Commercial Real Estate in Bay Point: Willow Pass Road, the BART Station Area and County Zoning

By Matthew Martinez, Founder, CEO & Managing Broker, Diamond Real Estate Group. California DRE #01869679.

Bay Point is an unincorporated community on the Suisun Bay shore between Concord and Pittsburg. Its commercial property centers on Willow Pass Road, the Bailey Road corridor and the area around the Pittsburg/Bay Point BART station, with industrial land in the middle of the community. Contra Costa County sets the zoning and has long-range plans to remake Willow Pass Road as the community’s main street. Confirm the zoning and any specific plan for a parcel with the county before you commit.

Who controls the parcel

Contra Costa County’s Department of Conservation and Development regulates land use in Bay Point under the county zoning code, Division 84. The county’s 2045 General Plan, adopted November 5, 2024, has a Bay Point profile in its Stronger Communities Element. That profile notes the community took the name Bay Point in 1993 to set its identity apart from Pittsburg.

The BART station sits at the Pittsburg line, and the station area plan covers land in both jurisdictions, so check which side a parcel is on. Sewer collection and treatment in Bay Point come from Delta Diablo, which serves Antioch, Pittsburg and Bay Point. A Contra Costa LAFCo service review notes that Delta Diablo owns and runs the Bay Point collection system directly, while Antioch and Pittsburg run their own. See our Contra Costa County commercial guide and Antioch guide for neighboring rules.

Bay Point zoning for commercial, industrial and mixed use

District or plan	Intended uses	Notes
R-B Retail Business	Retail inside enclosed buildings, hotels and motels	Auto garages, contractor yards, outdoor retail and cannabis need a land use permit
N-B Neighborhood Business	Small convenience retail near homes	Chapter 84-50
C General Commercial	Broader commercial	Chapter 84-54
L-I Light Industrial / H-I Heavy Industrial	Manufacturing, processing and industrial service	Over 200 acres near the center designated for industry
P-1 Planned Unit	Project-specific mixed or commercial uses	Common for larger sites
Pittsburg/Bay Point BART Station Area Specific Plan	Dense housing and limited commercial near the station	In effect since 2002
HE-C Housing Element Consistency	2023–2031 housing element sites	Housing at element densities

The county is rewriting its zoning code, so confirm which district text applies when you apply.

Willow Pass Road, Bailey Road and the BART station area

General plan vision. The Bay Point profile describes several focus areas:

Willow Pass Road. The community’s heart, with mixed uses, public art and a walkable design. Guiding Principle 4 calls for more retail there, and Principle 3 for more local, high-quality jobs.
Bailey Road. A compact, pedestrian-oriented urban center with multifamily housing near jobs and services.
Industrial core. Over 200 acres near the center reserved for industry.

Corridor rules. Two policies directly affect commercial sites on Willow Pass Road. Policy 8 limits new street and driveway access onto the road. Policy 9 controls signage so businesses stay visible without clutter. Action 3 calls for streetscape plans for Willow Pass Road, Bailey Road and other major streets. Expect access consolidation and sign conditions on any new project.

BART station area. The county prepared the Pittsburg/Bay Point BART Station Area Specific Plan. Its final environmental document, filed on CEQAnet in December 2001, covers 295 acres around Bailey Road, Leland Road and Willow Pass Road, with 2,195 homes, 239,000 square feet of commercial space and 75,000 square feet of office. The 2045 General Plan says the 2002 plan remains in effect.

County-owned sites. The county’s development opportunities page says the Housing Successor to the former Redevelopment Agency owns several Bay Point sites near the BART station and Highway 4. The county calls them excellent locations for high-density, transit-oriented mixed use and is seeking developers through a request for qualifications.

Recent approvals and the waterfront

Recent county decisions show what gets built:

Willow Pass Court Retail Center. The Zoning Administrator approved a land use permit on September 4, 2024, recorded on CEQAnet. It allows two drive-through quick-service restaurants and a 2,334 square foot retail building on a 1.5-acre graded lot at Evora Road.
Willow Pass Apartments. An affordable project with ground-floor commercial space at Willow Pass Road and Clearland Drive. A modification was approved August 18, 2025, using a state density bonus of 24 extra units and a height concession.

Waterfront. The General Plan designates McAvoy Harbor for commercial recreation and medium-density housing, and Policy 11 supports its high-quality redevelopment. Land north of the railroad is largely protected. The profile also flags coastal flooding, sea level rise and seismic hazards near the BART station area and the Amtrak line.

Cannabis, industrial neighbors and other rules

Cannabis. Bay Point is not one of the nine areas in the county’s Cannabis Exclusion district. In R-B, commercial cannabis is a land use permit use under Chapter 88-28. County caps and licensing still apply.
Industrial hazards. The county designates Bay Point an Impacted Community under SB 1000. Policy 1 directs the county to keep new development from causing toxic exposure or permanently displacing residents and legacy businesses. Expect added scrutiny for industrial uses near homes.
Indoor operation. R-B retail must be conducted inside an enclosed building unless a permit allows otherwise.

Transfer tax, business tax and property tax

Bay Point is unincorporated, so there is no city transfer tax. The Contra Costa Clerk-Recorder charges the county tax of $0.55 per $500, and lists city taxes only for El Cerrito and Richmond. Under Proposition 13, a sale generally resets the assessed value. We did not verify a county business license tax for unincorporated Contra Costa, so ask the Treasurer-Tax Collector.

Due diligence that matters in Bay Point

Start with our commercial due diligence checklist, then add:

Confirm the parcel is unincorporated Bay Point and not inside Pittsburg near the BART station.
Check whether it is in the BART station area plan, on the HE-C list or near county Successor Agency sites.
On Willow Pass Road, expect driveway consolidation and sign conditions.
For industrial property, review hazard and environmental records closely, given the Impacted Community designation.
Confirm sewer capacity and connection fees with Delta Diablo.
Check flood and sea level rise exposure near the shoreline and the rail lines.

Questions people ask

Who handles zoning in Bay Point?

Contra Costa County’s Department of Conservation and Development. Bay Point is unincorporated.

What is planned for Willow Pass Road?

The 2045 General Plan treats it as Bay Point’s heart, with mixed uses, more retail, public art and a walkable design. It also limits new driveways and controls signs.

Is the BART station area plan still in effect?

Yes. The General Plan says the 2002 Pittsburg/Bay Point BART Station Area Specific Plan remains in effect.

Does the county sell land in Bay Point?

The county’s Housing Successor owns several sites near BART and Highway 4 and is seeking developers through a request for qualifications.

Are drive-throughs approved in Bay Point?

They have been. In 2024 the county approved two drive-through restaurants at the Willow Pass Court Retail Center.

Is cannabis allowed?

Bay Point is not in the county’s Cannabis Exclusion district. Cannabis is a land use permit use in R-B, subject to county licensing.

Does Diamond handle commercial property in Bay Point?

Contact Matthew Martinez to discuss buying, selling or leasing commercial property in Bay Point.

Sources & notes

Note: We did not confirm the base district mapped on each Bay Point commercial parcel. The LAFCo service review is undated in the text we read.

This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.

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