General Plan Updates Town of Fairfax
Town of Fairfax
Town Council Hearing
Safety and Land Use Element Update
2010 – 2030 General Plan
July 16, 2025
Background
• The last comprehensive update to the Town of Fairfax General Plan was in 2012
• State law required Housing Element Update by Jan 31, 2023 and triggered requirements for Safety, Land Use, and Town Center Element Updates
• Incorporation of LHMP into Safety Element required to remain eligible for FEMA funding
• Updates address new requirements of State law and ensure consistency across General Plan elements but do not increase density or permit development in new locations vs adopted Plan Housing Element Project Phasing
• Housing Element Update
• Related Zoning
Amendments
• Safety Element Update
• Land Use Element Update
• Town Center Element
Update
Phase 1 (2023-4) Phase 2 (2024-5)
Process Recap
• Public release of Draft Safety and Land Use Elements
• Tribal Consultation
• Planning Commission Study Session
• Planning Commission Study Session
• Planning Commission Meeting
• Planning Commission Study Session
• Planning Commission Hearing
Oct 2024
Oct 2024 – Apr 2025
Oct 17, 2024
Feb 20, 2025
Apr 17, 2025
May 28, 2025
June 27, 2025
General Plan Updates Town of Fairfax
Meeting Objectives
1. Provide overview of the updated to the Safety and
Land Use Elements, including Planning Commission
Recommendations
2. Hear public comment
3. Adopt updated Elements, if appropriate
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Safety Element
Update
Overview of 2012 Safety Element
• Includes a robust framework of policies and programs
organized around 4 goals:
• Goal S-1: Minimize risks due to geologic hazards.
• Goal S-2: Minimize risks due to flood hazards.
• Goal S-3: Minimize risk due to fire hazards.
• Goal S-4: Community preparedness.
• Includes maps of hazard areas and narratives discussing local conditions
• Policies do not address police protection services
• Element acknowledges climate change, but no policies or programs specifically address it
New Legal Requirements
• Map and address risk in Fire Hazard Severity Zones
(Gov. Code Section 65302.(g)(3))
• Climate vulnerability assessment and related strategies (SB379)
• Emergency evacuation capacity (SB99 and AB747)
Element Organization
2012 Safety Element Goals 2024 Safety Element Goals
Goal S-1: Minimize risks due to geologic hazards. Goal S-1: Protect life and property from natural and humanmade hazards.
Goal S-2: Minimize risks due to flood hazards. Goal S-2: Build community resilience to natural disasters and the effects of climate change.
Goal S-3: Minimize risk due to fire hazards. Goal S-3: Effective emergency response to disasters and emergencies.
Goal S-4: Community preparedness. Goal S-4: Responsive police and fire services that ensure a high level of public safety.
Data and Mapping
• Update existing maps with latest available data:
• Geology Soil Type;
• Areas Susceptible to Earthquake Shaking;
• Areas Susceptible to Landslides;
• Floodplains;
• Wildland Urban Interface Zones
• Add new maps: CalFIRE-delineated Fire Hazard Severity Zones, liquefaction susceptibility, and emergency evacuation
routes/capacity
Refreshed Mapping
Wildfire: Policies and Programs
• Revisions to reflect jurisdiction of Town and partner agencies:
• Ross Valley Fire Department (RVFD)
• Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority (MWPA)
• Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD)
• Marin County
• Update policy framework to integrate best practices recommended by CALFIRE. Examples include:
• Require fire fuel mitigation in new and existing development in areas of elevated wildfire risk (S-1.16) • Coordinate with MMWD to ensure adequate and sustainable water supply for fire suppression (S-1.18) Adaptation and Resiliency: Policies and Programs
• Incorporate LHMP by reference to efficiently incorporate the data and information required under State law
• New policies and programs were added that complement the measures in the LHMP and provide a long-term framework to guide Town actions:
