Commercial Real Estate in Pinole: The Three Corridors Specific Plan, Old Town and Regional Commercial Zoning

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

Pinole’s commercial land runs along three corridors: San Pablo Avenue through Old Town, Appian Way and Pinole Valley Road. There are also regional shopping centers next to Interstate 80. Most corridor parcels are governed by the Three Corridors Specific Plan, which overrides ordinary zoning where the two conflict. Confirm the plan designation, sub-area and permit path for each parcel with the City of Pinole Planning Division.

Who controls the parcel

The City of Pinole zones land under Title 17, its Zoning Code, comprehensively updated in 2010. Chapter 17.18 sets out these districts:

Residential. Five residential districts.
Commercial and mixed use. Regional Commercial (RC) and four mixed-use districts: RMU, CMU, OPMU and OIMU.
Conservation and public. The San Pablo Bay Conservation District, public and institutional, parks and open space.
Special purpose. Specific Plan (SP) and legacy Planned Development (PD) districts. No new PD zoning may be approved.

The specific plan. The Three Corridors Specific Plan covers the San Pablo Avenue, Pinole Valley Road and Appian Way commercial corridors. The city has designated all three as Priority Development Areas. Where the plan conflicts with the zoning code, the plan prevails. Where it is silent, the municipal code applies. The city updated the plan’s land use and development standards chapter and its definitions on March 17, 2026, by Resolution 2026-02. Older offering memos may cite superseded standards.

Pinole has no standalone industrial district. The nearest is OIMU, Office Industrial Mixed Use.

Pinole zoning for commercial, industrial and mixed use

Base standards come from Table 17.24.020-1. The specific plan can change them inside the corridors.

District	Intended uses	Notes
RC Regional Commercial	Large regional shopping along I-80, outside the corridor plan area	FAR 0.40. 50 ft
CMU Commercial Mixed Use	Mainly retail and services, with office or housing	20.1 to 30 units/acre. 50 ft. Retail is the main ground-floor use
RMU Residential Mixed Use	Mainly housing, with compatible commercial	20.1 to 35 units/acre. 50 ft
OPMU Office Professional Mixed Use	Mainly office, with commercial	20.1 to 30 units/acre. 50 ft
OIMU Office Industrial Mixed Use	Office and light industry with limited retail	50 ft. Retail capped at 10% of floor area in the San Pablo corridor
SP Specific Plan	Three Corridors Specific Plan areas	Plan standards replace zoning
PQI, SPBCD	Public and institutional uses; bay shoreline	Limited commercial

San Pablo Avenue: Old Town, Mixed Use and Service

The plan’s San Pablo Avenue chapter splits the corridor into three sub-areas:

Old Town. Keeps the area’s historic residential, commercial and mixed-use character and scale. Buildings are capped at 40 feet or three stories, and at least 80% of street frontage must be built out. Projects are reviewed under the Old Town Design Guidelines, and build-to lines can follow nearby historic patterns.
Mixed Use. Bridges Old Town and the Service area with housing, office and service commercial. Height is 50 feet or four stories, and frontage must be at least 60%.
Service. The city’s western gateway, aimed at light and "green" industry. Height is 50 feet or four stories, and frontage must be at least 30%. It includes the long-standing Sugar City light industrial use.

Ground floors. In CMU, at least 51% of floor area must be commercial, though a project can go up to fully residential with an affordable housing agreement and community benefits. Ground-floor housing on the street frontage is not allowed without such an agreement. RMU requires at least 51% residential floor area.

Step-backs. Where a site abuts or faces single-family homes, or a zone limited to 35 feet, upper floors must step back at a 1:1 ratio or 45-degree angle.

Parking. Old Town uses the Old Town Parking Overlay District in Chapter 17.48. Parking structures there must be lined with ground-floor retail. The plan allows reductions for shared parking, nearby frequent transit, demand management programs and on-site car share.

Auto, drive-through, alcohol and cannabis rules

Auto uses. The San Pablo Avenue chapter does not permit service stations in any district. Car washes need a conditional use permit and are limited to OIMU in the Service sub-area. Vehicle services and parts sales are allowed by right or by CUP in certain districts. A gas station buyer on San Pablo Avenue may find the use is legal nonconforming, so check the permit history.

Drive-throughs and alcohol. Drive-in and drive-through service is limited to certain districts, needs a CUP and must meet Chapter 17.40. Bars, nightclubs, alcohol sales, hotels and indoor entertainment generally need a CUP in the corridor districts. Alcohol sales also have their own chapter, 17.59.

Cannabis. Chapter 5.64 prohibits cannabis dispensaries and commercial cultivation, including delivery, manufacturing and testing. The city may not issue a business license, building permit or use permit for them. A violation is a public nuisance, so landlords should bar the use in leases.

Transfer tax, business tax and property tax

The Contra Costa Clerk-Recorder collects the county documentary transfer tax of $0.55 per $500. Pinole’s Chapter 3.16, Real Property Transfer Tax, sets a city rate of 27.5 cents per $500 under the state transfer tax law. The County Recorder administers it and remits the city’s share. The Recorder lists added city taxes only for Richmond and El Cerrito, so Pinole’s share appears to fall within the county total. Confirm with escrow. Late payment carries a 15% penalty plus 1% monthly interest.

Title 3 also has a transient occupancy tax, a utility users tax and three transactions and use taxes, the most recent from 2024. Business licenses and a fee schedule are in Title 5, and we did not verify the rates. A sale is generally a Proposition 13 change of ownership.

Due diligence that matters in Pinole

Start with our commercial due diligence checklist, then add:

Confirm whether the parcel is in the Three Corridors Specific Plan, and which corridor and sub-area.
Use the March 2026 version of the plan’s development standards.
In Old Town, check the 80% frontage rule, the 40-foot height limit and design guideline review.
For gas, car wash or drive-through uses, confirm whether the district allows them at all.
Check step-back rules next to single-family homes.
Bar cannabis uses in every lease.

Questions people ask

What is the Three Corridors Specific Plan?

Pinole’s plan for the San Pablo Avenue, Pinole Valley Road and Appian Way corridors. It overrides zoning where they conflict and was updated in March 2026.

How tall can buildings be in Old Town?

40 feet or three stories. The Mixed Use and Service sub-areas allow 50 feet or four stories.

Can I build a gas station on San Pablo Avenue?

The corridor’s use table does not permit service stations in any district.

Can a CMU building be all housing?

Only with an affordable housing agreement and community benefits. Otherwise at least 51% of floor area must be commercial.

Are cannabis businesses allowed?

No. Dispensaries and commercial cultivation are prohibited, and the city may not issue permits for them.

Does Pinole have industrial zoning?

Not as a separate district. OIMU allows office and light industrial uses.

Does Diamond handle commercial property in Pinole?

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

Sources & notes

Pinole Municipal Code (GoCodebook, October 2026 edition): Chapter 17.18, Chapter 17.24, Chapter 5.64, Title 3, Chapter 3.16
City of Pinole: Three Corridors Specific Plan page and San Pablo Avenue Corridor, Chapter 6 excerpt
Contra Costa Clerk-Recorder, Documentary Transfer Tax

Note: The Appian Way and Pinole Valley Road chapters, the plan’s original adoption date, the Chapter 17.40 drive-through text and business license rates were not reviewed. The excerpt’s use table was hard to read for drive-through columns, so confirm them with the city.

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

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