zoneoptics
Alexandria, Virginia · General provision

Section 4-900

OfficeAll Alexandria districts0

Dimensional standards

lot requirementsSTREETbuildable areaFront 20 ftRear 8 ftSide 8 ftMin frontage 50 ftMIN LOT AREA5,000 sq ftMAX HEIGHT50 ftMAX FAR1.5MAX DENSITY54.45 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
54.45 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.
800 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 heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first.
50 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 right26

Conditional / special use40

Prohibited1

Extracted standards

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

Height

Other

  • Auxiliary dwelling unitsDwelling unitOne independent home: its own kitchen, bathroom and entrance.4 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 dwellings2 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.

  • Continuum of care open spaceOpen spaceLand a development must leave unbuilt, sometimes required to be usable or planted.25 pct

    Continuum of care facilities shall provide a minimum of 25 percent of land area as open and usable space.

  • All operations enclosed

    All operations, including storage, shall be conducted within a completely enclosed building with the exception of outdoor uses pursuant to this section 4-900 and City Code section 5-2-29, as applicable.

  • Tobacco retail prohibition near schools1,000 ft

    Retail shopping establishments with a principal use selling tobacco products... are prohibited on property within 1,000 linear feet of a child day care center, or a public or private academic early childhood, elementary, middle, or high school.

  • Window visibility

    The placement or construction of items that block the visibility through windows of the interior of the commercial space from the street and sidewalk... shall be prohibited. All windows shall remain transparent.

From the ordinance

The maximum permitted floor area ratio for residential uses is 1.50. For single-unit, two-unit, and townhouse dwellings only, the maximum density shall not exceed one dwelling unit for each 800 square feet of lot area or 54.45 units for each acre.
Section 4-900