Commercial Real Estate in Fairfield: Heart of Fairfield, I-80 Retail, Industrial Parks and Travis AFB Rules

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

Fairfield is the Solano County seat, and its commercial land falls into a few clear groups: the downtown and West Texas Street area covered by the Heart of Fairfield Plan, regional retail along Interstate 80, Interstate 680 and Highway 12, the thoroughfare strips on North Texas Street and Parker Road, office and industrial parks in Cordelia and along the freeway, and the train station area to the east. Travis Air Force Base sits just east of the city, and its compatibility plan shapes what can go where. Confirm zoning and plan area with the City of Fairfield before relying on this page.

Who controls the parcel

Inside city limits, the zoning ordinance is Chapter 25, Article I of the Fairfield Municipal Code. Several areas carry their own rules: the Heart of Fairfield districts (Section 25.23), the Train Station Specific Plan area, and a set of planned development zones. Unincorporated land around the city, including Suisun Valley and Green Valley, is under Solano County zoning; see our Solano County commercial guide and Green Valley guide. Near Travis, the Solano County Airport Land Use Commission reviews plans for consistency with the base’s compatibility plan.

Fairfield zoning for commercial, industrial and mixed use

District	Intended uses	Notes
CN Neighborhood Commercial	Daily goods and services close to homes	Grocery permitted; new merchandise stores over 80,000 sq ft not allowed; no cannabis retail
CO Office Commercial	Professional, medical and financial offices with support retail	Housing as part of mixed use; hotels and bars conditional
CS Service Commercial	Service, light industrial and outdoor storage uses	Contractor’s yards permitted; no housing
CT Thoroughfare Commercial	Shopping centers, auto service and fast food on North Texas Street and Parker Road	Truck stops not allowed
CC Community Commercial	Retail for neighborhoods and the city, including the Winery Square area	No adult entertainment or cannabis retail
CR Regional Commercial	Highway retail and regional centers on I-80, I-680 or Highway 12 frontage	No housing; grocery conditional
CM Mixed Commercial	Transitional mixed use near the Heart of Fairfield and General Plan mixed-use areas	Multifamily permitted
IBP Industrial Business Park	Campus offices, R&D, limited distribution, light manufacturing	FAR 1.0; 50 ft; 1-acre new lots
IL Limited Industrial	Assembly, warehousing, distribution	FAR 0.6; 50 ft
IG General Industrial	Medium and heavy manufacturing with direct access to major routes	FAR 0.6; 50 ft; 2-acre new lots
ITP Industrial Technology Park	Biotech, software and electronics production	FAR 1.5; 70 ft; 30-acre new lots

In the industrial districts, higher FAR or height needs a conditional use permit, and buildings next to residential zoning need a 25-foot setback plus one foot for each foot over 35 feet. Creekside sites may owe a stream environment zone dedication of up to 200 feet.

Heart of Fairfield, the train station and Cordelia

The City Council adopted the Heart of Fairfield Plan in May 2017, and Section 25.23 turns it into six districts:

HD and HDC, downtown between Empire and Missouri Streets east of Pennsylvania Avenue, with HDC as the Texas Street core. The aim is shopping, dining and culture with housing and offices upstairs.
HWT, the West Texas Street corridor, for mixed use and higher-density housing. Vehicle sales and service are excluded.
HO, mixed office transition areas north and south of downtown.
HTD, a new high-density neighborhood in southeast downtown near the Suisun-Fairfield train station, with limited retail.
HR, a residential district south of the core and around Woolner Avenue.
HPF, the Fairfield Transportation Center and its planned garage.

Uses not listed in the Heart of Fairfield use table are not allowed, so read Table 25-H1 line by line.

Elsewhere, the overlay chapter adds:

A Downtown Area Parking (P1) overlay that lets projects in HO, HD and HDC depart from standard parking rules.
A North Cordelia overlay, adopted by Ordinance 2024-02, which implements the Green Valley Settlement Agreement and widens the uses allowed on certain CO parcels south of Business Center Drive.
A Gateway Court overlay that protects that area’s restaurant cluster.
An Emergency Shelter (-ES) overlay that permits shelters by right on IL-ES land.
The Train Station Specific Plan planned development zone, set up by 2011 council resolutions, for the area around the eastern station.

Cannabis, sensitive uses and Travis AFB

Cannabis. Retail is permitted in CS, CT, CR and CM but not in CN, CO or CC. Manufacturing and testing are permitted in IBP, IL and IG, not ITP, and must be at least 600 feet from schools, child daycare and youth centers. Fairfield levies a separate cannabis business tax (Chapter 10F).
Industrial siting limits. Hospitals cannot be within a quarter mile of a public school; new indoor mini-storage in IBP cannot be within half a mile of an existing one; churches in IL must be in existing multi-tenant buildings at least 2,000 feet from IG land.
Travis AFB. The 2024 amendments to the Travis compatibility plan, filed on CEQAnet, added a low-altitude maneuvering zone and updated rules on glare, wildlife attractants and deed notices. East Fairfield and Cordelia sites should be checked against the plan’s zones, especially for assembly uses, solar or ponds.

Transfer tax, business tax and property tax

Fairfield’s real property transfer tax is 27.5 cents per $500 under Section 18.26 (Ordinance 67-26), administered by the County Recorder. The Solano County tax is $0.55 per $500, and Section 11-67 reduces it by a half-rate city tax, so the combined charge inside Fairfield should stay at $0.55 per $500. We found no separate city conveyance tax. Fairfield has a business license tax in Chapter 10B; we did not verify its rates. Under Proposition 13, a change in ownership generally triggers reassessment.

Due diligence that matters in Fairfield

Start with our commercial due diligence checklist, then add:

Pull the zoning and check for an overlay or PD zone, particularly in Cordelia and around the train station.
Downtown, confirm the use appears in Table 25-H1, since unlisted uses are barred.
For industrial buildings, test FAR (0.6 in IL and IG) before planning an expansion.
For cannabis or sensitive uses, map the 600-foot and quarter-mile buffers.
East of downtown, check the Travis compatibility zone and any deed notice.
Near creeks, check for a stream environment zone dedication.

Questions people ask

Where is regional retail zoned in Fairfield?

In CR Regional Commercial, generally on I-80, I-680 or Highway 12 frontage. Housing is not allowed in CR.

What is the Heart of Fairfield Plan?

A 2017 plan for downtown and West Texas Street, implemented through six zoning districts from the downtown core to the train station area.

Can I open a cannabis business in Fairfield?

Retail is permitted in some commercial districts, and manufacturing and testing in three industrial districts, subject to a 600-foot buffer and the city cannabis tax.

What does the North Cordelia overlay do?

It implements the Green Valley Settlement Agreement and expands uses on certain office-zoned parcels south of Business Center Drive.

Does Fairfield add a city transfer tax?

Yes, 27.5 cents per $500, which is credited against the county’s $0.55, so the combined rate should be $0.55 per $500.

How does Travis Air Force Base affect commercial sites?

The base’s compatibility plan limits densities and some uses by zone, and the ALUC reviews city plans for consistency.

Does Diamond handle commercial property in Fairfield?

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

Sources & notes

Note: We did not read the full commercial and Heart of Fairfield development standards tables; confirm height and FAR with the Planning Division.

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

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