zoneoptics
Amherst, Virginia · General provision

Sec. 24-386, 24-387, 24-389, 24-390, 24-391, 24-392

All Amherst districts0

Dimensional standards

lot requirementsSTREETFront 15 ftRear 15 ftSide 10 ftMin width 50 ftMIN LOT AREA4,000 sq ftMAX HEIGHT35 ftMAX LOT COVERAGE60%MIN OPEN SPACE20%
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.
4,000 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.
50 ft

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

FrontSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line.
15 ft
RearSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line.
15 ft
SideSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line.
10 ft

Height & bulk

Maximum heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first.
35 ft
Maximum lot coverageLot coverageThe share of a lot that buildings may cover, as a percentage.
60%
Minimum open spaceOpen spaceLand a development must leave unbuilt, sometimes required to be usable or planted.
20%

Uses

Permitted by right33

Extracted standards

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

Other

  • Maximum walk grade10 pct

    Walk grades shall not exceed ten percent.

  • Minimum screening heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first.6 ft

    Fencing or vegetation screening shall be provided to a height of six feet and of such a density that no part of the development shall be visible to a casual observer on any side of the development abutting any yard of a residential or nonresidential structure.

  • Minimum walk width4 ft

    Common walks or trails, either paved or unpaved, of a width of at least four feet shall be provided on at least one side of all streets.

  • Underground utilities required

    All utilities shall be underground.

Parking

  • Maximum parking distance from facility200 ft

    Required parking spaces shall be provided within the perimeter of the PUD and no farther than 200 feet from the facilities served.

From the ordinance

Within a PUD, the following uses are permitted... The minimum acreage for developing a PUD is 15 contiguous acres. Residential uses: Maximum between 40 percent and 60 percent. Open space: Minimum of 20 percent usable area. The minimum side yard setback shall be 16 feet at each end of a group of townhouse units. Single-family dwellings: 35 feet. All dwelling units shall be connected to water and sewerage systems approved by the health department.
Sec. 24-386, 24-387, 24-389, 24-390, 24-391, 24-392