Commercial Real Estate in Antioch: Rivertown, Hillcrest Station and Industrial Zoning

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

Antioch is the largest city in East Contra Costa County. Its commercial property ranges from the historic Rivertown waterfront downtown to regional retail along Somersville Road and Lone Tree Way, and industrial land along the San Joaquin River. The Hillcrest eBART station area is planned as a transit village and town center. Antioch’s zoning has more than thirty districts and overlays, so confirm a parcel’s district and any specific plan with the City of Antioch before you commit.

Who controls the parcel

The City of Antioch regulates land use under Title 9, Chapter 5 of its Municipal Code. Section 9-5.301 defines every base district and overlay. Two specific plans control large areas: the Downtown Specific Plan for Rivertown and the Hillcrest Station Area Specific Plan. Inside them the plan’s rules apply first, with the city code filling in gaps.

Unincorporated pockets lie next to Antioch, including Bay Point to the west and land toward Oakley and Brentwood. Those follow county rules. See our Bay Point commercial guide and Contra Costa County guide.

Antioch zoning for commercial, industrial and mixed use

Height and lot coverage come from the city’s height and area table.

District	Intended uses	Height / coverage
C-0 Professional Office	Office centers and professional buildings	35 ft / 35%
C-1 Convenience Commercial	Small retail serving about a one-mile radius	35 ft / 35%
C-2 Neighborhood/Community Commercial	Neighborhood and community retail, offices, services	35 ft / 35%
C-3 Regional Commercial	Large regional retail and highway-oriented uses	70 ft / 35%
PBC Planned Business Center	Landscaped office, R&D, light industry, small warehouses	35 ft / 35%
M-1 Light Industrial	Light industry, mostly indoors	45 ft / 50%
M-2 Heavy Industrial	Heavy industry, mainly existing uses	70 ft / 50%
MCR Mixed Commercial/Residential	Retail, office and housing with special design standards	45 ft / 50%
DSP Downtown Specific Plan	Rivertown, under the specific plan	See plan
WF Urban Waterfront	Waterfront commercial, industrial, marina and recreation	Rivertown and Eastern Employment Area
TOD Transit-Oriented Development	High-density mixed use near rail or bus stations
MUMF Mixed Use Medical	Medical offices and hospitals	1-acre minimum
CIH Commercial Infill Housing overlay	Housing in commercial areas	12 units per acre minimum
CB Cannabis Business overlay	Sites for cannabis businesses	City Council approval

Rivertown and the Downtown Specific Plan

The City Council adopted the Downtown Specific Plan on February 13, 2018, by Ordinance 2135-C-S. It replaced the old downtown zoning. The plan covers about 0.75 square miles between the San Joaquin River, Fulton Shipyard Road, 10th Street and Auto Center Drive. Its districts include:

Mixed Use (MU). 4 stories and 45 feet, with 28 units per acre and more by use permit.
Neighborhood Commercial (C-N). 3 stories and 35 feet.
Regional Commercial (C-R). 3 stories and 50 feet.
Waterfront, opportunity sites and residential districts. Each has its own rules in the plan.

The plan sets ground-floor retail as the long-term goal for the core but allows office use in the meantime. MU and C-N frontages need visible storefronts with no blank walls. Parking is lenient. Existing buildings are exempt from new parking unless they add space or need a use permit. Small MU lots of 5,000 square feet or less appear to need no commercial parking, and larger lots one space per 1,000 square feet. For an investor, that makes older Rivertown buildings easier to re-tenant than suburban centers.

Hillcrest Station and Somersville

Hillcrest Station Area. The Hillcrest Station Area Specific Plan, adopted April 14, 2009, covers about 375 acres bounded by Hillcrest Avenue, State Route 4 and State Route 160 around the eBART station. It has three districts:

Transit Village. Residential at 20 to 40 units per acre and office at 0.4 to 1.0 FAR, near the station.
Town Center. Mixed use near the planned Phillips Lane interchange.
Freeway Area. Along Highway 4.

The plan allows up to 2.5 million square feet of commercial space, 2,500 homes and a hotel cap of 325 rooms.

Somersville. The code names Somersville Road as a focused planning area in its C-3 and PBC descriptions. It is one of two areas, with downtown, where the cannabis overlay allows storefront retail.

Use permits worth knowing

Antioch’s land use table uses P for permitted, A for an administrative use permit and U for a use permit.

Cannabis. Cannabis businesses need a use permit from the City Council on a Planning Commission recommendation, on CB overlay sites. Overlay CB 2 (Downtown) and CB 3 (Somersville) allow storefront retail only.
Alcohol. Bars and liquor stores need a use permit in the commercial districts under Section 9-5.3831.
Drive-throughs. Drive-up windows need a use permit.
Hotels and freeway restaurants. One footnote limits them to sites next to freeway interchanges.
Industrial. Warehousing and truck terminal yards appear as use-permit or permitted uses in the industrial columns. The online table is misaligned, so confirm each one.
Housing in commercial zones. Multifamily can be by right up to 35 units per acre and four stories where the table allows it. A use permit is needed for 35 to 50 units per acre. The CIH overlay adds infill housing at 12 units per acre or more.

Transfer tax, business tax and property tax

The Contra Costa Clerk-Recorder charges the county documentary transfer tax of $0.55 per $500 and lists separate city taxes only for El Cerrito and Richmond. Antioch’s Chapter 3-6 levies a city tax of $0.275 per $500 under the state transfer tax law, administered by the County Recorder. Because the Recorder does not list it as an added city tax, it does not appear to raise the total above the county rate. Confirm with escrow. Under Proposition 13, a sale generally resets the assessed value.

Antioch’s business license tax is based on gross receipts:

Gross receipts	Annual tax
Up to $20,000	$100 flat
$20,001 to $1 million	$1.25 per $1,000
Over $1 million	$1,250 plus $0.20 per $1,000 above $1 million

Commercial landlords appear to fall under the general gross receipts schedule. Residential rentals pay per unit instead.

Due diligence that matters in Antioch

Start with our commercial due diligence checklist, then add:

Confirm the base district and any overlay (CB, CIH, H, ES), and whether the parcel is in the Downtown or Hillcrest specific plan.
In Rivertown, check whether a planned addition or new use permit would trigger parking.
For cannabis, confirm the site is on a CB overlay and get the City Council use permit.
For industrial buildings, confirm warehousing or truck yard status in the land use table.
Get existing use permits for alcohol, drive-throughs and auto uses.
Check for unpermitted conversions and code cases.

Questions people ask

What controls zoning in downtown Antioch?

The Downtown Specific Plan, adopted February 13, 2018. The city code applies only where the plan is silent.

How tall can buildings be in Rivertown?

Up to 4 stories and 45 feet in the Mixed Use district, 3 stories and 35 feet in Neighborhood Commercial, and 50 feet in Regional Commercial.

Where can cannabis retail go?

Only on Cannabis Business overlay sites, with City Council approval. The downtown and Somersville overlays allow storefront retail only.

What is planned at Hillcrest Station?

A transit village and town center on about 375 acres, with up to 2.5 million square feet of commercial space and 2,500 homes.

How tall can a regional retail building be?

Up to 70 feet in C-3, with 35% lot coverage.

How is Antioch’s business license tax calculated?

By gross receipts: $100 up to $20,000, then $1.25 per $1,000, dropping to $0.20 per $1,000 above $1 million.

Does Diamond handle commercial property in Antioch?

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

Sources & notes

Note: The online land use table has misaligned columns. Confirm any specific use with Antioch Planning before you rely on it.

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

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