FAIRFIELD — Fairfield is looking to grow in the future despite setbacks from the Covid-19 pandemic, which has seen the loss of some small businesses and larger ones.
Northeast Fairfield is expected to see a substantial growth of between 8,000 and 10,000 homes planned for that area.
Central Fairfield will be seeing several projects to reinvigorate the downtown area.
That includes the Heart of Fairfield plan, which promotes bringing new businesses – such as Rustwater Kitchen and Taproom and Saffron Indian Cuisine – to Texas Street.
The city plans to turn West Texas Street into a walkable, bicyclable, mixed-use community.
“We are aggressively looking to respond when the economy bounces back from this year’s setbacks,” said David Gassaway, assistant city manager.
The city recently approved a $400,000 small business grant to help those hit by the closures from the state’s stay-at-home order.
“We have seen a lot of small businesses close, some of them permanently,” Gassaway said.
The city wants to see the downtown area revitalized into a place for families to take a walk in the evening after a nice dinner. To that end it is looking at renovations for storefronts and bringing in more eateries.
The city has set aside $150,000 for a facade program that will go to help businesses that want to revitalize their building in the downtown area.
Fairfield is working on streamlining the application process for developers and architects who wish to build homes or businesses in the area.
“We are looking at doing away with paper and going to digital,” Gassaway said.
Fairfield is also looking at several areas to be developed into residential housing that is affordable for many budgets.
Fairfield has long boasted of an excellent quality of life, relatively low housing costs as compared to the San Francisco Bay Area, and a good selection of retail outlets to make the community a fine place for families to live and work.
Located about halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento, its leaders describe it as more than just a bedroom community for those major metropolitan areas.
They point out its strategic location, extensive transportation links and readily available properties that make it a prime location for commerce.
The city’s status as the county seat reaches back to 1858 and has helped boost growth, beginning with a doubling of the population between the late 1850s and 1880. It was incorporated in 1903.
A century later, more than 44,000 people lived in the city, a number that more than doubled by 2000 and now stands at 107,684, according to census figures. It’s average population growth is 2% per year.
Fairfield now covers more than 40 square miles is almost the physical size of San Francisco.
Fairfield at a glance
- City Hall: 1000 Webster St., 428-7400
- Website: www.fairfield.ca.gov
- City manager: Stefan Chatwin. Reach at 428-7401
- Mayor: Harry Price. Elected in 1997. Term expires in 2022. Reach at 428-7395 or 422-4455 or [email protected]
- Vice Mayor: Pam Bertani. Elected in 2011. Term expires in 2020. Reach at 628-6974 or [email protected]
- Councilman: Chuck Timm. Elected in 2007. Term expires in 2022. Reach at 429-6298 or 428.7402 or [email protected]
- Councilwoman: Catherine Moy. Appointed in 2008. Elected 2009. Term expires in 2022. Reach at 639-0500 or [email protected]
- Councilman: Rick Vaccaro. Appointed in 2008. Elected 2011. Term expires in 2020. Reach at 249-3533 or [email protected]
