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Alexandria zoning › NR

NRNR / Neighborhood Retail

Alexandria, VA · Alexandria Zoning Ordinance

The NR zone is Alexandria's smallest-scale commercial district, designed for neighborhood-serving corner stores, personal services, and small restaurants embedded within residential fabric. Buildings are limited to 35 feet and 0.5 FAR to maintain compatibility with adjacent houses. Typically covers one to two commercial blocks within residential neighborhoods.

Development standards in NR

Front setbackOther principal uses: At least 10 ft
“(N) Townhouse dwellings, subject to the RB regulations for density, lot requirements, bulk and open space, and height and; allowed only in locations where the development of residential units will not interfere with the existing or the creation of the desired streetscape pattern of contiguous and active retail uses.”		4-1408(A)(1)
Other principal uses: At most 10 ft
“(N) Townhouse dwellings, subject to the RB regulations for density, lot requirements, bulk and open space, and height and; allowed only in locations where the development of residential units will not interfere with the existing or the creation of the desired streetscape pattern of contiguous and active retail uses.”		4-1408(A)(1)
Not computed here: the ordinance makes it depend on facts about the site4-1408(A)(1)
Maximum heightOther principal uses: At most 35 ft
“(N) Townhouse dwellings, subject to the RB regulations for density, lot requirements, bulk and open space, and height and; allowed only in locations where the development of residential units will not interfere with the existing or the creation of the desired streetscape pattern of contiguous and active retail uses.”		4-1408(C)
Not computed here: the ordinance makes it depend on facts about the site4-1408(C)
Not computed here: the ordinance makes it depend on facts about the site4-1408(C)
Maximum FAROther principal uses: At most 0.5
“(N) Townhouse dwellings, subject to the RB regulations for density, lot requirements, bulk and open space, and height and; allowed only in locations where the development of residential units will not interfere with the existing or the creation of the desired streetscape pattern of contiguous and active retail uses.”		4-1408(B)(1)
Not computed here: the ordinance makes it depend on facts about the site4-1408(B)(2)
Each row above is the ordinance’s own rule, written out in words and cited to its section. Where a figure depends on what you build (the kind of building, a conventional or cluster subdivision, an interior or corner lot, or the building’s height), each case is its own line; where it depends on the building height, the cited table says how that height is measured.
Sec. 4-1408(B)(1): 0.5. Sec. 4-1408(B)(2): 1.5 with a special use permit for a mixed use project including ground floor retail.
Sec. 4-1408(C): 35 feet along the street, increasable to 50 feet with a 15-foot building step back from the facade where found compatible.
Read from City of Alexandria Zoning Ordinance, effective through 2026-01-24. We last checked with the publisher on 2026-09-24 and found nothing newer -- a check on that date, not a promise about today.
How complete is this market? Across 24,956 parcels we answer 69.7% of the 6 questions this site is built to answer, each with a source you can check. The rest are shown as “not recorded” rather than filled in — we would rather be short than wrong.

Permitted uses in NR

"Conditional" means the use generally requires a public hearing or special-exception approval — a very different timeline and risk profile from a by-right permit.

This is the zone. What about the parcel?

Zone rules are the starting point — the answer for a specific property also depends on lot size, overlays, existing improvements and site conditions. Run a free address lookup to see what applies to one property.

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Sources

Values are read from the City of Alexandria Zoning Ordinance.

Other Alexandria zones

CC CD CDD CDD#1 CDD#10 CDD#16 CDD#5 CDD#9 CDX CG CL CR CRMU/H CRMU/L CRMU/M CRMU/X CSL I KR OC OCH OCM OCM(100) OCM(50) R-12 R-2-5 R-20 R-5 R-8 RA RB RC RCX RD RM RMF RS RT UT W-1