Commercial Real Estate in Martinez: Downtown, the Amtrak Station Area, Shoreline and Industrial Zoning

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

Martinez is the Contra Costa County seat. It has a historic downtown around Main Street and the county courthouse, an Amtrak station on the waterfront, and service and industrial land along the rail line and the Carquinez Strait. The city rewrote most of its commercial and industrial zoning between 2024 and 2026, so older appraisals and offering memos may cite standards that no longer apply. Confirm the district, overlays and permit path for each parcel with the Martinez Planning Division.

Who controls the parcel

The City of Martinez zones land inside city limits under Title 22, Zoning. Large areas with Martinez mailing addresses are unincorporated, including Vine Hill, Mountain View, Pacheco and parts of the Alhambra Valley and the refinery belt along the strait. Contra Costa County zones those areas, so start by checking the jurisdiction on the parcel record.

Title 22 stacks several layers. The base districts are office, research and development, commercial, industrial, civic and governmental facilities. Overlays sit on top of them, including:

Mixed-Use/Housing (MUO)
Downtown (D)
Affordable Housing (AHO)
Downtown Historic
Alhambra Avenue (AAO)
Community Services (CSO)
Mobile Home (MH)

The code also has a Downtown Shoreline district, a Downtown Transition district and M combining districts. Under Chapter 22.26, an M district pairs two or more base districts. It allows the uses of each, but the most restrictive district’s height, density, yards and parking standards apply.

Martinez zoning for commercial, industrial and mixed use

District	Intended uses	Notes
NC Neighborhood Commercial	Retail, offices, restaurants without liquor, personal services, hotels. Vehicle sales on major thoroughfares	30 ft (40 with incentives). FAR 1.5 (2.0). 15 ft front yard
CC Central Commercial	Downtown core: bars, restaurants with liquor, hotels, galleries, museums	40 ft or 3 stories (50 ft or 4 with incentives). FAR 3.0 (3.5)
SC Service Commercial	Contractors, warehouses, machinery sales and repair, vehicle sales, freight stations, wholesale	30 ft (40). FAR 1.0 (1.5)
LI Light Industrial	Advanced manufacturing, life sciences, labs, wholesale, boatbuilding, media production	50 ft (60). FAR 2.0 (3.0). Outdoor storage screened
HI Heavy Industrial	Heavy industry and most LI uses, with incidental offices and retail	Refining and smelting need a conditional use permit
DS Downtown Shoreline	Housing with limited commercial between downtown and the Regional Shoreline	Hotels, live/work, B&Bs and small service commercial by use permit
PA, RD, DT, M	Office, research and development, downtown transition and combining districts	Not reviewed in detail

The commercial chapter was adopted by Ordinance 1458 on May 15, 2024. Its use lists were amended in June and July 2025, and its height and FAR tables in late 2024 and mid-2025. The higher "incentive" figures come from the Development Incentives and Community Benefits Program in Chapter 22.81. A project has to qualify for that program before it can use the higher numbers.

Downtown, the Amtrak station area and the shoreline

Central Commercial. CC is the downtown district and the most flexible for nightlife and hospitality. Bars, nightclubs, restaurants serving liquor and hotels are permitted outright. Pawnshops, liquor stores, check cashing and ground-floor dwellings need a use permit. The chapter’s stated purpose calls for active ground floors, especially downtown. Expect the city to look closely at a ground-floor office or residential conversion on Main Street.

Station area density. Within half a mile of the Martinez Amtrak Station, the commercial chapter sets both a floor and a ceiling. Floor area must fall between 1.0 and 3.5 FAR, and housing must fall between 25 and 35 units per acre. A low-intensity pad building or a small-unit count project near the station may not conform.

Downtown Shoreline. The DS district was adopted in 2006 as a transition from industrial to residential use. It lies between downtown and the Martinez Regional Shoreline, near Alhambra Creek. It allows housing by right and limited commercial by use permit. The code prohibits any use it does not specifically list. Base height is 30 feet or two stories, rising to 40 feet or three stories for projects approved at 35 units per acre. Design guidelines come from Section 9.6 of the downtown specific plan.