• Ensuring road surfaces on evacuation routes can withstand extreme weather conditions and increased traffic (S-3.5)
• Build community awareness of major evacuation routes and emergency notification systems (S-3.8)
• Use countywide alert and early warning systems (S-3.9) Evacuation: Policies and Programs
• MWPA’s Scenario Planning Tool
• Purpose: Developed to help communities meet evacuation analysis requirements for their Safety Elements
• Methodology:
• Assesses evacuation difficulty in consideration of (a) presence of fire fuels, (b) roadway conditions, and (c) communications difficulty
• Key factors that contribute to evacuation difficulty include heavy vegetation and steep elevations; roadway conditions such as slope, elevation, geometry, and lack of intersections; and areas with limited cell service, low percentage of Alert Marin subscribers, and large elderly populations
• The aggregate evacuation difficulty score represents the risk from all factors • Results: Helps identify which areas require prioritizing in policies and programs to mitigate risks
MAP
Findings • The most difficult to evacuate
areas are located in areas of
steep topography and winding
roads
• This includes neighborhoods
in the steep hillsides around
San Gabriel Dr, Tailor Dr, and
Ridgeway Ave north of SFD,
and around Frustuck Ave,
Hickory Rd, Madrone Rd, and
Bolinas Rd southwest of Sir
SFD
Evacuation: Policies and Programs
• New Goal S-3 will ensure effective emergency response to disasters and emergencies
• Supporting policies and programs address findings from the evacuation analysis and focus on physical interventions and coordination activities.
Examples include:
• Study the feasibility of deploying dynamic message signs, roadway sensors, and other Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) tools to disseminate real-time traffic conditions, alternative routes, and delays to drivers, enhancing situational awareness and decision-making. (S-3.8.1) • Target efforts to increase registration to residential areas that face the greatest evacuation challenges. (S-3.9.1)
• Identify traffic management strategies to ensure efficient access from feeder streets onto critical evacuation routes during an emergency evacuation event in coordination with public safety partners and neighboring jurisdictions. (S-3.7.2)
Completed/No Longer Needed
• Based on a review of the 2012 Safety Element by Town of Fairfax Planning and Public Works staff, the following programs have been completed and/or are no longer needed:
• Program S-1.1.2.2: Document past landslide occurrences • Program S-1.1.6.4: Hillside development requirements
• Program S-2.1.2.1: Updated Flood Ordinance
• Program S-3.1.4.3: Identify fire suppression water sources • Program S-3.1.5.7: Require automatic gas shut-off valves for multi-unit structures • Program S-3.1.5.8: Conduct periodic fire-safety inspections • Program S-4.1.1.10: Develop a “Maintain-a-Drain” campaign General Plan Updates Town of Fairfax
Land Use Element Update
Overview of 2012 Land Use and Town Center Elements
• Land Use Element includes a robust framework of policies and programs organized around 9 goals focused on the
principles of TOD and Traditional Neighborhood Design
• Town Center Element complements the Land Use and
Circulation Elements; provides guidance for a future Town Center Area Plan
• Elements describes a clear vision: village-like quality, with a distinct center, neighborhoods, and large areas of
surrounding visible open space
Legal Requirements
• Housing Element update triggers the need to review and revise the Land Use and Town Center Elements for an
internally consistent General Plan
• Land Use Element is required under State law and there are some legal requirements (Gov. Code Section 65302.(a))
• Town Center Element is option – no legal requirements (other than consistency)
2017 Resolution Related to Town Center Plan
• Summary of Council Resolution 17-41, Passed in October of 2017, that the Town is:
• NOT exploring or considering the closure of Bolinas Road; and • NOT continuing development of the Town Center Plan
• What does this mean for the General Plan Update?
