VA Cities/City of Fairfax City Council/Meeting recap
City of Fairfax · City Council
City of Fairfax City Council Meeting, Tuesday, Oct 28, 2025
City of Fairfax City Council meeting · video 6h 2m
What was decided · How each member voted
- 4 Approved, unanimously the consideration for remote participation by Councilmember Hardy-Chandler pursuant to Code of Virginia Sec. 2.2-3708.2. · Unanimous Official minutes (Granicus)
- 4 Approved, unanimously, that the City Council appoint Melanie R. Zipp as Acting City Manager of the City of Fairfax effective as of November 1, 2025 on the terms and conditions discussed in closed meeting. Further moved that the city attorney be authorized to finalize a memorandum of understanding with Ms. Zipp incorporating the approved terms and conditions and that the Mayor be and hereby is authorized to execute the memorandum of understanding on behalf of the City Council and the City. · Unanimous Official minutes (Granicus)
- 5 Approved, unanimously, the adoption of the agenda with the following amendment: the removal of agenda item #12f: Discussion regarding revised City Council Rules of Procedure" and the addition of agenda item #10c: "Additional staff taskings regarding public safety". · Unanimous Official minutes (Granicus)
- 7.e Approved, unanimously, the consent agenda. · Unanimous Official minutes (Granicus)
- 8.a Approved, unanimously, that the City Council approve a resolution requesting the General Assembly to amend the City Charter, Section 2.2(c), pertaining to the transient occupancy tax; Section 3.1, pertaining to the election date for the Mayor, members of the City Council, and members of the School Board; and section 5.2(f), pertaining to the compensation of members of boards and commissions. · Unanimous Official minutes (Granicus)
- 10.a Approved, 4-2, Councilmembers Bates and Hardy-Chandler opposed, that the City Council adopt the attached resolution to deny the request of Combined Courthouse, LLC, by Molly Novotny, agent, for special exceptions to allow more than 25% of the ground floor to be residential uses and/or residential accessory uses, to allow for greater than 24 dwelling units per acre, to exceed the maximum height of 48’ in the Old Town Fairfax Transition Overlay District, to reduce the 10’ sidewalk requirement, to allow street trees to be more than 15’ from back of curb, to waive the sidewalk requirement to not provide sidewalks on both sides of local streets, to exceed the maximum lot coverage of 90%, to allow less than 80% of each upper story to have an interior clear height (floor to ceiling) of at least nine feet, to not provide vehicular cross access to tax map #57-2-22-CG-000 on the premises known as 10300 Willard Way, and more particularly described as tax map parcel 57-2-20-004-D, with the following reason(s): · 4-2, Councilmembers Bates and Hardy-Chandler opposed Official minutes (Granicus)
- 10.a Approved, 4-2, Councilmembers Bates and Hardy-Chandler opposed, that the City Council deny the request of Combined Courthouse, LLC, by Molly Novotny, agent, for a Certificate of Appropriateness, in accordance with section 10-6.5.6.b of the City Code; on the premises known as 10300 Willard Way and more particularly described as tax map #57-2-20-004-d, with the following reason(s): · 4-2, Councilmembers Bates and Hardy-Chandler opposed Official minutes (Granicus)
- 2.b Approved, unanimously, that the City Council enact the ordinance as presented, amending Chapter 54 (Offenses and Miscellaneous Provisions), Article I (General), Chapter 54-4, of the Code of the City of Fairfax, Virginia, pertaining to a prohibition on the possession, carrying, or transportation of firearms, ammunition, or components or combination thereof, in city buildings or facilities, on public property or at certain public events, with the following amendment: to enact an early effective date of January 1, 2026. · Unanimous Official minutes (Granicus)
Sources & downloads (3 + transcript)
City Council: see the official minutes for the members present. Member-by-member votes will be listed here from the official record.
Moments worth watching
- 00:00:00
Pledge of Allegiance. Post
- 00:05:41
Item 3.b Presentation of a proclamation acknowledging November 8-15, 2025 as World Kindness Day/Kindness Week Worldwide in the City of Fairfax. Post
- 00:10:45
Item 3.c Presentation of a proclamation acknowledging Edwin Gonzalez for his 32 years of service in the City of Fairfax. Post
- 00:17:21
Item 3.d Civic Connections graduation acknowledgement. Post
- 00:24:26
Item 4 Consideration for remote participation by Councilmember Hardy-Chandler pursuant to Code of Virginia Sec. 2.2-3708.2 and City Council adop… Post
- 00:28:16
Item 5 Adoption of the agenda. Post
- 00:29:45
Item 6 Initial general public comment period Post
- 01:08:30
Consent agenda motion. Post
- 01:10:10
Item 8.a Public hearing and Council action on a proposed resolution requesting that the General Assembly amend: Section 2.2 Post
- 01:12:46
Public comment / public hearing begins. Post
- 01:17:18
Item 9 Second general public comment period Post
- 01:36:01
Item 10.a Consideration on a request from Combined Courthouse, LLC for nine special exceptions for residential use standards, density, building hei… Post
- 01:47:43
Item 10.b Consideration of an ordinance amending Chapter 54 Post
- 02:02:54
Item 10.c Additional staff taskings regarding public safety. Request that our police department, within 90 days, provide to the City Council a reco… Post
- 02:23:29
Item 12.a Policy Options for Detached Accessory Dwelling Units. Post
- 03:23:46
Item 12.b FY 2025 Preliminary Results & FY 2026 1st Quarter Financial Review. Post
- 03:46:52
Item 12.c Suggested updates to the FY 2027 Financial Policies and Council Budget Guidelines. Post
- 04:01:50
Item 12.d Update on the George Snyder Trail. Post
- 05:10:03
Item 12.e Discussion on possible video testimony as an option for public hearing comment. Post
- 05:32:03
Item 14 Future Meeting Topics Post
- 05:39:13
Item 15 City Manager report out Post
- 05:44:19
Item 16 Council Comments and Committee reports out Post
Times are approximate and open the official meeting video (City of Fairfax video archive (Granicus)) at that point. Search every spoken word in Find the Moment. Machine transcript (speech-to-text); check the video before quoting.