Industrial land and other local rules

Light and heavy industrial. The industrial chapter aims to buffer industry from neighborhoods while keeping room for manufacturing, distribution and research jobs. In both LI and HI, these uses need a conditional use permit:

Warehouses and storage
Waste processing
Freight terminals
Heliports
Refining and smelting of raw materials

Sites must be at least 10,000 sq ft. Rear yards must be 25 feet where a site abuts a district that allows housing. LI open storage must be enclosed by a solid wall, fence or dense hedge at least six feet high, and materials may not be stacked above it.

Drive-throughs and gas stations. The commercial chapter lists gas stations, drive-through restaurants, and parking lots and garages as conditional uses across the commercial districts. A quick-service or fuel deal needs a use permit, not just a building permit.

Residential in commercial zones. Upper-floor housing is permitted in NC, CC and SC. Housing projects that meet Chapter 22.75 and micro units under Chapter 22.57 are permitted in all three. That opens infill redevelopment on many commercial sites.

Cannabis. The industrial chapter does not address cannabis. Title 22 has a chapter on personal cultivation, but we did not verify whether commercial cannabis is allowed anywhere in the city. Ask the city before you underwrite one.

Transfer tax, business tax and property tax

The Contra Costa Clerk-Recorder collects the county documentary transfer tax of $0.55 per $500 of value. The Recorder posts separate city transfer tax pages only for Richmond and El Cerrito. Martinez’s own Chapter 3.12 imposes a city documentary transfer tax of $0.275 per $500 under the state transfer tax law, and the County Recorder administers it. That is the standard city share a county credits under state law, and the Recorder lists no added Martinez tax. The chapter itself does not say how it interacts with the county tax, so confirm the total with escrow. Title 3 also has utility users and transient occupancy tax chapters. Business license taxes are in Title 5, and we did not verify their rates. A sale is normally a Proposition 13 change of ownership, which resets the assessed value.

Due diligence that matters in Martinez

Start with our commercial due diligence checklist, then add:

Confirm the parcel is in the city, not unincorporated Vine Hill, Pacheco or the Alhambra Valley.
Check every overlay on the zoning map: MUO, D, AHO, Downtown Historic, AAO and CSO.
Use the 2024 to 2026 standards. Older reports may quote superseded heights and FARs.
Within half a mile of Amtrak, check the minimum FAR and density.
Assume a use permit for gas, drive-through, warehouse or freight uses.
For industrial sites next to housing, measure the 25-foot rear yard and the screening rules.

Questions people ask

What is the tallest building allowed downtown?

In CC, 40 feet or three stories, or 50 feet or four stories through the incentives program.

Can I open a bar downtown?

Bars and nightclubs are permitted in CC. In NC and SC they need a use permit with added findings.

Is warehouse use allowed in industrial zones?

Yes, but warehouses and storage need a conditional use permit in the industrial districts. They are permitted outright in SC.

Can I build housing on a commercial lot?

Upper-floor housing is allowed in NC, CC and SC. Qualifying projects under Chapter 22.75 are also allowed, and near Amtrak density must be 25 to 35 units per acre.

What can go in the Downtown Shoreline district?

Mostly housing. Hotels, live/work, B&Bs and small service commercial need a use permit, and unlisted uses are prohibited.

Does Martinez have its own transfer tax?

Chapter 3.12 sets a city tax of $0.275 per $500, collected by the County Recorder. The Recorder lists no added Martinez tax beyond the county’s $0.55 per $500, but confirm the total with escrow.

Does Diamond handle commercial property in Martinez?

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

Sources & notes

Martinez Municipal Code Title 22, Zoning (GoCodebook, October 2026 edition): Chapter 22.16, 22.18, 22.23, 22.26
Martinez Municipal Code Title 3, Revenue and Finance (chapter list) and Chapter 3.12, Documentary Transfer Tax
Contra Costa Clerk-Recorder, Documentary Transfer Tax

Note: PA, RD, DT and overlay chapters, the downtown specific plan, commercial cannabis rules and business license rates were not reviewed.

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

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