zoneoptics
Alexandria, Virginia · General provision

Sec. 3-1101 to 3-1109

Medium DensityAll Alexandria districts0

Dimensional standards

lot requirementsSTREETRear 16 ftSide 5 ftMin width 25 ftMIN FRONTAGE25 ftMAX HEIGHT35 ftMAX FAR1.5MAX DENSITY30 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.
25 ft
Minimum frontageFrontageThe length of a lot line that touches a public street.
25 ft

Density

Maximum density
30 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.
1,452 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.

RearSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line.
16 ft
SideSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line.
5 ft

Height & bulk

Maximum heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first.
35 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.
1.5
Minimum open spaceOpen spaceLand a development must leave unbuilt, sometimes required to be usable or planted.
35%

Housing

Single-familySingle-family dwellingOne dwelling unit on its own lot, usually detached from its neighbours.
by_right
Two-family
by_right
Three-family
by_right
Four-plus family
by_right

Uses

Permitted by right9

Conditional / special use10

Accessory1

Prohibited1

Extracted standards

1 individual requirements pulled out of this section’s prose, each with the sentence it came from.

Height

From the ordinance

The RM zone is established to provide and maintain land areas for medium density residential neighborhoods of single-unit, two-unit and townhouse dwellings.
Sec. 3-1101 to 3-1109