Commercial Real Estate in Dublin: Downtown, Eastern Dublin and Base District Zoning

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

Dublin’s commercial property falls into three settings. The older Downtown along Dublin Boulevard and Village Parkway sits near the I-580/I-680 interchange and the Dublin/Pleasanton BART station. The large planned areas of Eastern Dublin hold regional retail, campus office and industrial park land around the second BART station. In between are scattered base-zoned sites, including the Scarlett Court service area. Much of Dublin is governed by a specific plan or a Planned Development rather than a standard zone, so confirm which document controls a parcel before you price a use.

Who controls the parcel

The City of Dublin regulates land inside its limits under Title 8 of its Municipal Code. Two neighbors shape the map. The Camp Parks Reserve Forces Training Area, a federal installation, sits in the middle of the city, and the Eastern Dublin Specific Plan was drawn for roughly 3,300 acres east of it. Part of the former Camp Parks land is now the Dublin Crossing neighborhood. Unincorporated county land and the Measure D boundary lie beyond the city’s eastern edge. Base districts are listed in Section 8.12.020, summarized on GoCodebook.

Dublin zoning for commercial, industrial and mixed use

Heights are from Section 8.36. Dublin has no stand-alone mixed-use base district. Mixed use happens through PDs and the specific plan districts.

Downtown, Eastern Dublin and Dublin Crossing

Downtown Dublin. The City Council adopted the Downtown Dublin Specific Plan on February 1, 2011 (Resolution 9-11). Its EIR on CEQAnet covered about 284 acres. The plan sets uses, standards and design guidelines, and Chapter 8.30 makes it the zoning. Where it is silent, the Community Development Director applies the closest comparable district. The city’s Downtown Dublin page names three plan districts: Retail, Transit-Oriented and Village Parkway. On January 9, 2024, the Council removed parking requirements in all three, citywide within the plan area and not just inside the state’s half-mile BART radius. That is a real advantage for redeveloping a downtown pad or shopping center. One exception to the plan’s control is tobacco retail, which is regulated as in C-1 and C-2.

Eastern Dublin. The plan is dated January 7, 1994 and was last updated July 16, 2024. It now covers about 4,028 acres, after the Transit Center and Fallon Village amendments. Its land use table plans about 2.75 million square feet of General Commercial at 0.25 to 0.35 FAR, about 4.19 million square feet of General Commercial/Campus Office and about 1.58 million square feet of Campus Office. It also sets aside about 61 acres of Industrial Park. The Town Center is the plan’s walkable commercial core. A Transit Village Center surrounds the Dublin/Pleasanton BART station, and the Fallon Village Center and Fallon Gateway subareas sit at the eastern edge.

Dublin Crossing. Adopted November 5, 2013 (Resolution 187-13), this plan creates a mixed-use neighborhood with a central park near the Iron Horse Trail and BART. Every project needs site development review and findings of consistency with the plan, its Infrastructure Master Plan and its EIR. If any finding cannot be made, the city must deny the application.

Dublin-specific rules: drive-throughs, cannabis, auto and massage

From the land use matrix in Section 8.12.050:

• Drive-throughs need a Planning Commission CUP in C-N, C-1 and C-2 and are not allowed in other base districts.
• Cannabis. Commercial cannabis businesses and dispensaries are not permitted in any district.
• Auto uses. Vehicle rental and repair are permitted in C-2. In M-1, they are limited to the Scarlett Court Overlay District, the city’s auto service area.
• Nightclubs need a Zoning Administrator CUP in commercial and industrial districts. Restaurants and bars ("eating and drinking") are permitted in C-1 and C-2.
• Massage is permitted in C-N, C-1 and C-2, subject to Chapter 4.20.
• Superstores are not permitted in any base district.
• Warehousing and distribution are permitted in C-2, M-P, M-1 and M-2.
• Lodging. Hotels collect Dublin’s transient occupancy tax, listed at 8% under Section 3.16.030 in the GoCodebook rental summary.

Transfer tax, business tax and property tax

The Alameda County Clerk-Recorder charges the county documentary transfer tax of $0.55 per $500 of consideration and lists no Dublin city conveyance tax. That makes Dublin far cheaper to close in than Oakland, Berkeley or San Leandro. Under Proposition 13, a sale generally resets the assessed value, and many Eastern Dublin parcels also carry special district assessments, so check the tax bill. We did not verify Dublin’s business license tax.

Due diligence that matters in Dublin

Start with our commercial due diligence checklist, then add:

• Identify whether the parcel is governed by a base district, a PD ordinance or a specific plan, and get the controlling document.
• For a PD site, pull the Stage 1 and Stage 2 development plans and any development agreement.
• Downtown, confirm which of the three plan districts applies and test the redevelopment math without parking minimums.
• In Eastern Dublin, confirm the land use designation and FAR range in the current plan table.
• For drive-throughs, auto service or nightlife, budget for a CUP hearing.
• Check the tax bill for special assessments, especially in Eastern Dublin.

Questions people ask

Sources & notes

1. Dublin Municipal Code (GoCodebook): Section 8.12.050 land use matrix, 8.30, 8.31, 8.36; zoning and renting summaries
2. City of Dublin, Downtown Dublin and Specific Plans
3. Eastern Dublin Specific Plan (updated July 2024)
4. CEQAnet, Downtown Dublin Specific Plan EIR
5. Alameda County Clerk-Recorder, Real Property Transfer Tax

Note: The Eastern Dublin plan’s square footage figures are planning capacity, not built space.

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

Related: Dublin real estate guide · Multifamily property in Dublin · Commercial real estate services