zoneoptics
Alexandria, Virginia · General provision

Sec. 3-1201 to 3-1207

TownhouseAll Alexandria districts0

Dimensional standards

lot requirementsSTREETFront 20 ftRear 16 ftSide 8 ftMin width 18 ftMIN LOT AREA2,904 sq ftMIN FRONTAGE18 ftMAX HEIGHT35 ftMAX FAR0.75MAX DENSITY15 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 areaMinimum lot areaThe smallest parcel on which the district allows anything to be built.
2,904 sq ftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000.
Minimum lot widthLot widthHow wide a lot must be, usually measured at the front setback line.
18 ft
Minimum frontageFrontageThe length of a lot line that touches a public street.
18 ft

Density

Maximum density
15 du/acredu/acreDwelling units per acre — the number of homes allowed on each acre of land.

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.
16 ft
SideSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line.
8 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.
0.75
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.
prohibitedProhibitedNot allowed in the district at all, short of rezoning or a variance.
Two-family
prohibitedProhibitedNot allowed in the district at all, short of rezoning or a variance.
Three-family
prohibitedProhibitedNot allowed in the district at all, short of rezoning or a variance.
Four-plus family
prohibitedProhibitedNot allowed in the district at all, short of rezoning or a variance.

Uses

Permitted by right6

Conditional / special use6

Accessory1

Prohibited1

Extracted standards

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

Other

  • Public alley or walkway required

    A public alley or walkway is required to facilitate trash removal.

From the ordinance

The RS zone is established to provide land areas for low to medium density townhouse development of approximately 15 units per acre which may be appropriate for infill sites in proximity to neighborhoods of single-unit detached homes.
Sec. 3-1201 to 3-1207