Dimensional standards
Lot
Height & bulk
Housing
Servicing
- Applies near
- James River
- Geographic extent
- Riverfront districtZoning districtA mapped area with one set of rules, identified by a code like R-1 or B-2. along the James River
Uses
Permitted by right27
- retail stores and shops
- specialty food and beverage stores
- restaurants, tearooms, cafes
- catering businesses
- entertainment, cultural and recreational uses
- personal service businesses
- marinas
- day nurseries
- adult day care facilities
- dry cleaning and laundering establishments
- offices
- radio and television broadcasting studios
- banks
- shops for repair of household items
- showrooms and display areas
- office supply, business and office service
- hotels
- dwelling units
- uses owned or operated by a governmental agency
- parking areas and parking lots
- parking decks and parking garages
- rights-of-way, easements
- wireless communications facilities
- shopping centers
- retail sales in open area
- short-term rental
- accessory buildings and uses
Conditional / special use3
Accessory1
Extracted standards
9 individual requirements pulled out of this section’s prose, each with the sentence it came from.
Height
- Minimum building heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first.2 storiesStoreysHabitable floor levels. Whether a basement or attic counts is defined by the local code.
Every main building hereinafter constructed shall have a minimum height of not less than two stories.
Other
- Minimum lot areaMinimum lot areaThe smallest parcel on which the district allows anything to be built. for hotels25,000 sqftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000.
The area of the lot devoted to such use shall be not less than 25,000 square feet.
- Maximum building dimension without intervening open spaceOpen spaceLand a development must leave unbuilt, sometimes required to be usable or planted.300 ft
No building or combination of multiple buildings shall exceed a total dimension of 300 feet along a lot line, street, public space or riverfront without an intervening uncovered open space at ground level of not less than 50 feet in width.
- Screening when abutting R districtZoning districtA mapped area with one set of rules, identified by a code like R-1 or B-2.3.5 ft
Where a side lot line abuts property in any R district, there shall be a continuous evergreen vegetative screen not less than 3½ feet in height at the time of installation or opaque structural fence or wall not less than four feet in height erected along such lot line, but not within 15 feet of any street line.
- Minimum street-level glazing for nondwelling uses60 pct
For nondwelling uses, a minimum of 60 percent of the building façade between two and eight feet in height along the street frontage shall be comprised of windows or glass doors.
- Maximum land area coverage for portions over 3 storiesStoreysHabitable floor levels. Whether a basement or attic counts is defined by the local code.25 pct
Portions of buildings over three stories in height shall occupy not more than 25 percent of land area.
- Usable open spaceOpen spaceLand a development must leave unbuilt, sometimes required to be usable or planted. ratio for dwelling uses0.15 ratio
A usable open space ratio of not less than 0.15 shall be provided for newly constructed buildings or portions thereof devoted to dwelling uses.
Parking
- Parking location relative to main building
Areas devoted to the parking or circulation of vehicles shall not be located between the main building on a lot and the street line.
Setback
- Riverfront setbackSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line. from mean low-water50 ft
No building or structure shall be located within 50 feet of the mean low-water level along the shore of the James River.
From the ordinance
No front yard shall be required. In no case shall a front yard with a depth greater than ten feet be permitted.