zoneoptics
Big Stone Gap, Virginia · General provision

Section 5

OfficeAll Big Stone Gap districts0

Dimensional standards

lot requirementsSTREETbuildable areaFront 50 ftSides 25 ft totalMin width 100 ftMIN LOT AREA20,000 sq ftMAX HEIGHT3 storiesMAX LOT COVERAGE50%
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.
20,000 sq ftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000. (0.46 acacre43,560 square feet — about the size of an American football field without the end zones.)
Minimum lot widthLot widthHow wide a lot must be, usually measured at the front setback line.
100 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.
50 ft
Side, combinedSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line.
25 ft

Height & bulk

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.
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
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 right5

Conditional / special use3

Accessory4

Prohibited6

Extracted standards

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

Other

  • Access from arterial/collector for large offices

    The principal means of access for any office or other permitted business use containing more than 2,500 square feet of floor area shall be from arterial and collector thoroughfares.

  • Landscaping required

    Any part of the lot or project area not used for buildings or other structures, parking, loading and accessways, shall be landscaped with appropriate planting or with pedestrian walks in accord with an approved landscaping plan.

  • Loading operations screened

    Loading operations shall be conducted within a building and screened from general public view from fronting streets or shall be conducted at the side or rear of buildings.

  • Refuse storage screened

    Refuse containers or refuse storage shall be located in a paved area and hidden from general public view, either from within or outside the premises by means of fences, walls, or landscape planting.

  • Site plan required

    Site plan approval is required for both new construction or conversion of an existing building.

  • Stormwater drainage

    Provision shall be made for proper stormwater drainage. Water from parking and loading areas shall not be permitted to drain onto adjacent property except into a natural watercourse or a drainage easement.

Parking

Signage

From the ordinance

For office and studio uses and for clinics and funeral homes the minimum lot size shall be twenty thousand (20,000) square feet with minimum lot width of one hundred (100) feet. Building coverage shall be limited to a maximum of fifty (50) percent of lot area. Total width of both side yards shall be at least twenty-five (25) feet. Height of office buildings is limited to three (3) stories.
Section 5