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About this transcript
Machine transcript (speech-to-text) produced by Coraggio Consulting. Not an official city record. Names and numbers may be misspelled; check the video at the timestamp before quoting.
On the agenda
Items as listed by the city, with staff reports. Not results.
1. Call the special meeting to order. 6:30 P.M.
2. Consideration for remote participation by Councilmember Hardy-Chandler pursuant to Code of Virginia Sec. 2.2-3708.2 and City Council adopted policy.
3. Closed meeting to discuss personnel matters.
4. Adjourn.
1. Call the regular meeting to order. 7:00 P.M.
2. Pledge of Allegiance.
3. Presentations and Proclamations.
- 3.aPresentation of a proclamation acknowledging November as National Family Caregivers Month in the City of Fairfax.
- 3.bPresentation of a proclamation acknowledging November 8-15, 2025 as World Kindness Day/Kindness Week Worldwide in the City of Fairfax.
- 3.cPresentation of a proclamation acknowledging Edwin Gonzalez for his 32 years of service in the City of Fairfax.
- 3.dCivic Connections graduation acknowledgement.
4. Consideration for remote participation by Councilmember Hardy-Chandler pursuant to Code of Virginia Sec. 2.2-3708.2 and City Council adopted policy.
5. Adoption of the agenda.
6. Initial general public comment period (A maximum of three (3) minutes per speaker for any city matters not requiring a public hearing. The speakers who have registered with the city clerk’s office (703-385-7935) prior to 5:00 p.m. the day of the meeting may speak at this time. Any remaining speak
7. Consent agenda.
- 7.aConsideration of the October 13, 2025 Special Meeting minutes.
- 7.bConsideration of the October 14, 2025 Special Meeting minutes (8:00 a.m.).
- 7.cConsideration of the October 14, 2025 Special Meeting minutes (6:00 p.m.)
- 7.dConsideration of the October 14, 2025 Regular Meeting minutes.
- 7.eIntroduction of an ordinance authorizing and approving a Deed of Easement between the City of Fairfax and Fairfax County Water Authority for the installation, construction, operation, maintenance and repair of one or more water mains and appurtenances thereto on certain real property owned by the City and having Tax Map No. 48-4-01-000-C and 48-4-01-003.
9. Second general public comment period (a maximum of three (3) minutes per speaker for any city matters not requiring a public hearing – limited to speakers who did not speak under initial general public comment period).
10. Items not requiring a public hearing.
- 10.aConsideration on a request from Combined Courthouse, LLC for nine special exceptions for residential use standards, density, building height, sidewalks, street trees, lot coverage, interior clear height, and vehicular cross-connectivity to allow an upper-story mixed-use building that consists of 315 multifamily units and approximately 12,000 square feet of ground floor retail on the premises ident
- 10.bConsideration of an ordinance amending Chapter 54 (Offenses and Miscellaneous Provisions), Article I (General), Section 54-4, of the City of Fairfax, Virginia, pertaining to the prohibition on the possession, carrying or transportation of firearms, ammunition, or components or combination thereof, in City buildings or facilities, on public property or at permitted public events. (This proposed ord
- 10.cAdditional staff taskings regarding public safety. Request that our police department, within 90 days, provide to the City Council a recommendation on how to close capacity gaps within the department for the collection, analysis, and reporting of crime and safety risk information for the city to support ongoing monitoring, evaluation, and updating. this includes but is not limited to firearms issu
11. Recess the regular meeting to go into a work session.
12. Work Session.
- 12.aPolicy Options for Detached Accessory Dwelling Units.
- 12.bFY 2025 Preliminary Results & FY 2026 1st Quarter Financial Review.
- 12.cSuggested updates to the FY 2027 Financial Policies and Council Budget Guidelines.
- 12.dUpdate on the George Snyder Trail.
- 12.eDiscussion on possible video testimony as an option for public hearing comment.
- 12.fDiscussion regarding revised City Council Rules of Procedure. RESCHEULED TO NOVEMBER 18, 2025.