Arlington County RA-H: Hotel District Setback Standards
In the Arlington County RA-H: Hotel District, structures must be set back at least 40 feet from the centerline of any street, and no side or rear yards are required unless the property abuts a residential district or contains windows. For walls that contain openings or abut R or RA districts, the side and rear setbacks begin at a minimum of 8 feet and increase based on the total height of the building [Section 3.2.6.A.1, Section 3.2.6.A.2].
RA-H: Hotel District Setback and Yard Requirements
The Arlington County Zoning Ordinance establishes specific placement and dimensional standards for the RA-H: Hotel District to ensure appropriate transitions between high-density commercial uses and surrounding environments. While the RA-H: Hotel District is categorized under "Commercial/Mixed-use (C) districts," the required setbacks can vary depending on whether the structure is purely commercial (hotel) or includes residential components (multiple-family) [Section 1.7.1, Section 7.4.3].
Street (Front) Setbacks
In the RA-H: Hotel District, the street setback is determined by the type of structure being erected and its proximity to the street centerline.
| Structure Type | Minimum Setback Requirement |
|---|---|
| Purely Commercial (Hotels) | 40 feet from the centerline of any street [Section 3.2.6.A.1(a)]. |
| Residential Structures (Multiple-family) | The larger of: 50 feet from the street centerline OR 25 feet from the street right-of-way line [Section 3.2.6.A.1(d)]. |
Side and Rear Setbacks
Arlington County regulations generally do not require side or rear yards for properties in the RA-H: Hotel District. However, a buffer setback is triggered if the building wall meets specific adjacency or design criteria [Section 3.2.6.A.2(a)].
| Yard Type | Condition | Minimum Setback Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Side and Rear (Standard) | No adjacency to residential zones and no windows/openings in the wall. | None required (0 feet). |
| Side and Rear (Buffer) | Wall abuts an R or RA district OR wall contains openings/windows. | 8 feet for the first 10 feet of building height, plus 2 additional feet for every additional 10 feet of building height (or fraction thereof). |
Additional Placement Considerations
Beyond fixed setback distances, the Arlington County RA-H: Hotel District is subject to further coverage and placement constraints:
- Lot Coverage: For "All Other Uses" (standard hotel developments) in the RA-H: Hotel District, the maximum allowed lot coverage is 50 percent [Section 7.4.3.A].
- Residential Adjacency: No side or rear yard is required unless a wall contains openings or windows (whether they can be opened or not) or if the lot line abuts a Residential (R) or Residential Apartment (RA) district [Section 3.2.6.A.2(a)].
- Calculations: When calculating height-based increments for side and rear yards, the base of 8 feet applies to the first 10 feet of height. Every subsequent 10-foot segment of height adds 2 feet to the required setback [Section 3.2.6.A.2(a)].
Sections Cited
- §1.7.1 General districts
- §3.2.6 Placement
- §7.4.3 Density and dimensional standards
- §12.2.3 Residential use categories
- §12.2.5 Retail, service and commercial use categories