ARTICLE II. GENERAL REGULATIONS

 DIVISION 1. GENERAL LOT REGULATIONS

 Sec. 24.1-202. Lot frontage required.

Unless specifically exempted by this section or other terms of this chapter or the subdivision ordinance, each lot or parcel hereafter created shall have frontage on a public street, which frontage shall not be less than the minimum lot width required for the district in which located.

(a) Where lot lines are established radially from a curved street so as to increase the width of the lot with the distance from the street line, the frontage of such lots may be reduced to not less than seventy percent (70%) of the minimum required lot width or fifty feet (50') [15m], whichever is greater. In such cases, frontage shall be measured along the chord of such curve and lot width shall be measured at the minimum building setback line prescribed for the district in which located. (See Figure II-1 in Appendix A)

(b) In the case of lots fronting on a cul-de-sac, the frontage of such lots may be reduced to not less than fifty percent (50%) of the minimum required lot width or fifty feet (50') [15m] whichever is greater. In such cases, frontage shall be measured along the chord of such curve and lot width shall be measured at the minimum building setback line prescribed for the district in which located. (See Figure II-1 in Appendix A)

(c) Other provisions of this chapter notwithstanding, flag lots may be permitted but only in accordance with the following requirements and all applicable requirements of the subdivision ordinance. Nothing in this section shall be construed to recognize flag lots as a generally available design technique to be used as a matter of right by any person subdividing land:

      (1) Flag lots may be utilized to prevent unnecessary or undesirable accesses to collector or arterial roads; or

      (2) Flag lots may be utilized to recognize unique physical or environmental characteristics of a parent tract which preclude efficient and logical subdivision in accordance with normally applicable frontage requirements.

      (3) The following limitations shall apply to flag lots:

            a. One lot, or a maximum of five percent (5%) of the total lots in a subdivision, whichever is                 greater, may be flag lots. This limitation shall be cumulative for subdivisions consisting of                more than one (1) section. The zoning administrator may waive this limitation upon                 finding that authorizing the use of additional flag lots would preserve environmentally                 sensitive land or have a direct positive impact on designated environmental management                 or Chesapeake Bay Preservation areas.

            b. Flag lots shall not be permitted whenever the effect would be to in-crease the number of                  lots with direct access to a major collector or arterial street.

            c. That portion of a flag lot comprising the "staff" shall not be counted for the purpose of                  determining minimum lot area compliance.

            d. The minimum width of the "staff" portion of a flag lot shall be twenty feet (20’).

            e. Unless otherwise specified by the zoning administrator, the front lot line of a flag lot shall                 be the lot line which is closest and most nearly parallel to the street to which the “staff”                  portion of the flag lot connects.

(Ord. No. O98-18, 10/7/98; Ord. No. 05-34(R), 12/20/05;  Ord. NO. 08-17(R), 3/17/09)

 

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