Barbara Byron

Biography: Barbara Byron Director Fairfax County - Office of Community Revitalization and Reinvestments Fairfax, VA Between 1986 and 2007, Ms. Byron was the Director of the Fairfax County, Virginia, Zoning Evaluation Division in the Department of Planning and Zoning. In that position, she was responsible for direction and oversight of all aspects of a 40-50 person division that negotiated and evaluated the 400 to 500 rezoning, special exception, special permit, and variance applications per year that are presented to and decided by the Board of Supervisors, Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals. This included negotiating with applicants on designs and proffered commitments, formulating staff recommendations, ensuring consistency with County policies and regulations, working with community groups/civic associations and policy makers, and making written and verbal presentations. She had substantial personal involvement in negotiations on high profile applications, those with unusual issues and those that pertain to high priority public improvements. These included the Reston Town Center, multi-million square foot mixed use projects in Tysons Corner, headquarters for major corporations such as Gannett and Sallie Mae, planned unit developments ranging up to 5000 units, and secure federal complexes. Ms. Byron also issued approximately 300 determinations per year on proffer and development condition interpretations as they pertain to approved zoning actions, so as to facilitate implementation of development projects. As member of the Department and Zoning Management Team, she participation in the collaborative management for all of the Agency's responsibilities, including the direction on and oversight of amendments to the County's Comprehensive Land Use Plan and amendments to the County's Zoning Ordinance. She was a primary author of amendments to the ordinance, including those for planned developments and an Affordable Dwelling Unit Ordinance and has been the County's expert on implementation strategies for proposed developments. Ms. Byron directed the development and of a relational database computer system to track zoning activity. In 2007, she assumed responsibility for a new office that was to be created in Fairfax County - the Office of Community Revitalization and Reinvestment. In that capacity, she heads an office charged with the revitalization of the County's older commercial and mixed use areas. Among other responsibilities, she has a primary role in the County's public/private partnerships including the formulation of Community Development Associations and Tax Increment Financing initiatives. Prior to her experience in Fairfax County, Ms. Byron was an associate at EDAW, Inc., an international landscape architecture and planning firm. Barbara has a Masters Degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Virginia and is an AICP. June 2008