Engage Fairfax
Engage Fairfax is the City of Fairfax's online public engagement platform used to collect resident, business owner, and stakeholder input on a wide range of municipal projects, policies, and budget processes. 3 separate matters touch this plan or program; each has its own status.
The Fairfax Circle Small Area Plan is one of four Activity Center Small Area Plans developed by the City of Fairfax. Planning began in Spring 2023.
- Jun 12, 2025Parks and Recreation Advisory Board · item 4aFuture Stream Restoration Projects – Satoshi Eto, Storm Water Manager
Engage Fairfax was cited as one of the public outreach channels used to collect community feedback on the stream restoration project.
Thaiss Park
Thaiss Park is a City park undergoing a full redevelopment project contracted to Bright Masonry, Inc. for $7,725,650, approved by City Council on October 8, 2024. Construction began in December 2024 following utility relocation work and full park closure; the cross-county trail was kept open but made inaccessible from the park during construction.
- Dec 12, 2024Parks and Recreation Advisory Board · item 5bThaiss Park – Update
The Engage Fairfax website was updated with information about the Thaiss Park construction.
Urban Forest Master Plan
The Urban Forest Master Plan (UFMP) is the City of Fairfax's first comprehensive, 20-year roadmap for stewardship of its urban forest. Development began in May 2024 and proceeded through two Steering Committee meetings, two public open houses (July and October 2024, with a third in October 2025), stakeholder interviews, a public survey, and ongoing presentations to the Planning Commission, PRAB, Environmental Sustainability Committee, and City Council.
- Oct 10, 2024Parks and Recreation Advisory Board · item 4bUrban Forest Master Plan – Presentation by Sophia Chapin
The Engage Fairfax website is being used as an ongoing engagement tool for the Urban Forest Master Plan and will be continually updated.
- Nov 14, 2024Parks and Recreation Advisory Board · item 4aWillard Sherwood Health & Community Center – Brooke Hardin, James Pattison
Engage Fairfax portal was one of several channels through which public feedback on the WSHCC project was collected.
- Feb 13, 2025Parks and Recreation Advisory Board · item 8bStakeholder Updates – Environmental Sustainability Committee
Upcoming invasive plant removal events and the Green Building Policy final draft are listed on the Engage Fairfax page.
- Jan 10, 2026City Council · item 5Communications & Engagement
Engage Fairfax was highlighted as the city's platform for residents, business owners, and stakeholders to share comments on issues and projects; its role in the broader communications ecosystem was reviewed.
In full
It functions as one channel within a broader communications ecosystem that includes media, newsletters, social media, and in-person events. As documented across PRAB meetings (2024–2025), Engage Fairfax has been used to support community engagement for projects including the Urban Forest Master Plan, the Willard Sherwood Health & Community Center, Thaiss Park construction, stream restoration planning, invasive plant removal events, and the Green Building Policy. By early 2026, its role expanded prominently into the annual budget process: it was leveraged for increased community interaction during the FY27 budget cycle, hosted a Community Budget Exchange event (originally scheduled via Teams, pivoted to Zoom on April 16, 2026 due to a Microsoft Teams bug), and was used for public review of draft policy documents such as the SWAM.
Looking ahead into FY28 budget preparation, a Community Engagement Session via Engage Fairfax was scheduled for November 5, 2026. As of late October 2026, the platform was also hosting concept-phase plans for three unspecified parks/infrastructure projects with a public comment period open through October 30, 2026, and was supporting engagement for a safety audit project funded by COG. The platform's role in the city's communications ecosystem was formally reviewed at the January 2026 City Council Retreat.