zoneoptics
Winchester, Virginia · District

RB-1

Residential Business District
Mixed useResidential BusinessAll Winchester districts0

Dimensional standards

RB-1 lot requirementsSTREETbuildable areaFront 0 ftRear 15 ftSide 0 ftMin width 20 ftMIN LOT AREA1,500 sq ftMAX HEIGHT35 ftMIN UNIT SIZE400 sq ft
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.
1,500 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.
20 ft
Minimum floor areaMinimum floor areaThe smallest dwelling the district permits, in square feet of living space.
400 sq ftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000.

Density

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.
1,500 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.
0 ft
RearSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line.
15 ft
SideSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line.
0 ft

Height & bulk

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

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

Parking

Minimum spacesMinimum parkingThe number of off-street spaces a development must provide before it may open.
20

Uses

Permitted by right27

  • Single-family detached dwellings
  • Two-family dwellings
  • Townhouses (per Section 9-9)
  • Multi-family dwellings
  • Home occupations (including homeshares as accessory use)
  • Accessory uses
  • Branch banks and financial institutions (not alternative financial institutions)
  • Churches and places of worship (not rescue missions or temporary revival tents)
  • Convenience service establishments (barber shops, beauty parlors, tailors, automatic self-service laundries)
  • Offices, businesses and professional (except medical) not exceeding 2,000 sq ft per floor up to total 6,000 sq ft
  • Public utilities (poles, lines, distribution transformers, pipes, meters, water and sewer lines, booster or relay stations, transmission lines)
  • Repair services or businesses (no equipment over 5 hp, floor area ≤2,500 sq ft)
  • Restaurants not exceeding 2,000 sq ft gross floor area
  • Retail stores and shops not exceeding 2,500 sq ft floor area
  • Fire and rescue squad stations
  • Libraries
  • Public schools (elementary, middle, high) and private schools with same curricula
  • Public parks, community gardens, playgrounds and play fields
  • Outdoor storage of materials and supplies and display of merchandise incidental to permitted uses (per Section 18-20)
  • Off-street parking and loading areas for permitted and conditional uses (not more than 20 spaces)
  • Signs (per Section 18-8)
  • Commercial Records Center (with conditions if in HW District)
  • Group Home and assisted living facility (no more than 8 persons)
  • Physical fitness or martial arts establishments not exceeding 2,500 sq ft
  • Cottage housing development (per Article 13.1)
  • Bed and breakfast homestays and inns (in structures at least 50 years old)
  • Wireless facilities and wireless support structures eligible for administrative review

Conditional / special use21

Accessory2

Extracted standards

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

Other

Parking

From the ordinance

Structures to be erected and land to be used shall be for the following uses:
Article 7, Sec. 7-1, 7-3, 7-4, 7-5, 7-6, 7-7

Use details

{
  "dropped_conditions": {
    "permitted_uses": [
      "Short term rentals (subject to Section 18-29, must be primary residence of operator)"
    ]
  }
}