A general plan serves as a local government’s blueprint for how the city and/or county will grow and develop and includes seven mandatory elements: land use, transportation, conservation, noise, open space, safety, and housing.
The Town of Fairfax General Plan also includes an optional element specific to the mixed-use central area of the Town: the Town Center Element.
Each element is organized to present all the background and regulatory information in the beginning, followed by Goals, Objectives, Policies and Programs.
• Goals are statements of direction, stating where the Town is focusing efforts and attention, and towards what end.
• Objectives are more specific directives guiding the implementation of Goals.
• Policies are specific statements that are intended to guide future actions. They answer the questions of What and Why.
• Programs are the actions used to put into effect the policies of the element. Programs answer the questions of What, How, Where, and by Whom.