Ashland City Zoning Code

Structures to be erected or land to be used shall be for the following purposes:

1. Accessory uses as defined
2. Bed and Breakfast, with a conditional use permit and in accordance with the provisions of Sec. 21-262
3. Church or Place of Religious Worship
4. Community Center, with a conditional use permit and as an accessory use to a Church or Place of Religious Worship
5. Community Garden, over one (1) acre with a conditional use permit
6. Day Care Center, with a conditional use permit and as an accessory use to a Church or Place of Religious Worship
7. Day Care Center, Adult, with a conditional use permit and as an accessory use to a Church or Place of Religious Worship
8. Dwelling, Accessory Apartment, with a conditional use permit and in accordance with the provisions of Sec. 21-264
9. Dwelling, Cottage Court, with a conditional use permit
10. Dwelling, Multi-Family
11. Dwelling, Single-Family Attached
12. Dwelling, Single-Family Detached
13. Dwelling, Townhome
14. Dwelling, Two-Family, with a conditional use permit 
15. Educational Facility, with a conditional use permit and as an accessory use to a Church or Place of Religious Worship
16. Home Occupation
17. Parks, over one (1) acre with a conditional use permit
18. Public Facilities, with a conditional use permit
19. Schools, with a conditional use permit
20. Utilities, Major, with a conditional use permit
21. Utilities, Minor

1. The minimum width of any lot at the setback shall be sixty (60) feet for single-family detached and two-family dwellings, and thirty-seven and one half (37.5) feet for single-family attached lots. 
2. The minimum frontage of cottage court, townhouse, or multifamily developments shall be one hundred and eighty (180) feet. The minimum width of individual townhouse lots shall be twenty-four (24) feet. The minimum width of individual cottage court lots shall be forty (40) feet.
   

1. Front. The minimum front setback shall be twenty (20) feet. The maximum setback for townhome units or multifamily structures shall be no greater than thirty-five (35) feet from the property line or new development shall bring the existing structure into greater conformity with this maximum setback. The minimum setback between townhome rows or multifamily structures shall be twenty (20) feet. The minimum side setback between cottage court units shall be six (6) feet.
   
   
2. Side. The minimum side yards for main buildings shall be a cumulative of twenty (20) feet, with the minimum for one-side being six (6) feet. For example, the side yards can be ten (10) feet each, or one side at six (6) feet and the other at fourteen (14) feet. For cottage court units, the minimum side setback between units shall be six (6) feet. For single-family attached lots, one of the side yards shall have a zero-lot line setback. For townhomes, the minimum setback between rows (connected units) shall be twenty (20) feet. The minimum street side yard for all buildings and structures shall be twenty (20) feet.
   
   
3. Rear. The minimum rear yard for main buildings shall be twenty (20) feet. The minimum rear yard setback for individual townhome and cottage court units shall be five (5) feet. 
   
   
4. Accessory structures. The minimum side and rear yards for accessory structures shall be five (5) feet.

See ATC chapter 21, article XXV for supplemental yard regulations. See the Design Guidelines Handbook for guidelines and examples for treatment of setbacks.

1. Window percentage. A minimum of fifteen percent (15%) of the front facing building façade shall consist of windows. Elements to count towards the achievement of the minimum window percentage include any opening in a wall, roof, dormer, front door, or garage door which functions or appears to function to admit light to a building or structure. Glass block and vents do not meet this standard. See the Design Guidelines Handbook for guidance on window percentage calculation. On corner lots where a building has more than one street facing side, the minimum window percentage would only be required for the street facing façade with the primary entrance to the building. 
   
   
2. Street entrance. The primary structure shall have a minimum one (1) pedestrian street-facing entrance on the front façade. The entrance must be within eight (8) feet of the longest street-facing wall and shall:
   1. Face the street;
   2. Be at an angle of up to 45 degrees from the street; or
   3. Open on to a porch.  
      
      On corner lots where a building has more than one street facing side, the required entrance would only apply to one street facing façade for the primary entrance to the building.
      
      
3. Garage location. If the garage is attached to the primary dwelling, then the garage door opening shall not face the primary frontage of the parcel, or if the garage is front-loading, it must be recessed from the primary façade of the main structure by a minimum of five (5) feet. For development of multiple lots (more than one), no more than fifty (50%) percent of dwellings may have a recessed front-loading, attached garage. 
   
   
4. Consistent materials. Exterior finish materials on the majority of the façade (greater than fifty-percent) shall be the same type on the majority (greater than fifty-percent) of all elevations of the primary structure so that the main body provides a consistent palette of materials, finishes, and colors for wall and roofing materials. See the Design Guidelines Handbook for guidelines and examples.
   
   
5. Material quality. Concrete masonry units, or cinderblock, shall not be a visible exterior finish material from the public road, right-of-way, or adjacent residential property.  

Where a proposal is for an alteration or addition to existing structure, these requirements will only be applied to the portion of a structure being altered or added. 

Maximum of six (6) townhouse units shall be connected in a continuous row. Maximum of twelve (12) dwelling units in a single multifamily building. More than 12 dwelling units are permitted in a single multi-family building when the building is listed as historic in the Virginia Landmarks Register and is to be adaptively reused per plans approved by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Maximum of twelve (12) units per cottage court development. 

1. Each multifamily unit shall be provided an appropriate and private outdoor unencumbered living space of not less than one hundred (100) square feet located convenient to an entrance and constructed of weather-resistant material with good drainage.
2. Each upper-story multifamily unit shall have balconies to provide outdoor living space which shall have a minimum of seventy-five (75) square feet.

1. All uses shall be constructed only on properties served by public sewer and water systems.
2. All utility systems including power and telephone lines shall be installed underground.