zoneoptics
Falls Church, Virginia · General provision

Sec. 48-294 through 48-298

ClusterAll Falls Church districts0

Dimensional standards

lot requirementsSTREETFront 25 ftRear 20 ftSide 20 ftMin frontage 50 ftMIN LOT AREA3 acMAX HEIGHT35 ft / 3 storiesMAX LOT COVERAGE20%MAX DENSITY8 du/acMAX IMPERVIOUS50%
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.
130,680 sq ftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000. (3 acacre43,560 square feet — about the size of an American football field without the end zones.)
Minimum frontageFrontageThe length of a lot line that touches a public street.
50 ft

Density

Maximum density
8 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.
25 ft
RearSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line.
20 ft
SideSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line.
20 ft

Height & bulk

Maximum heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first.
35 ft
Maximum storiesStoreysHabitable floor levels. Whether a basement or attic counts is defined by the local code.
3
Maximum lot coverageLot coverageThe share of a lot that buildings may cover, as a percentage.
20%
Maximum impervious coverageImpervious coverageThe share of a lot covered by anything water cannot soak through — roofs, drives, patios.
50%

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 right19

Conditional / special use3

Accessory20

Extracted standards

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

Other

  • Driveway opening restriction

    No individual dwelling shall have a driveway opening directly onto a public street except where such street is a local street, as defined by the major thoroughfare plan, and where such driveway would not be hazardous.

  • Maximum total coverage including parking50 pct

    Coverage shall include the dwellings and accessory structures and shall not exceed 20 percent of the gross site area, and together with all vehicular parking areas and travelways shall not cover in the aggregate more than 50 percent of the gross site area.

  • Minimum continuous frontageFrontageThe length of a lot line that touches a public street. on public street50 ft

    An R-C district shall have at least 50 feet of continuous frontage on a single public street.

  • Minimum landscape buffer width10 ft

    A landscaped strip of at least ten feet in width shall be provided along the side and rear boundaries of the development in accordance with the requirements of article V, division 8.

From the ordinance

Minimum gross site area 3 acres. Max density 8 du/acre. Setback 25 ft from street, 20 ft side/rear. Max height 35 ft and 3 stories. Max building coverage 20%.
Sec. 48-294 through 48-298