Exception, developers subsequently use that precedent to justify requesting their own Special Exceptions, leading to a cumulative escalation — for example, asking what becomes six floors or more. She emphasized that Small Area Plans reflect substantial community and board input and should be respected, and that Special Exceptions risk undermining that work.

• Special Use Permit

  deferred

  McQuillen voted yes on the substitute motion to defer the Detached ADU ordinance and no on the final ordinance on July 28, 2026, aligning with Hall in opposition to the ordinance as adopted without an SUP requirement.

• Courthouse Plaza

  in progress

  McQuillen voted yes on the July 22, 2025 deferral and voted in favor of denying both the special exceptions and the Certificate of Appropriateness on October 28, 2025.

• Detached Accessory Dwelling Units

  approved

  Councilmember McQuillen voted against the ordinance on July 28, 2026. No specific recorded comments from McQuillen are available in the material beyond the vote.

• Warwick Ave /Fairfax Blvd /McLean Ave Intersection Improvements

  approved

  Voted yes on April 22, 2025 to award the construction contract to Sagres Construction Corporation. No recorded verbal comments.

• Capital Improvement Program FY2026 to FY2030

  approved

  On May 6, 2025, McQuillen voted in favor of deferring the budget to May 13, supported reducing the real estate tax rate to $1.75, supported deferring the Willard-Sherwood community center expansion to FY2027, and supported phasing the pay study 50/50 over two years — all of which failed. McQuillen voted against incorporating the Budget Change Document and ultimately voted yes on the final unanimous budget and CIP adoption.

• Pickett Road Connector Trail

  in progress

  McQuillen voted no on the April 8, 2025 pause (opposing the pause) and no on the April 22, 2025 extended pause. On July 22, 2025, McQuillen noted that community members were questioning whether the $6.5 million allocation was the highest and best use of funds and that there was significant lack of understanding about what else was proposed to address safety on the western side. McQuillen voted no on reversing the April 8 pause on July 22, 2025.

• Highlands at Mantua

  approved

  Voted yes on the Comprehensive Plan Amendment but voted no on both the rezoning/GDP Amendment and the Certificate of Appropriateness at the September 22, 2026 City Council meeting.

Positions as recorded in meeting minutes; votes without recorded comment aren't summarized.

Voting record