Daren Shumate appointed to Planning Commission
Mason Supervisor Penny Gross has appointed Daren Shumate, a licensed professional engineer, as the Mason District representative on the Fairfax County Planning Commission.
He is the CEO of Shumate Engineering PLCC, a mechanical and electrical design firm he founded in May 2022.
Shumate replaces Julie Strandlie, whose second four-year term ended on Dec. 31. “As a citizen advocate,” Strandlie says, “I will continue my work to improve the FCPS land use engagement process for bond-funded renovations, additions, and construction.”
A resident of Parklawn, Shumate has lived in Fairfax County since 1988.
He has held leadership positions with the Parklawn Civic Association and the Parklawn Recreation Association. As a board member, he secured three Fairfax County Neighborhood Enhancement Partnership Program grants to improve the pool.
He chaired the Lincolnia Planning District Citizen’s Task Force from 2017 to 2019, which worked on amendments to the Comprehensive Plan to revitalize Lincolnia and allow mixed-use development at Landmark Plaza.
Related story: Supervisors clear the way for Lincolnia redevelopment
Shumate served as a member and vice chair of the Fairfax County Board of Code Appeals, 2017-22 and was vice chair of the Fairfax County Small Business Commission 2019-22.
He just completed a five-year term on the board of directors of the 7×24 Exchange Washington DC Chapter, a professional organization serving the data center design and construction industry.
Shumate Engineering, based in Tysons, focuses on data centers, and Shumate has designed several in Loudoun County and plans to work on future projects in Loudoun and Prince William counties. The company is also working on an office-to-housing conversion project in Merrifield among other projects.
Shumate is currently a consulting engineer on a project involving the conversion of three vacant office buildings at Skyline into live-work places where tenants can choose to live and/or run a small business. He will recuse himself from voting when that project comes before the Planning Commission in February.
Related story: Big changes coming to Skyline
A 1987 graduate of Kansas State University’s architectural engineering program, Shumate has served as an architectural engineering program evaluator for the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. He was also on the board of the McLean Orchestra 1992-2016.
“I enjoyed the interaction on the Lincolnia task force, so joining the Planning Commission is like a natural progression,” he says.
While he knows a lot about designing buildings, he acknowledges he has a lot to learn about how the county planning process works.
On the Planning Commission, “my goal is to be a listener,” he says. “It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be a lot of meetings.”
Sincere Congratulations to Mr. Shumate! I wish him much success in his new public service position.
This is terrific news! Daren is a good friend, former co-worker, neighbor and served with me on PCA, Parklawn Civic Association. I know he will do great things for Parklawn and its surrounds.
My first request has been to have him advocate for pedestrian walk bridges over the five crossings at Holmes Run Stream Trail 3. The current small stepping stones are damaged and impassible for Mason’s elders that prohibits this demographic from using this terrific in-neighborhood nature trail/park. i know because if fell into the stream two winters ago and have not been able to return
Congrats to Daren and Mason for adding this addition to the County’s Planning Committee leadership. We are counting on you!
Richard Zambito
Happy to hear of a parklawn presence on the planning commission. Our needs are unique being among the oldest neighborhoods in the county coupled with dense population centers. Looking forward to seeing what he does in this role.
The older neighborhoods are seriously neglected by the County’s BoS, Board of Stupids.
Will he be a part of the solutions or go along with developers that he most likely knows and want to cause more pain for Mason. Two things will tell:
First – Higher density is not the solution for Mason. There is not now nor will there be in the next 50+ years a metro train line in Mason. It will alway be cars. Get over the dream that is dried up like a raisin in the sun.
Second – Spread affordable housing to locations near metro train line not in Mason District. It is criminal that twenty-nine percent of the county’s committed affordable housing units and 19 percent of the market affordable units are in Mason District. Turning this district and neighborhoods into ghettos.
I hope for the best but anticipate disappointment given who appointed him – Penny Gross and the Ghetto Developers that fund her.
Thanks for the well wishes. As a 31-year resident of Parklawn, Mason District, and Fairfax County I have a sincere interest in the best growth possible.
I look forward to hearing from any and all stakeholders and can be reached at [email protected]