Substandard Lots

Staff is evaluating whether the existing rules and processes governing substandard lots in the City remain the best approaches for regulating their development.
Page updated on August 4, 2026 at 8:50 AM
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Overview

Alexandria’s Zoning Ordinance regulates the development and redevelopment of substandard lots – residential lots that do not meet the minimum size, width, and/or street frontage requirements for their zone. In most cases, building a new home – or demolishing and rebuilding –  on a substandard lot also requires special use permit (SUP) approval. This page explains why staff is reviewing these regulations, what substandard lots are, how the regulations governing them have evolved, and how they are regulated today. 

Why review these regulations?

The SUP requirement for substandard lots has been in place in some form since at least 1974. Given staff’s experience in implementing these regulations and changes to the housing market, staff is evaluating whether the existing process remains the best approach for regulating development of substandard lots. 

Several questions are driving this review:  

  • Many substandard lots differ only marginally from the zone’s minimum requirements. In some cases, the difference is so slight that the lot's substandard status may not justify the additional scrutiny imposed by the SUP requirements.  
  • It is also worth asking whether the current zoning regulations governing height, bulk, and setbacks that apply to all residential development address many of the concerns the SUP process was designed to manage.  
  • Staff is also examining whether the SUP requirement affects the cost of development on substandard lots and, if so, whether those costs are passed on to buyers.  
  • Finally, staff is revisiting whether smaller homes on narrower lots necessarily affect surrounding property values and whether a range of housing sizes might further the City’s goals to provide a broader range of price points.

Engagement

Past Engagement

Community Meeting - Tuesday, April 28 at 7 p.m.

Planning Commission Discussion Item - Tuesday, May 5 at 7 p.m.

 

Upcoming Engagement

Virtual Community Meeting - Tuesday, August 11 at 7 p.m.

  • Please sign on for a virtual community meeting held via Zoom; registration can be found here. Staff will share findings from our research and discuss a draft proposal. We encourage you to attend, ask questions, and share your thoughts.

What is a Substandard Lot?

Many of Alexandria’s residential lots were subdivided and recorded before the City’s Zoning Ordinance established the minimum lot size, width, and street frontage requirements that apply today. When these regulations were introduced, lots that had already been recorded at smaller dimensions became substandard – not because anything about the lots themselves changed, but because the new rules set new standards. 

Substandard lots are found throughout the city and are most common in older neighborhoods that were subdivided and developed prior to 1951. Most of these lots already have homes on them and are unaffected by the rules described below unless the owner wants to make significant changes to their property. These restrictions apply only in the R-2-5, R-5, R-8, R-12, and R-20 zones. Substandard lots in other zones – including the City’s oldest and most established neighborhoods like Old Town – are generally permitted to be developed or redeveloped without these additional restrictions. 
 

Policy Evolution

Alexandria first establishes minimum lot size and frontage requirements. Lots for single-unit dwellings were required to be at least 5,000 square feet and have 50 feet of street frontage. Lots recorded prior to 1931 with at least 40 feet of frontage could also be used for single-unit dwellings and were subject to reduced side yard requirements. Lots below these minimums could only be developed with special permission. At the time, most residential lots in the City met these requirements.

A comprehensive zoning rewrite expanded the number of residential zones and significantly increased minimum lot requirements, particularly in the new R-8, R-12, and R-20 zones. Lots that had been recorded before 1951 became substandard when this new Zoning Ordinance was adopted. From 1951 to 1974, owners of these lots could still build on them by-right (an SUP was not required), if the proposed house met setback, height, and (Floor Area Ratio) FAR requirements.

Concern over two new houses built on narrow lots in an established neighborhood prompted the City to end by-right development of substandard lots. The City instituted an SUP requirement for development of vacant substandard lots in the R-2-5, R-5, R-8, R-12, and R-20 zones. Substandard lots outside of these zones retained the ability to develop by-right. 

A series of text amendments refined the SUP eligibility rules, making the policy somewhat more permissive. These changes allowed substandard lots to qualify for SUP consideration if they were similar in size to surrounding lots or met at least 90% of the zone’s minimum lot requirements.

The City began requiring SUP approval for teardown and rebuild projects on developed substandard lots. Before this date, redevelopment of a substandard lot with an existing house could proceed administratively.

Current Regulations

Zoning Ordinance Section 12-400

  • A vacant substandard lot created on or before December 28, 1951, may only be developed with SUP approval if it has not been held in common ownership  (the applicant has not owned it and an adjacent property) after May 14, 1974 
  • A vacant substandard lot, regardless of creation date, may only be developed with SUP approval if: 
    • It was not held in common ownership with any adjacent lot after September 16, 1988 and 
    • The lot nearly complies with the zone requirements (90%) or 
    • The lot is similar in shape/size to surrounding lots 
  •  In either case, City Council must find that the proposed house: 
    • Does not unreasonably impair an adequate supply of light and air to adjacent property 
    • Does not diminish or impair established property values in the surrounding area and 
    • Will be compatible with existing neighborhood character 

Zoning Ordinance Section 12-900

  • Additions can be constructed with administrative approval provided that the first floor of the existing house is generally maintained 
  • A new house with generally the same size/height as the existing house can also be constructed with administrative approval 
  • Tear down and rebuild can only be done with SUP approval if City Council finds that the new house would be compatible with the neighborhood in terms of bulk, height, and design  

Next Steps

Updates will also be posted to this website and distributed through the City's eNews service.

Anticipated Public Hearing Dates

Staff is currently targeting the following hearing dates:

Tuesday, October 6 — Planning Commission public hearing

Saturday, October 17 — City Council public hearing

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