zoneoptics
Alexandria, Virginia · District

R-2

R-2 zone
ResidentialLow DensityAll Alexandria districts0

Dimensional standards

R-2 lot requirementsSTREETbuildable areaRear 3 ftSide 3 ftMin width 25 ftMIN LOT AREA2,000 sq ftMIN FRONTAGE20 ftMAX HEIGHT30 ftMAX FAR0.6
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.
2,000 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.
25 ft
Minimum frontageFrontageThe length of a lot line that touches a public street.
20 ft

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

RearSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line.
3 ft
SideSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line.
3 ft

Height & bulk

Maximum heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first.
30 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.
0.6

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 right9

Conditional / special use6

Accessory1

Prohibited1

Extracted standards

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

Other

From the ordinance

The R-2 zone is established to provide and maintain land areas for low density residential neighborhoods of single-unit, two-unit, and multi-unit up to four units dwellings on 2,000 square foot lots.
Sec. 3-501 to 3-506