Downtown Fairfield 2026: Old Town Charm, New Streetscapes, and the Heart of Fairfield Plan

Fairfield's downtown is being reshaped under the Heart of Fairfield Specific Plan, the city's downtown blueprint adopted in 2017, which covers roughly 513 acres of the historic Downtown and West Texas Street corridor. After years of planning, the visible work is finally on the sidewalk, and more is in the pipeline.

What has changed downtown this year?

The Downtown Streetscape Project's Phase 1B wrapped up in June 2025 with new sidewalks, repaired pavers, and new trees between Pennsylvania Avenue and Jefferson Street, celebrated with a ribbon cutting along the July 4 parade route. The city also replaced traffic signals with stop signs to slow traffic and make the core more pedestrian-friendly. Along West Texas Street, the North Texas Street Revitalization Program, updated in February 2026, is supporting signage, lighting, and curb-appeal upgrades for local businesses. New restaurants and shops have opened downtown over the past year, giving Old Town more reasons to linger.

What is being built in the pipeline?

A mixed-use project at 1348 West Texas Street is in the city's development pipeline, and the city has issued a request for proposals for a 2.19-acre mixed-use site at 1100-1120 Texas Street. Nearby, the Parkside Flats apartment project is planned for a 4.82-acre site at Woolner Avenue and Gregory Lane. Fairfield's new General Plan, adopted in December 2024, prioritizes exactly this kind of infill development close to jobs and transit.

One landmark anchors it all: Jelly Belly

The Jelly Belly Visitor Center at 1 Jelly Belly Lane is the only place in the world where Jelly Belly jelly beans are made publicly viewable, and it draws roughly 500,000 visitors a year. It operates daily from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM with a self-guided factory tour, a museum, the Chocolate Shoppe, and a cafe, and it held its 13th Annual Candy Palooza on September 26 and 27. Hundreds of thousands of visitors a year translate into foot traffic, jobs, and word-of-mouth discovery for the restaurants and shops just minutes away in Old Town.

How does downtown Fairfield affect the housing market?

Fairfield's citywide median sits near $607,000, and the city is one of the Bay Area's most active new-home markets, with communities like Emerald at One Lake and Melrose at The Villages a short drive from the core. A more walkable, better-lit downtown with new housing above shops supports the amenity case for the whole city. It does not guarantee any particular price, but it does make Fairfield easier to recommend to buyers who want a real downtown within reach of a Solano County budget. For prices, new construction, and neighborhoods across the city, see my Fairfield Real Estate 2026 guide.