Commercial Real Estate in Green Valley: Specific Plan Uses, Wineries and Agritourism

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

Green Valley is the rural valley that runs north from Cordelia and Interstate 80, west of Suisun Valley and Fairfield. It has no downtown or business district. Commercial property here means vineyards and small wineries, farm stands, event and agritourism uses on farmland, home-based businesses, and a modest amount of neighborhood retail and community uses planned in the Middle Green Valley Specific Plan area. Most of the valley is unincorporated and regulated by Solano County, while land near Cordelia and the freeway falls within the City of Fairfield, so confirm jurisdiction for every parcel.

Who controls the parcel

The county’s zoning, Chapter 28 of the Solano County Code, governs unincorporated Green Valley. A large middle section of the valley is also governed by the county’s Middle Green Valley Specific Plan, which layers its own land use map and development standards over the base rules. Questions go to Solano County Planning Services; the county lists a planner on duty line and email on the plan page.

At the south end, the City of Fairfield governs. Fairfield’s zoning includes a North Cordelia (NC) overlay, adopted by Ordinance 2024-02, which implements the Green Valley Settlement Agreement and broadens the uses allowed on certain office-zoned parcels south of Business Center Drive. For city-side sites, see our Fairfield commercial guide.

Green Valley zoning for commercial and business uses

District or plan	Where in Green Valley	Business uses	Notes
Middle Green Valley Specific Plan	The plan area in the middle of the valley	Agricultural tourism, local neighborhood retail and community facilities	Up to 400 clustered homes; more than 1,400 acres of farmland and open space protected
A-20, A-40, A-80, A-160 Exclusive Agricultural	Farmland and vineyards across the valley	Small wineries by right; farm stands; agritourism events and homestays by administrative permit	Large wineries need a use permit
R-TC-1AC, R-TC-20, R-TC-15	Mapped residential areas of Green Valley	Home occupations; hosted rentals by administrative permit	Commercial retail and office uses are prohibited in R-TC-1AC and R-TC-20
C-N Neighborhood Commercial (county-wide district)	Only where mapped	Small retail under 1,500 sq ft by right; larger by use permit	Restaurants not allowed in C-N
Fairfield North Cordelia overlay	Fairfield parcels south of Business Center Drive	Expanded uses on certain CO parcels	City of Fairfield rules

We did not find county commercial districts mapped inside Green Valley itself; the C-N row is included so you know what a rezoning for small retail would look like. Check the county zoning map for the parcel.

The Middle Green Valley Specific Plan

The county’s plan page describes a pattern of compact residential clusters surrounded by a connected network of farmland and natural open space. The numbers that matter for business planning:

Up to 400 new homes, clustered rather than spread across the valley.
More than 1,400 acres of agriculture and open space protected.
Agricultural tourism, local neighborhood retail and community facilities are the commercial uses the plan anticipates.
A Green Valley Agricultural Conservancy (GVAC) is part of the plan structure, tied to the farmland and open space network.

For an investor, that means commercial opportunity in the plan area is small-format and tied to the plan’s neighborhoods and farms: a farm store, a cafe, a tasting or event venue on agricultural land, or a community-serving use, rather than a stand-alone retail center. The plan’s own development standards and permit sections control what is allowed on a given lot, and the county page lists sections on property use, standards, the conservancy and permits. Ask county planning for the current text and status of any phase before you underwrite.

Wineries, farm stands and agritourism on Green Valley farmland

Green Valley’s farmland is zoned to the county’s Exclusive Agricultural districts, which state that farming is the county’s major industry and are written to protect family farms. The use table in that section allows, by permit level:

Wineries. Small wineries are allowed by right in A-20 through A-160. Medium wineries need an administrative or minor use permit, large wineries a use permit, and any winery where under a quarter of the grapes are grown on site needs a use permit.
Farm stands. Up to 1,000 square feet by right, 1,000 to 2,500 square feet with an administrative permit, and larger with a minor use permit.
Agritourism. Agricultural homestays and agritourism events need an administrative permit, and seasonal sales lots a minor use permit.
Vacation rentals. Listed only in A-20, with a minor use permit.

Green Valley is not part of the Suisun Valley agricultural districts next door, which have their own tasting room and agricultural tourist center rules, so do not assume Suisun Valley’s permit levels apply here.

Home businesses, hosted rentals and site constraints

In the mapped R-TC-1AC and R-TC-20 neighborhoods, Section 28.32 allows a Type I home occupation by right and a Type II home occupation, a hosted rental or a second kitchen with an administrative permit. Retail and office uses are not allowed there. Under Section 28.72, a hosted rental must be the operator’s primary residence, is limited to one guest room and one per parcel, cannot host weddings or lawn parties, and needs a working septic or sewer connection, a transient occupancy tax registration and a business license, with registration numbers shown in listings.

Rural Green Valley sites often depend on wells, septic systems and narrow roads. Visitor-serving uses such as tastings and events draw scrutiny on parking, traffic, fire access and wastewater, so budget for those studies early.

Transfer tax, business tax and property tax

In unincorporated Green Valley, only the county’s documentary transfer tax applies: $0.55 per $500 of consideration under Section 11-60, collected by the County Recorder. On the Fairfield side, the city’s 27.5-cent tax is credited inside that amount. Hosted rentals and other county businesses need a county business license; we did not verify license tax rates. Under Proposition 13, a change in ownership generally triggers reassessment, and land under a Williamson Act contract, common on farmland, is assessed differently, so ask the Assessor.

Due diligence that matters in Green Valley

Start with our commercial due diligence checklist, then add:

Confirm county or Fairfield jurisdiction, and whether the parcel is in the Middle Green Valley Specific Plan.
Pull the agricultural district number (A-20 to A-160) and read the permit level for your use in the use table.
For a winery, document the share of fruit grown on site.
Check for a Williamson Act contract or a conservancy easement.
Test well yield, septic capacity and fire access before planning visitors.
For hosted rentals, confirm primary residence status and get TOT and business license registrations.

Questions people ask

Is there commercial zoning in Green Valley?

Very little. The Middle Green Valley Specific Plan allows agritourism, neighborhood retail and community facilities, and farmland allows wineries, farm stands and agritourism by permit.

Can I open a winery in Green Valley?

Small wineries are allowed by right on agricultural land. Larger wineries, or those using mostly outside fruit, need a use permit.

What is the Middle Green Valley Specific Plan?

A county plan for up to 400 clustered homes that protects more than 1,400 acres of farmland and open space and allows limited commercial uses.

Can I host weddings or events?

Agritourism events need an administrative permit on agricultural land. Hosted rentals may not hold weddings or lawn parties.

Who regulates the Cordelia end of Green Valley?

Parcels inside Fairfield follow city zoning, including the North Cordelia overlay that implements the Green Valley Settlement Agreement.

What transfer tax applies?

The county’s $0.55 per $500. No separate city tax applies to unincorporated land.

Does Diamond handle commercial property in Green Valley?

Contact Matthew Martinez to discuss buying, selling or leasing commercial or agricultural property in Green Valley.

Sources & notes

Note: The county plan page does not state the plan’s adoption date or detailed standards; Williamson Act status and the city boundary were not verified for specific parcels.

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

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