Residential Lot Coverage

Update

On Monday, June 13, 2022, Town Council adopted Option B. The code amendment will take effect 10 days after the amendment is posted publicly in the newspaper. The effective date will be posted once it has been posted in the paper this week.

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On Monday May 9, 2022, Town Council discussed proposed zoning ordinance text amendments for Section 18-15 & 18-169, related to lot coverage during a conference session. The discussion also included review of a draft stormwater manual with mitigation options to offset the added impervious area. The documents from the meeting can be viewed by clicking the links below:

Proposed Ordinance Amendments to Sec 18-15 & 18-169

DRAFT Stormwater Manual for Outdoor Living Areas

After discussion and comments, Council instructed the Town Manager to add a vote on each of the three options to the June 13, 2022 Council meeting.

The three options to be considered have been renamed to Options A, B & C and are shown to the right.

Background

The Vienna Town Council will consider proposals to amend the zoning code lot coverage and front porch encroachment provisions, and the council wants to know what you think about the options.

Currently the code states that no more than 25% of a lot shall be covered by a house, accessory structure, driveway and parking areas, sport courts, patios, and terraces. Open decks without a roof are allowed for an additional 5% of the total area of a lot. Elements that are currently exempt from lot coverage include any walkway less than 5 feet wide, steps, chimneys, cantilevered features, areaways, window wells, and pools.

At the January 24, 2022 Town Council Public Hearing, the Council closed the public hearing on text amendments related to lot coverage and porch projections but left written comments open until January 31, 2022. No decision was made at the hearing.

The Council continued their discussion on these proposed text amendments at a special conference session on Wednesday, February 2, 2022, during which Council decided to split the hearings on front porch projections and lot coverage.

It was also determined that options 3, 4, and 5 did not have enough support to continue in the discussion. Options 1, 2, and 5B remain. Staff was also directed to prepare more information about stormwater management best practices that may be used to offset lot coverage.

Click here to view the materials from the public hearing

Options

OPTION A - No change to the current code; remain at 25% lot coverage and 5% uncovered deck

OPTION B (adopted by Town Council) - 25% lot coverage and 5% deck coverage remains the same however up to 400 square feet of the deck may be covered and not count towards lot coverage with the following conditions:

a. Covered decks must be single-story and cannot be converted into conditioned, interior living space;

b. Covered decks must be located in the rear yard; and

c. Covered decks must provide for stormwater BMPs in accordance with the Stormwater Manual for Outdoor Living Areas and meet all criteria included in said manual.

OPTION C - 25% lot coverage and 7% deck coverage and up to 400 square feet of the deck may be covered and not count towards lot coverage with the same conditions stated in Option B.

OPTION D - 25% lot coverage and 6% outdoor living coverage for uncovered deck or permeable patio and up to 400 square feet of the deck may be covered and not count towards lot coverage with the same conditions stated in Option B.

OPTION E - 25% lot coverage of which a maximum of 22% may be used for building coverage (houses and accessory structures); 5% uncovered decks; Outdoor Living Coverage of up to 400 sf exempt from lot coverage calculations with conditions including patio may not exceed 100 sf and remainder may be covered deck and the rest of the conditions outlined in Option B.