Commercial Real Estate in Marina: C-R and C-2 Zoning, the Downtown Plan, Coastal Rules and Fort Ord

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

Marina’s commercial property follows its two main roads. Del Monte Boulevard and Reservation Road form the downtown core and older shopping centers. Newer retail, business park and airport land lies on the former Fort Ord to the east, and coastal dunes and sand-mining land lie to the west. Each area runs on different rules, and the City rewrote its downtown zoning in 2024. Confirm the zone and any specific plan with Marina’s Community Development Department before relying on this page.

Who controls the parcel

Marina is an incorporated city, and its zoning is in Title 17 of the Municipal Code. The edition we reviewed was updated October 18, 2026. Three overlapping layers matter:

Downtown Specific Plan. Since 2024, parcels inside the plan area use the plan’s own Development Code instead of the base zoning, under Section 17.37.010 (Ordinance 2024-10).
Coastal Zone. Land west of Highway 1, and parts of the strip between Del Monte Boulevard and the highway, falls under Chapter 17.40.
Former Fort Ord. Areas flagged for possible unexploded ordnance carry an excavation permit rule in Chapter 15.56, on top of zoning.

The Marina Coast Water District, based on 2nd Avenue in Marina, is the local water agency and relies on groundwater. Confirm service and fees for any change of use.

Marina zoning for commercial, industrial and mixed use

Sources are the C-R chapter, the C-2 chapter and the Title 17 index.

District	Intended uses	Notes
C-R Commercial/Multiple-Family Residential	Retail, offices and services with housing	Restaurants and medical need a use permit. 50 ft and 4 stories (35 ft near R-1/R-2/R-3 lots). FAR 0.25 minimum, 0.90 maximum
C-2 General Commercial	Indoor retail, restaurants, offices, auto repair and new-car sales	35 ft. Hotels, drive-throughs, used cars and cannabis need a use permit
BP Business Park (Ch. 17.24)	Business park and light industry	Confirm the use list per parcel
Airport District (Ch. 17.30)	Uses at Marina Municipal Airport	Aviation-related uses and limits
Downtown Specific Plan (Ch. 17.37)	Downtown core along Del Monte and Reservation	The plan’s Development Code governs
C-D Coastal Conservation and Development; PC Planned Commercial (Ch. 17.40)	Coastal Zone districts	Coastal development permit required

C-R in more detail. By right, C-R allows retail, non-medical offices, personal services and studios. Restaurants, theaters, clinics, indoor recreation, research and development, and live-work need a use permit. Mixed-use projects can reach 25 units per acre, and residential can be no more than 70% of floor area. Housing projects must meet the City’s objective design standards. Projects of 20 or more units trigger inclusionary housing. Only sites under one acre may be built as all-residential. Once housing is on a site, only the by-right retail-type uses may share it.

C-2 in more detail. Most indoor commercial uses are permitted outright, including restaurants, banks, food stores, auto repair, car washes and new-car sales. A use permit is needed for hotels and motels, clubs, theaters, open-air sales, contractors’ yards, welding, light manufacturing and cannabis retail, manufacturing, distribution or testing. Bars are not named in either list, so ask Planning. Upstairs studio and one-bedroom units of 525 to 900 square feet are allowed by use permit, at one unit per 5,000 square feet of lot. C-2 lots can be as small as 2,000 square feet.

Downtown Marina

The City Council adopted the 2024 Downtown Specific Plan on October 15, 2024, with a Development Code and Design Guidelines. Buyers of older strip centers there should read the new Development Code. Permitted uses, heights and frontage rules may differ from what the base C-R or C-2 zoning used to allow. The City has also published Del Monte Boulevard landscape and gateway concepts, which can affect frontage improvements.

Coastal Zone and the former Fort Ord

Coastal Zone. Chapter 17.40 describes the zone as mainly west of Highway 1, taking in coastal dunes, vernal ponds and nearby land that was open or farmed in 1979. Development there needs a coastal development permit, which the Planning Commission hears. Processing takes at least 30 days. City Council appeals must be filed within 7 days. In the appeal zone, a 21-day wait follows final City action. The chapter notes the Coastal Commission issued these permits before certification, so confirm current authority for your parcel. It also mentions the Monterey Sand Company’s beach dragline, and vacation clubs count as visitor-serving only with specific Planning Commission findings.

Fort Ord ordnance. Under Chapter 15.56 (Ordinance 98-04), any digging that moves 10 cubic feet of soil or more in a designated area needs a Public Works permit. Designated areas are marked "ORD" on the grading district map. Applicants must describe prior ordnance removal and give workers a safety notice. Some work needs an explosive-ordnance technician on site. Permits last one year and may require a bond. Owners must tell later buyers before a transfer. Budget for this on any former Fort Ord pad or tenant improvement with site work.

Transfer tax, business tax and property tax

Marina’s real property transfer tax (Chapter 3.08, Ordinance 76-3) is $0.275 per $500 of consideration over $100, excluding encumbrances that remain. The County Recorder administers it under the state Documentary Transfer Tax Act. Confirm on the escrow estimate how it relates to the county tax.

Businesses need a City license under Title 5, with rates in Chapter 5.20. Hotels and short-term lodging also collect transient occupancy tax under Chapter 3.12. A sale generally triggers Proposition 13 reassessment.

Due diligence that matters in Marina

Start with our commercial due diligence checklist, then add:

Confirm whether the parcel is inside the Downtown Specific Plan, the Coastal Zone or the former Fort Ord.
Downtown, read the 2024 Development Code for your use and frontage.
On former Fort Ord land, check the grading map for an "ORD" designation and plan for an excavation permit.
For C-R sites with housing, confirm which commercial uses are still allowed alongside it.
Confirm water and sewer capacity and fees with Marina Coast Water District.
Check cannabis, hotel or drive-through uses against the C-2 use permit list.

Questions people ask

Do I need a use permit for a restaurant in Marina?

In C-2, restaurants are permitted outright, but drive-ins need a use permit. In C-R, restaurants need a use permit.

Where can a hotel go in Marina?

Hotels and motels are listed as use-permit uses in C-2. The C-R chapter sets a density for hotel rooms, so confirm their status there with Planning.

What is the downtown zoning now?

Since 2024, the Downtown Specific Plan’s Development Code governs parcels in the plan area. The Council adopted the plan on October 15, 2024.

Is cannabis allowed in Marina?

Cannabis retail, manufacturing, distribution and testing are use-permit uses in C-2. Confirm current City permit rules too.

Why would I need a permit to dig on Fort Ord land?

Designated areas may contain unexploded ordnance. Chapter 15.56 requires a permit to move 10 cubic feet or more of soil.

Does Marina have a transfer tax?

Chapter 3.08 sets $0.275 per $500. Confirm the total with escrow.

Does Diamond handle commercial property in Marina?

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

Sources & notes

Note: We did not read the Downtown Specific Plan Development Code, the BP or Airport chapters, license tax rates in Chapter 5.20, or the TOT rate. The Coastal Commission certification status of Marina’s coastal program was not confirmed.

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

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