zoneoptics
Alexandria, Virginia · General provision

Article III, Sections 3-601 to 3-606

Multi FamilyAll Alexandria districts0

Dimensional standards

lot requirementsSTREETbuildable areaFront 20 ftRear 8 ftSide 7 ftMin width 50 ftMIN FRONTAGE50 ftMAX HEIGHT45 ftMAX FAR0.75MAX DENSITY22 du/acMIN OPEN SPACE35%
Plan view of the district’s stated lot requirements. Solid line: the property line. Dashed: the setback lines the ordinance imposes; a building must stay inside the tinted envelope. Drawn from the figures extracted below — illustrative, not a survey.

Lot

Minimum lot widthLot widthHow wide a lot must be, usually measured at the front setback line.
50 ft
Minimum frontageFrontageThe length of a lot line that touches a public street.
50 ft

Density

Maximum density
22 du/acredu/acreDwelling units per acre — the number of homes allowed on each acre of land.
Lot area per dwelling unitLot area per dwelling unitLand required for each home — the same limit as du/acre, expressed per unit instead of per acre.
1,980 sq ftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000.

SetbacksSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line.

FrontSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line.
20 ft
RearSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line.
8 ft
SideSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line.
7 ft

Height & bulk

Maximum heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first.
45 ft
Maximum floor area ratioFloor area ratio (FAR)Total floor area divided by lot area — an FAR of 2.0 permits 20,000 sq ft of floor on a 10,000 sq ft lot.
0.75
Minimum open spaceOpen spaceLand a development must leave unbuilt, sometimes required to be usable or planted.
35%

Uses

Permitted by right11

Conditional / special use13

Prohibited1

From the ordinance

The RA zone is established to provide and maintain land areas for medium density residential neighborhoods in which apartments predominate and in which single-unit, two-unit and townhouse development is permitted.
Article III, Sections 3-601 to 3-606