Fairfax City Planning Commission

City Centre West mixed-use plan may need tweaks to be viable, developer says

Published October 22, 2026 at 3:45PM

A rendering of Ox Hill Companies' City Centre West development on fencing around the planned construction site in Fairfax City (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Once on track to break ground this year, the City Centre West mixed-use development now needs numerous changes to be financially viable, a representative for developer Ox Hill Companies recently told the Fairfax City Planning Commission.

Approved by the City Council in 2023, Ox Hill’s application for housing and retail on a 1.7-acre site of three lots from 10501 to 10523 Main Street was eventually closed by the city in September 2025 due to inactivity, despite two buildings having been demolished.

News

Fairfax City Council approves pay raises for its members and mayor

By Mary Stachyra Lopez

Published June 25, 2026 at 10:00AM

The sign in front of Fairfax City Hall (staff photo by Mary Stachyra Lopez)

The Fairfax City Council has unanimously approved the first pay raise for its members and the mayor in over a decade, increasing annual compensation to $22,000 for members and $24,000 for the mayor.

The new rates are the maximum allowed under Virginia law, and will take effect July 1, 2027. The current pay is $12,000 for council members, and $13,000 for the mayor.

News

Proposal to redevelop Fairfax Square office park mostly wins praise from city’s planning body

By Scott McCaffrey

Published July 17, 2025 at 1:45PM

Conceptual design for portion of Fairfax Square project (Van Metre via City of Fairfax)

Members of the City of Fairfax Planning Commission reacted generally favorably to a conceptual plan that would massively redevelop a key stretch of Main Street (Route 236).

“I like the concept, I like the responsiveness,” commission chair James Feather said Monday night (June 14) after a briefing on the proposal by Van Metre Companies plan to redevelop the Fairfax Square Professional Center, an office and retail park at 9840-9946 Main Street.

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Fairfax City planning commission advises rejecting plan to redevelop century-old house

By Scott McCaffrey

Published July 8, 2025 at 1:45PM

Design rendering for one mixed-use apartment building proposed at 4131 Chain Bridge Road (via City of Fairfax)

City of Fairfax planning commissioners say the latest incarnation of a plan to redevelop a key parcel along Chain Bridge Road has improved on past submissions, but most of them still didn’t like the proposal enough to support its approval.

The commission voted 4-2 on June 23 to recommend that the Fairfax City Council reject developer Paradigm Companies’ latest plan to replace a 109-year-old house at 4131 Chain Bridge Road with a 276-unit apartment building. The proposed project would occupy a 2.7-acre site and include about 11,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial/retail space.

News

Van Dyck Park enhancements top Fairfax City’s capital spending priorities

By Scott McCaffrey

Published January 29, 2025 at 2:30PM

Kids in bubbles at Van Dyck Park (via City of Fairfax)

Fairfax City hopes to advance its master plan for the 36-acre Van Dyck Park under an updated capital improvement program (CIP) for fiscal years 2026 to 2030.

Laid out in a master plan approved back in 2018, the upgrades at Van Dyck Park (3720 Blenheim Blvd) are the most substantial investment proposed in the CIP, which is heading to the Fairfax City Council after getting the city planning commission’s recommendation on Monday (Jan. 27).

News

Mixed-use development could replace offices near Fairfax County judicial complex

By Angela Woolsey

Published January 27, 2025 at 11:15AM

The existing office buildings at 4085, 4101 and 4103 Chain Bridge Road in Fairfax City (via City of Fairfax)

A local homebuilder is looking to gauge city officials’ reaction to another mixed-use development proposal for Old Town Fairfax.

After purchasing the contracts for 4085, 4101 and 4103 Chain Bridge Road in Fairfax City, Oakton-based Christopher Companies has shared a concept plan with the city that would replace the existing office buildings with apartment and office buildings, townhouses and retail.

News

Middle school students pitch eco-friendly redesign for Fairfax Circle

By James Jarvis

Published June 5, 2024 at 1:30PM | Updated June 6, 2024 at 12:26PM

Eighth-graders from Katherine Johnson Middle School pose in front of diorama depicting an eco-friendly Fairfax Circle (courtesy City of Fairfax)

A group of Katherine Johnson Middle School students has proposed a new design for Fairfax Circle that they hope will be more environmentally friendly.

Several eighth graders presented their ideas to the Fairfax City Council on May 28 for addressing issues such as flooding, runoff, and pollution, which they argue will help to reduce the city’s impact on surrounding ecosystems, such as the Chesapeake Bay.

News

WillowWood Plaza mixed-use development advances to Fairfax City Council

By James Jarvis

Published April 24, 2024 at 2:30PM

A proposed mixed-use building at 10306 Eaton Place in Fairfax City (courtesy of Capital City Real Estate)

A proposal for a seven-story mixed-use development over a parking lot next to the WillowWood Plaza office center in Fairfax City cleared another hurdle this week.

A majority of the Fairfax City Planning Commission voted Monday (April 22) to recommend that the city council approve a mixed-use development at 10306 Eaton Place featuring 260 residential units and 5,000 square feet of retail space over top of a 328-space parking lot.