zoneoptics
Alexandria, Virginia · General provision

Article IV, Section 4-600

UrbanAll Alexandria districts0

Dimensional standards

lot requirementsSTREETbuildable areaFront 20 ftRear 8 ftSide 8 ftMin frontage 50 ftMIN LOT AREA5,000 sq ftMAX FAR1.25MAX DENSITY35 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.
5,000 sq ftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000.
Minimum frontageFrontageThe length of a lot line that touches a public street.
50 ft

Density

Maximum density
35 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.
1,245 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.
8 ft

Height & bulk

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.
1.25
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 right23

Conditional / special use28

Accessory1

Extracted standards

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

Other

  • Auxiliary dwellings up to 4 units4 units

    Up to four auxiliary dwelling units are permitted and shall be categorized as nonresidential for the purpose of applying the area and bulk regulations of this zone.

  • Co-living dwellings up to 2 units2 units

    Up to two co-living dwellings shall be categorized as nonresidential for the purpose of applying the area and bulk regulations of this zone.

From the ordinance

The CD-X zone is intended to provide for an urban mix of retail, office, service, hotel, residential and civic functions for the Old Town North area of the city.
Article IV, Section 4-600