• Town Center Element contains erroneous information related to Bolinas Road (aka ‘closure’ references)
• Town Center Element contains details related to Town Center Plan that likely conflicts with Town Council Resolution 2017-41
Planning Area Definition
• 2012 LUE uses various terms without
defining them: Fairfax Planning Area
(FPA), Urban Service boundary, and
Sphere of Influence (SOI)
• LUE discusses annexation, but not the
role of LAFCo
Revisions:
• Update text to clarify
• Update map to show Town limits, SOI, and
designated open space
Density/Intensity Standards
• State law requires that the Land Use Element
include a statement of the standards of
population density and building intensity
recommended for various districts
• Typically done with Land Use designations,
which are also the basis for establishing
consistency with zoning
Revisions: Draft land use designations that describe the desired land uses in each of the designations shown on
Map LU-1, including standards for density and building
intensity
Land Use Element Organization
2012 Land Use Element Goals 2024 Land Use Element Goals Goal LU-1: Preserve scenic and natural resources. Goal LU-1: Preserve and protect the natural and open space resources that define Fairfax and contribute to local sense of place.
Goal LU-2: Preserve open space.
Goal LU-3: Restore natural habitats in Fairfax, including creeks and watercourses.
Goal LU-4: Minimize potential for wildfires and impacts from other natural catastrophes.
Goal LU-5: Manage future growth while preserving the area’s natural resources.
Goal LU-2: Promote a compact urban footprint and sustainable development pattern.
Goal LU-6: Annex developed and undeveloped lands where
advantageous to the Town.
Goal LU-3: Strengthen the role of Town Center area as the commercial and cultural focal point of community life.
Goal LU-7: Preserve human-centered scale and sense of community. Goal LU-4: Foster human-centered design and sense of community.
Goal LU-8: Preserve community diversity through affordable housing opportunities primarily along transit corridors.
Goal LU-9: Preserve and restore local historic buildings, features, and sites.
Goal LU-5: Preserve and restore historic resources that enhance sense of place.
Town Center Element
• 2012 goals and policies guide preparation of a future Town Center Plan and identify desired land uses/urban design features • Overlaps with numerous policies in the 2012 Land Use Element • Program 1-A of Housing Element also calls for Town Center Plan Revisions:
• Create a new goal specifically about the Town Center in LUE and relocate policies/programs there • Consolidate 2012 TCE policies/programs that provide direction for the Town Center Plan into a new program LU-3.1.1
• Eliminate old policies/programs that conflict with Housing Element and State law • Add additional policies/programs that support vitality and can be implemented before/after development of the Town Center Plan
Prior Commission Recommendation
• Planning Commission recommendation detailed in Attachment C • Changes are primarily clarifications, but included the following substantive revisions:
• New policy added in the Draft Safety Element regarding “post-fire” recovery be broadened to “post-disaster” recovery
• New program involving an evaluation of potential funding mechanisms to facilitate the undergrounding of utilities be added to the Safety Element • References to establishing Neighborhood Watch Programs be removed from Policy S-4.7
• Identification of supplemental sources of emergency water supply (for fire suppression) be maintained as policy or program in the Safety Element • Comprehensive parking management program be specified as a component of the future Town Center Area Plan in Program LU-3.1.1 in the Land Use Element
Additional Comments
• Following publication of the packet, comments
highlighted some additional clarifications needed to
the Safety Element:
• P.13 Remove references to Community Emergency Prep
Committee, which is now defunct
• P.15 Delete Program S-2.8.1 which references the now
defunct Community Emergency Prep Committee
• P.22 Revised to three fire stations, reflecting closure of Ross station on July 1, 2025
General Plan Updates Town of Fairfax
CEQA
Proposed Safety and Land Use Elements do not increase development capacity or permit development in new areas beyond the current, adopted General Plan
Updates are made for consistency with other General Plan Elements and State law
There would be no new or substantially more adverse impacts than previously analyzed.
Therefore, an Addendum to the previously certified Housing Element EIR has been prepared to satisfy the requirements of CEQA General Plan Updates Town of Fairfax
Recommended Action
Conduct a public hearing
Adopt and Addendum to the 2023-31 Housing Element EIR Repeal the 2012 Safety, Land Use, and Town Center Elements and adopt the Draft Safety and Land Use Element to replace them