Commercial Real Estate in Blackhawk: Blackhawk Plaza, P-1 Zoning and County Rules

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

Blackhawk is an unincorporated, master-planned community east of Danville in the San Ramon Valley. Its commercial real estate is almost entirely Blackhawk Plaza, the lakeside shopping and dining center at Camino Tassajara and Crow Canyon Road, plus a few office and service properties nearby and the separately owned Blackhawk Museum. The plaza is in receivership and is expected to be sold. Any buyer should start with Contra Costa County’s own updates and the planning documents that govern the site.

Who controls the parcel

Blackhawk has no city government. Contra Costa County’s Department of Conservation and Development handles land use. Most of Blackhawk was built under the county’s P-1 Planned Unit district. In P-1, uses are whatever an approved final development plan allows, as long as they work together and are consistent with the General Plan. Grading or altering structures after P-1 rezoning has to follow the approved plan.

Special districts also serve the area. Contra Costa LAFCO’s roster of districts lists County Service Area M-23 (Blackhawk area, San Ramon and Danville) and County Service Area P-2, whose Zone A covers Blackhawk. The plaza also sits next to areas governed by homeowners associations, and HOA rights matter for parts of the site (below).

Many Blackhawk-area addresses carry a Danville mailing address but are not in the Town of Danville. Confirm jurisdiction from the parcel’s assessor record.

Blackhawk zoning and land use for commercial property

Designation	What it allows	Notes
General Plan: Mixed-Use Medium Density (Blackhawk Plaza)	Commercial, residential or mixed development at 30 to 75 homes per acre, plus state density bonus	Per the county’s Blackhawk Plaza page. The General Plan controls where zoning conflicts
P-1 Planned Unit	Uses permitted by the approved final development plan. Single-family homes on legal lots. ADUs where housing is approved	Changes typically need a development plan modification or rezoning
1985 Development Agreement	Recorded June 20, 1985, covering 45.54 acres, among the county, Blackhawk Corporation and the Behring Educational Institute	Museum access and open space conditions carry forward
-CE Cannabis Exclusion combining	Bans commercial cannabis in every zone	Blackhawk is one of nine listed areas
County commercial districts (N-B, R-B, C)	Countywide retail and service districts	See our county page. We did not confirm any mapped in Blackhawk

The county’s P-1 article lists commercial cannabis as a possible P-1 use. In Blackhawk, the cannabis exclusion district overrides that, because the -CE chapter governs where it conflicts with the base zone.

Blackhawk Plaza: what the county says

The county keeps a dedicated Blackhawk Plaza page. It says:

Ownership and receivership. The owners began a bankruptcy restructuring process. On February 3, 2026, an Orange County Superior Court judge appointed Doug Wilson Companies as receiver, and JLL Property Management runs day-to-day operations. A chief restructuring officer was expected to be appointed in August 2026, and the county expected the plaza to be offered for sale this fall.
Applications. The county had received no application to redevelop the plaza or build housing there. It does not expect one until the property sells.
Density. Mixed-Use Medium Density allows 30 to 75 homes per acre plus density bonus units. State law may remove the need to rezone for some housing projects, and any rezoning would likely be procedural. The county cannot set the level of environmental review without a concrete proposal.
Open space. Residents have cited a 1985 condition dedicating more than 8 acres to the Country Club homeowners association and deeding development rights to the county. The county says the dedicated open space is about 5.73 acres, roughly 12.6% of the site, and staff are still checking whether development rights were ever deeded to it.
Museum. The Blackhawk Museum is on a separately owned parcel held by the Behring Global Education Foundation. Redevelopment would likely have to maintain museum access.

A news report of Supervisor Candace Andersen’s March 2026 update (Contra Costa News) adds that new projects would need to meet current stormwater rules. It also says a December 2025 report found the Camino Tassajara, Blackhawk and Crow Canyon intersection at level of service B at peak commute. That is a secondary source, so confirm details with the county.

What this means for buyers and tenants

Retail and restaurant tenants lease under the existing development plan. A use change, such as a gym, medical office or entertainment venue, may need county review of the P-1 plan.
Redevelopment buyers get a General Plan designation that already supports housing at 30 to 75 units per acre. Constraints include the development agreement, HOA-held open space, museum access, stormwater and wildlife law, and community opposition.
Office and service users outside the plaza should confirm the P-1 plan for their parcel, since uses vary by plan.

Transfer tax, business tax and property tax

The Contra Costa Clerk-Recorder charges the county documentary transfer tax of $0.55 per $500. Blackhawk is unincorporated, so no city transfer tax applies. A sale is generally a Proposition 13 change of ownership, so the plaza would be reassessed at its sale price. County service area charges for M-23 and P-2 may appear on tax bills. Check the bill. We did not verify a county business license requirement.

Due diligence that matters in Blackhawk

Start with our commercial due diligence checklist, then add:

Get the recorded 1985 development agreement and every P-1 final development plan and modification for the parcel.
Map the HOA-dedicated open space and confirm any development rights held by the county.
Review the receivership court orders and the sale process for the plaza.
Confirm reciprocal easements and access obligations with the museum parcel.
Check stormwater (C.3) obligations for any new impervious area.
Confirm the site is outside the Town of Danville and identify CSA charges.

Questions people ask

Who regulates Blackhawk Plaza?

Contra Costa County. Blackhawk is unincorporated, and the plaza is governed by the county General Plan, P-1 zoning and a 1985 development agreement.

Can housing be built at Blackhawk Plaza?

The General Plan designation, Mixed-Use Medium Density, allows 30 to 75 homes per acre. As of the county’s update, no housing application had been filed.

Is Blackhawk Plaza for sale?

The county’s page says a receiver was appointed in February 2026 and it expected the plaza to be put up for sale this fall.

Is the Blackhawk Museum part of the plaza?

No. It sits on a separate parcel owned by the Behring Global Education Foundation, and access to it would likely have to be maintained.

Can I open a cannabis business in Blackhawk?

No. Blackhawk is in the county’s cannabis exclusion district.

Is there a city transfer tax in Blackhawk?

No. Only the county tax of $0.55 per $500 applies.

Does Diamond handle commercial property in Blackhawk?

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

Sources & notes

Note: The plaza’s base zoning designation was not stated on the county page. The receivership and sale timeline changes, so check the county page for updates.

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

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