San Leandro Zoning Intelligence

The B-TOD district at 159.6 acres is built around the Bay Fair BART station and is designed to accommodate higher-density mixed-use development at the station area. This district typically permits ground-floor retail or commercial uses combined with multifamily residential above, with reduced parking requirements tied to transit access. Developers evaluating B-TOD parcels should review the specific development standards that govern height, FAR, and affordable housing obligations in this district.

The DA districts (DA-1 through DA-6) define distinct use mixes along San Leandro's downtown corridors: DA-1 emphasizes retail mixed use, DA-2 targets multi-use infill, DA-3 is a transitional zone, DA-4 focuses on residential mixed use, and DA-6 supports office mixed use. Each has a Planned Development variant allowing project-specific flexibility. Investors should identify which specific DA designation applies to a target parcel, since use mix and density expectations differ materially between DA-1 and DA-4, for example.

California's state ADU laws apply in San Leandro, and the city's residential fabric - which includes single-family and two-family districts - generally allows both attached and detached ADUs by right under state law, subject to local objective standards. SB-9 provisions may also allow lot splits or additional units on single-family zoned parcels. Investors targeting small-lot residential acquisitions for ADU development should confirm current local ADU ordinance standards for setbacks, size limits, and owner-occupancy requirements.

San Leandro has an established industrial corridor, and while the city's 88 zones include Commercial Services (CS) and Commercial Community (CC) base districts with industrial overlays, dedicated heavy industrial zoning is limited within city limits. The city is more oriented toward light industrial, flex, and R&D uses. Developers targeting industrial assets should review the specific permitted use lists for Commercial Community and any industrial-designated parcels to confirm compatibility with intended operations.

Several CC districts carry an H (Housing) overlay - such as CC(H) at 22.54 acres and CC(AU)(H) at 2.8 acres - that allows residential uses within what would otherwise be a commercial base zone. This is particularly relevant for mixed-use or residential-over-retail projects seeking commercially-zoned parcels near amenities. The overlay typically requires ground-floor commercial activation and imposes specific residential design standards, so developers should review the overlay conditions before underwriting a residential conversion or mixed-use scheme.