Commercial Real Estate in Concord: Downtown, BART Overlays, Industrial Parks and the Reuse Project

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

Concord is the largest city in Contra Costa County and has the widest mix of commercial land in central county. There is a dense downtown around Todos Santos Plaza and the downtown BART station, regional retail and auto rows, service commercial and industrial land along the freeway and rail corridors, and the large reuse project area in the north. The city’s Development Code (Title 18) is detailed and permit-specific, so confirm the district, overlays and permit path for any parcel with the Concord Planning Division.

Who controls the parcel

The City of Concord regulates land inside city limits under Title 18, the Concord Development Code. Some properties with Concord addresses are unincorporated, especially toward Pacheco, Clyde and the Buchanan Field area, and those fall under Contra Costa County zoning. Overlay districts are common. The code has five overlays: airport, transit station, commercial cannabis, affordable housing and affirmatively furthering fair housing. One parcel can carry two or three of them on top of its base zone.

The reuse project area is a special case. Under Chapter 18.65, the S study district is interim zoning for the Concord Reuse Project area plan, excluding Diablo Creek Golf Course. The city cannot issue new land use permits there until a specific plan or similar document consistent with the general plan is adopted.

Concord zoning for commercial, industrial and mixed use

Standards come from Chapters 18.40, 18.45 and 18.50.

District	Intended uses	Notes
CO Community Office	Small low-rise offices, professional and medical offices next to housing	FAR 1.0. 30 ft for nonresidential. Urgent care by administrative permit
CMX Commercial Mixed-Use	Neighborhood retail, services, offices and housing at 11 to 40 units/acre	FAR 1.0. Hotels and bars need a use permit
NC Neighborhood Commercial	Neighborhood shopping centers, upper-floor housing	FAR 0.35. 40 ft. Gas stations, car washes and big box stores need a use permit
SC Service Commercial	Auto services, contractor yards, building materials, warehouses, some retail	FAR 0.8. 35 ft. Used car lots by zoning clearance
RC Regional Commercial	Shopping centers, big box, new car dealers	FAR 0.5. 50 ft. 80,000 sq ft minimum lot
DP Downtown Pedestrian	Ground-floor retail and dining around Todos Santos Plaza and toward BART, with office and housing above	FAR 1.0 to 4.0
DMX Downtown Mixed-Use	High-density housing, office, hotel and retail	FAR 1.0 to 6.0
WMX West Concord Mixed-Use	Auto dealers, shopping centers, hotels, offices, office/warehouse along Concord Ave and Walnut Creek Channel	FAR up to 4.0. No residential
OBP Office Business Park	Campus offices and R&D	FAR 0.8. 50 ft. No outdoor storage
IBP Industrial Business Park	Light industry, flex, wholesale, contractor yards	FAR 0.8. 35 ft. Outdoor storage only if screened
IMX Industrial Mixed-Use	Light industry, offices, live/work	FAR 1.0. 50 ft
HI Heavy Industrial	Manufacturing, freight terminals, outdoor storage	FAR 0.6. 50 ft. Heavy industry needs a use permit

Concord uses several permit levels: zoning clearance, administrative permit, minor use permit and use permit. In CMX, for example, a limited-service restaurant needs only a zoning clearance, while a full-service restaurant needs an administrative permit. Read the use table footnotes, because they often add size limits or ground-floor rules.

Downtown and the BART station areas

Downtown. The DP district wants retail and personal services on the ground floor, with restaurants at storefronts facing Todos Santos Plaza and office and housing upstairs. DMX allows the highest intensity in the city, up to 6.0 FAR, and allows hotels and horizontal mixed use. Both districts set a minimum FAR of 1.0, so a single-story pad building may not meet the code.

Transit station overlay. Under Chapter 18.105, the TS overlay can apply within half a mile of a BART station, except the reuse area next to North Concord BART. It bans drive-through retail and restaurants, gas stations, car washes, auto services and surface parking facilities. Nonresidential projects can gain up to 25% more FAR with a minor use permit if they add pedestrian features. Parking must go underground or behind buildings, not between the building and the walking route to BART. For a buyer planning a drive-through coffee or auto use near Concord or North Concord BART, the overlay can be a dealbreaker.

Cannabis, industrial land and other local rules

Cannabis. Chapter 18.110 allows cannabis manufacturing, testing labs, microbusinesses and non-storefront retail and distribution only inside the mapped overlay, and only where the base zone allows the use. Sensitive uses may not locate within 600 feet of the overlay. Storefront retail is handled differently: the city council selects storefront licenses through a competitive process, and those can be outside the overlay. Every operator also needs a city cannabis license under Chapter 5.80, a state license and a business license.

Industrial land. In IBP, outdoor storage is allowed only if it cannot be seen from a public street and is screened by a building or a solid eight-foot wall. IMX needs a use permit for any outdoor storage or activity. HI is the only district built for trucking terminals, wrecking yards and hazardous materials storage, and each of those needs a use permit.

Airport overlay. Concord’s code includes an airport overlay district in Chapter 18.100. We did not open it. Ask the city whether a parcel near Buchanan Field is mapped in it before planning assembly uses or added height.

Transfer tax, business tax and property tax

The Contra Costa Clerk-Recorder collects the county documentary transfer tax of $0.55 per $500 of value. The Recorder posts city transfer taxes only for Richmond and El Cerrito. We found no Concord city transfer tax. Concord’s taxes are in Title 3, Chapter 3.15, and hotels pay a transient occupancy tax under Article IV of that chapter. We did not verify Concord’s business license tax rates. A sale is generally a Proposition 13 change of ownership, so the buyer’s tax bill resets.

Due diligence that matters in Concord

Start with our commercial due diligence checklist, then add:

Confirm city versus unincorporated county, especially near Pacheco and Buchanan Field.
Pull the zoning map for every overlay: transit station, cannabis, airport, affordable housing and AFFH.
Check the permit level for your use in the district’s use table and its footnotes.
Near BART, rule out drive-through, gas, car wash and auto service plans before you price the deal.
In the reuse project area, assume no new use permits until a specific plan is adopted.
For downtown sites, confirm the project meets the 1.0 minimum FAR.

Questions people ask

Can I open a drive-through near a Concord BART station?

Usually not if the parcel is in the transit station overlay, which bans drive-through retail and restaurants within its boundaries.

Where are cannabis businesses allowed in Concord?

Non-storefront cannabis uses are limited to the mapped overlay where the base zone allows them. Storefront retailers are chosen by the city council through a competitive process.

How dense can downtown Concord development be?

DMX allows up to 6.0 FAR and DP up to 4.0, and both require at least 1.0 FAR.

Can I build housing in the WMX district?

No. The code says WMX does not allow residential uses.

What can be built in the reuse project area today?

New land use permits cannot be issued in the S study district until a specific plan or equivalent document is adopted.

Does Concord have a city transfer tax?

We found none. The Clerk-Recorder lists city taxes only for Richmond and El Cerrito, so the county rate applies.

Does Diamond handle commercial property in Concord?

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

Sources & notes

Concord Development Code, Title 18 (GoCodebook, edition current October 2026): Chapters 18.40, 18.45, 18.50, 18.65, 18.105, 18.110
Concord Municipal Code, Title 3 Revenue and Finance
Contra Costa Clerk-Recorder, Documentary Transfer Tax

Note: Downtown height limits, the airport overlay text, TOT and business license rates were not verified. Use table column alignment in the online code is imperfect, so confirm entries with the city.

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

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