Permitted Zoning Districts for Offices and Medical Clinics in Arlington
Professional offices and medical clinics are permitted by-right in most non-residential and mixed-use districts within the City of Arlington, including Limited Office (LO), Neighborhood Commercial (NC), and Downtown Business (DB). While medical clinics are also permitted in the Industrial Manufacturing (IM) district, general professional offices are specifically excluded from that industrial classification. Development of these uses is subject to City of Arlington parking standards, which generally require 4.0 spaces per 1,000 square feet for medical clinics and 2.5 spaces per 1,000 square feet for professional offices.
Allowed Zoning Districts
The City of Arlington Unified Development Code categorizes these uses under two different headers: "Medical or dental office or clinic" is classified as a Health Care Facility, while "Office, business or professional" is classified as a Commercial Use [Section 3.1.5].
| District Name | Abbreviation | Office, Business or Professional | Medical or Dental Clinic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limited Office | LO | Permitted | Permitted |
| Office Commercial | OC | Permitted* | Permitted |
| Neighborhood Commercial | NC | Permitted | Permitted |
| Community Commercial | CC | Permitted | Permitted |
| General Commercial | GC | Permitted | Permitted |
| Highway Commercial | HC | Permitted | Permitted |
| Downtown Business | DB | Permitted | Permitted |
| Business Park | BP | Permitted | Permitted |
| Flex Hybrid | FH | Permitted* | Permitted |
| Light Industrial | LI | Permitted | Permitted |
| Industrial Manufacturing | IM | Prohibited | Permitted |
| Neighborhood Mixed-Use | NMU | Permitted | Permitted |
| Regional Mixed-Use | RMU | Permitted | Permitted |
*Subject to supplemental use standards.
Supplemental Use Standards and Definitions
Office, Business and Professional
The City of Arlington defines this use as a facility providing executive, management, administrative, or professional services (such as law, architecture, or accounting) not involving the sale of merchandise except as an incidental use [Section 12.3.3.G].
In the Office Commercial (OC) and Business Park (BP) districts, office buildings may include incidental retail and personal service areas (such as restaurants or laboratories) to serve clients, provided no single incidental use exceeds 25% of the building’s gross floor area and the aggregate of all incidental uses does not exceed 30% [Section 3.2.3.F].
Medical or Dental Office or Clinic
This use is defined by the City of Arlington as an establishment engaged in furnishing health services on an outpatient basis. This includes the offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, and other health practitioners, as well as medical laboratories and outpatient care facilities where patients are not kept overnight [Section 12.3.2.C.3].
Technical Development Standards
Off-Street Parking Requirements
The City of Arlington mandates specific parking ratios based on the gross floor area (GFA) of the facility [Section 5.4.3.A].
| Use Type | City of Arlington Parking Ratio |
|---|---|
| Office, business or professional | 2.5 per 1,000 sf GFA |
| Medical or dental office or clinic | 4 per 1,000 sf GFA |
| Telemarketing call center | 8 per 1,000 sf area of workstations |
In the Downtown Business (DB) district, these requirements are reduced to one-third of the standard amount. In the Downtown Neighborhood Overlay (DNO) and Lamar Collins Mixed-Use Overlay (LCMUO), the requirements are reduced to one-half [Section 5.4.4.H.2].
Dimensional Standards for Primary Districts
The following table outlines the site requirements for the primary districts where office and medical uses are concentrated [Sections 2.3.2, 2.3.3, 2.3.4, 2.3.12].
| Standard | Limited Office (LO) | Office Commercial (OC) | Neighborhood Commercial (NC) | Mixed-Use (NMU/RMU) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min. Lot Area | 5,000 sf | 10,000 sf | 5,000 sf | 10,000 sf |
| Max. Height | 45 feet | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* |
| Max. Lot Coverage | 75% | N/A | N/A | 90% |
*Height is generally unlimited unless the property is adjacent to single-family residential zoning. In such cases, the height cannot exceed 45 feet within the first 75 feet of the shared property line [Section 4.1.7.E].
Sections Cited
- Section 2.3.2 Limited Office | LO
- Section 2.3.3 Office Commercial | OC
- Section 2.3.4 Neighborhood Commercial | NC
- Section 2.3.12 Neighborhood Mixed-Use | NMU
- Section 3.1.5 Table of Allowed Uses
- Section 3.2.3.F Office, Business or Professional
- Section 4.1.7.E Special Height Limitations in Non-Residential Zoning Districts
- Section 5.4.3 Off-Street Parking Standards
- Section 5.4.4.H Special Parking Requirements in Certain Zoning Districts
- Section 12.3.2.C.3 Medical or Dental Office or Clinic
- Section 12.3.3.G Office, Business and Professional