Affordable Housing Strategic Plan

Summary

The Affordable Housing Strategic Plan is the City of Fairfax's first-ever strategic framework addressing housing affordability. Developed by consultant TPMA over approximately a year and a half beginning around mid-2024, the plan was informed by extensive community engagement including a survey that received nearly 700 responses. It identifies three core focus areas: affordable housing development, affordable housing preservation, and strengthening community services and programs. Key research findings include that 50% of renters and approximately 20% of homeowners in the city are cost-burdened (paying more than 30% of income toward housing). The plan was presented to City Council at a work session on November 4, 2025, and formally adopted by unanimous (6-0) vote on February 17, 2026, as a strategic framework to guide future study, prioritization, and policy development — explicitly not constituting an implementation plan or funding commitment. As of mid-2026, staff and the Planning Commission are beginning to discuss how the plan's specific recommendations will intersect with ongoing efforts such as Small Area Plan zoning ordinance amendments, ADU ordinance work, and market analyses.

Open questions & options on the table

• Specific incentive structures and implementation details — including for ADU affordability retention and naturally occurring affordable housing preservation — remain to be worked out by staff and Council.
• How the plan's recommendations will be incorporated into Small Area Plan zoning ordinance amendments is still under discussion, including whether to identify specific parcels or key sites (e.g., Layton Hall, NOAA sites) for affordable/workforce housing emphasis.
• Future Council approval will be required for any specific projects, funding allocations, or regulatory changes arising from the plan, subject to available resources.
• Staff indicated that recommendations from the plan, combined with an ongoing market analysis, will help pinpoint locations to encourage affordable housing development — the outcome of that combined analysis is pending.
• Planning Commission staff noted they will be bringing specific recommendations from the Affordable Housing Strategic Plan to the Commission in the future.

Recent updates

What members have said

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