Fairfax City’s Economic Development Office (EDO) has finalized a five-year, strategic workplan to guide it through 2028, And that’s important because the EDO is critical to Fairfax City’s economic wellbeing and quality of life, helping build a resilient tax base, plus activities that attract, retain and expand businesses in the City.

It developed this plan with guidance from the Place Consulting team at Streetsense – a global, creative collective that helps shape places where people connect. It’s an outline for the EDO to follow so it may remain competitive and innovative. The EDO will do so by adhering to industry-standard best practices, helping the City’s newly adopted Small Area Plans and 2035 Comprehensive Plan become reality, and staying aligned with City Council’s adopted goals.

“Working with Streetsense brought a great deal of clarity to the process of developing our five-year, strategic plan for economic development here in the City,” said Fairfax Mayor Catherine Read. “There are exciting opportunities in the years ahead, and we feel ready for them.”

Agreeing, Economic Development Director Chris Bruno thanked Streetsense for its “creativity, professionalism and ability to deliver a complex, comprehensive plan for economic development in Fairfax City in a way that’s clear and digestible for our staff and stakeholders, It establishes a framework for efficient and impactful economic-development efforts through 2028 and represents yet another investment in the future of our City.” 

The workplan provides a blueprint so the EDO may enhance Fairfax City’s economic environment and showcase it as a competitive place to do business. It also establishes eight, key recommendations, plus suggested actions to achieve them, in the fields of marketing, operations, partnerships, real-estate development and reuse, business attraction and development, business retention and expansion, place-based strategies, and special initiatives. 

“Streetsense is extremely pleased to have worked closely with the Fairfax City Economic Development Office, city staff, and an Advisory Committee consisting of key business and civic leaders,” said Larisa Ortiz, a managing director at Streetsense. “Together we turned previously adopted plans into a practical workplan – one that reflects the goals, resources and tools available for implementation. We’re excited to see these plans turn into actionable outcomes in the coming years.”