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project

Beacon Landing

in progress

Status set at City Council Meeting on Mar 10, 2026

Project wiki — a maintained overview, meeting history, and recorded positions.

  1. Proposed
  2. Under review
    Mar 10, 2026
  3. Decided

Summary

Beacon Landing is a 54-unit supportive/affordable housing development in the City of Fairfax, developed by Wesley/Lamb (Wesley Housing). The project closed on financing in September 2025, broke ground in November 2025, and is anticipated for completion in December 2026. A central issue tracked by the Council was a tax grant request from Wesley/Lamb to support the project's financing. The grant — approximately $700,000 drawn from cash-in-lieu affordable housing funds that had accumulated over roughly seven years — was identified as a critical component: the project had 23 separate financing sources, and the city's investment was necessary to secure the remainder. The grant was incorporated into the FY 2027 Budget through the Fairfax Renaissance Housing Program and was approved unanimously (6-0) by the Council at the May 5, 2026 Budget Adoption Special Meeting. As of July 2026, the project remained under construction, with the grant expenditure reflected in the city's affordable housing fund balance; staff and a Council member characterized the $700,000 investment as a strong example of leveraging city funds to maximize affordable housing impact.

Open questions & options on the table

  • Formal agreements between Wesley Housing, Beacon Landing, and the Economic Development Authority/Office (and the city) were flagged as a next step if the grant proceeded — it is not confirmed in the record whether those agreements have been finalized.
  • The project's anticipated December 2026 completion date remains pending — no update confirming or revising that timeline appears after the March 10, 2026 briefing.
  • A July 14, 2026 work session discussed new affordable housing fund guidelines and an application process prompted in part by the Beacon Landing experience (no prior formal application process existed) — the adoption or finalization of those guidelines is not confirmed in the record.

What members have said

Hall

At the May 5, 2026 Budget Adoption meeting, Councilmember Hall specifically noted that the adopted FY 2027 budget includes a one-time grant to support Beacon Landing, signaling her support for its inclusion.

McQuillen

At the April 28, 2026 budget work session, Councilmember McQuillen explicitly expressed appreciation that Beacon Landing was 'retained' in the budget scenario under consideration, describing it as 'a critical thing that is protected.' She also raised questions on March 10, 2026 about whether the grant could be structured differently — for example, as a bridge — and noted that the Beacon Landing discussion raised broader questions about what the city might be committing to in future years for affordable housing.

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

Discussion time

Minutes of named discussion per transcribed meeting.

Nov
Dec
Dec
Feb
Mar
Apr
Apr
May
Jul

Full history

  1. Mar 10, 2026City Council· item 11ain progress#

    [11a] Staff briefed Council on the history of the Beacon Landing tax grant request by Wesley/Lamb; the project closed on financing in September 2025, broke ground in November 2025, and is expected to be completed in December 2026. No Council action was taken.

    minutes ↗agenda ↗
  2. May 5, 2026City Council· item 3g#

    [3g] The adopted FY 2027 budget includes a one-time grant to support Beacon Landing, as noted in Councilmember Hall's statement.

    passedAmend the main budget motion to incorporate all changes in the Budget Adjustment Sheet (Attachment I).
    ✓ Amos✓ Bates✓ Hall✓ Hardy-Chandler✓ McQuillen✓ Peterson
    passedSet the real estate tax rate at $1.0725 per $100 of assessed value, personal property and machinery/tools tax rate at $4.13 per $100 of assessed value, and personal property tax rate for qualifying volunteer fire/rescue members at $0.01 per $100 of assessed value, all effective January 1, 2026.
    ✓ Amos✓ Bates✓ Hall✓ Hardy-Chandler✓ McQuillen✓ Peterson
    passedAdopt the FY 2027 Budget (all sub-funds), FY 2027 Schedule of Rates and Levies, FY 2027–2031 CIP, FY 2027 health benefit contribution rates, 2.0% market rate adjustment for general pay scales (July 1, 2026), 1.0% COLA for general employees (July 1, 2026), 2.0% COLA for public safety employees (July 1, 2026), 3.0% salary adjustment for eligible general scale employees (January 1, 2027), and programmed annual step increase for public safety employees.
    ✓ Amos✓ Bates✓ Hall✓ Hardy-Chandler✓ McQuillen✓ Peterson
    passedApprove appropriation resolutions R-26-16 through R-26-24 for the General, Capital, Wastewater, Transit, Stormwater Utility, Cable, Old Town, Transportation Tax, and Debt Service Funds for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026.
    ✓ Amos✓ Bates✓ Hall✓ Hardy-Chandler✓ McQuillen✓ Peterson
    minutes ↗agenda ↗

Discussed alongside

Topics that come up in the same meetings.

FY 2027 Budget2 meetings