The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors directed staff yesterday (Tuesday) to expedite efforts to fulfill goals laid out in the ongoing Plan Forward update related to the creation of “suburban village centers” throughout the county.
The designation could be applied to shopping and activity centers described as “mixed-use community focal points within suburban neighborhoods.”
“These transit ready areas, along arterial roadways, provide a range of services adjacent to lower density communities that may be suitable for mixed-use development, including medium intensity residential use,” Sully District Supervisor Kathy Smith said in her proposed board matter.
The county has previously reviewed plan amendments to allow mixed-use or denser development in its suburban centers on an ad-hoc basis, including for the Pan Am Shopping Center in Merrifield (now known as Providence Place), Graham Park Plaza in West Falls Church, and the Franconia Triangle.
It was Smith who made the motion directing staff to move planning on the effort to “Tier 1” (priority) status on the county’s Comprehensive Plan Amendment Work Program.
Part of the initiative will focus on ways to bring more housing to the communities, although that would be decided on a case-by-case basis, according to supervisors.
“These areas vary widely in their characteristics, community needs and goals, so a one-size-fits-all approach will not be feasible,” Smith said. “The final list of criteria and Suburban Village Center designations is expected to reflect this diversity.”
Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn said the goal is to build on existing development, especially those close to available transit.
The result would be “creating new communities and laying a framework for successful communities,” Alcorn said, calling the resolution “a very promising first start.”
Supervisors did not impose a deadline on staff to come back with proposals. The resolution said they could do so in multiple phases over time.
The broader Plan Forward initiative launched in December 2022 when the Board of Supervisors authorized staff to update the Countywide Policy Plan that establishes land use and development-related priorities across Fairfax. The guiding document had last been updated in 1990.
A first phase addressing the plan’s sections on land use, transportation, the environment, parks and recreation, the arts, human services and a new category called “healthy communities” was adopted on Dec. 9, 2025.
Among other changes, the updated policy plan included the addition of the suburban village centers concept, which was “proposed to provide flexibility for commercial areas within Suburban Neighborhoods,” according to a county staff report.
While envisioned as less intense than the mixed-use centers identified on the plan’s Concept for Future Development map (page 12), including the county’s established community business centers and transit station areas, the suburban village center designation could potentially open up neighborhood shopping centers to mid-rise housing and allow office or retail space to be repurposed.
Work is currently underway on a second phase of the Plan Forward amendment focused on housing, economic development, public facilities, revitalizations, additional parks and recreation elements and heritage resources. County staff anticipate releasing drafts of the different sections over the next two years, starting with “limited” revisions to public facility recommendations in November.
