In a two-day strategic planning retreat, its first since 2009, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors set in motion the development of a Next Planning Horizon process that will take place during the next months at the Board’s Revitalization Committee. Board Chair Sharon Bulova reported the development in her periodic “Bulova Byline” newsletter issued yesterday.

“Newer development strategies call for more mixed use, ‘walkable’ communities and more connections of pedestrian, bike and transit modes of transportation,” Bulova said, adding, “As Fairfax County matures, our growth and development will involve more redevelopment and revitalization of our older commercial and industrial areas,” including “how we can adopt better tools for this pattern of development and how we can engage our community in the process.” She added that “our board continues to be concerned about plans at the state level to ‘devolve’ the maintenance of neighborhood and secondary streets to the localities.

Without sufficient state investment, our streets have deteriorated to an alarming degree. Assuming this responsibility without sufficient funding will result in a significant cost to local taxpayers.”