Commercial Real Estate in Rio Linda: Downtown SPA, M Street Corridor and Elkhorn Boulevard Industry

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

Rio Linda’s commercial property falls into two groups: the small-town downtown around M Street, Front Street and Rio Linda Boulevard, and industrial land along Elkhorn Boulevard and the rail line. Rio Linda is unincorporated, so Sacramento County zones it, and the downtown has its own Special Planning Area with mixed-use districts, banned uses and height limits. Confirm the zone and any SPA district for each parcel with County Planning.

Who controls the parcel

Rio Linda has no city government. The Sacramento County Zoning Code applies, guided by the Rio Linda and Elverta Community Plan, adopted June 3, 1998 by Resolution 98-0683. The City of Sacramento is close by, and parcels inside its limits follow city rules instead; see our Sacramento commercial guide. Check the parcel on the County’s zoning map viewer.

Downtown, the Downtown Rio Linda Special Planning Area controls. The County adopted it November 17, 2015 and amended it July 16, 2020 during the countywide Zoning Code update. It replaced the 1989 Rio Linda Business District SPA. Its purpose is to carry out the Rio Linda Downtown Vision Plan: a mixed-use village center that keeps the community’s small-town, rural character.

Rio Linda zoning for commercial, industrial and mixed use

The SPA bounds run roughly from N Street on the north to L Street and Dry Creek on the south, and from Second Street and Shady Woods Drive east to Curved Bridge Road. Uses default to the County’s LC district, then each SPA district adds or removes uses.

District	Intended uses	Notes
CMU Commercial Mixed-Use	Gateway commercial center at Rio Linda Blvd and M St	45 ft, 3 stories. Gas stations need a Board of Supervisors use permit
V-CMU Village Commercial Mixed-Use	Ground-floor retail with offices or homes above	55 ft, 4 stories. Liquor stores by use permit
V-NMU Village Neighborhood Mixed-Use	Street-level shops on Front Street, reuse of older buildings	Drive-throughs by use permit
NMU Neighborhood Mixed-Use	Local retail, services, offices and housing	45 ft. Retail over 6,000 sq ft by use permit; bars, hotels and drive-throughs banned
M Street Corridor	Adaptive reuse of homes along M Street	24 ft, 2 stories. House-to-office conversions by administrative review
LC / GC (outside SPA)	Neighborhood and general commercial	County Section 2.9
Industrial districts (Elkhorn Blvd)	Light and heavy industry	Community Plan Policy LU-43

Downtown Rio Linda: the four planning areas

The SPA divides downtown into four areas:

Gateway Area. Centered on Rio Linda Boulevard and M Street, home of the Rio Linda Archway. This is the most commercial area. The SPA says housing should stay under 30% of Gateway land uses.
M Street Corridor. The stretch between the Gateway and Village Center, where shallow setbacks and reuse of existing houses protect the street’s look. Retail under 6,000 square feet is permitted. Restaurants, offices, personal services and entertainment need use permits.
Village Center. The historic core at M and Front Streets, where infill should echo existing buildings.
East Neighborhood Area. On Oak Lane, including a late-1960s shopping center the SPA flags for possible reuse, perhaps as townhomes or senior housing. Parts of it carry the NS combining zone because they sit in the Dry Creek Parkway flood zone. There, lowest floors must be at or above base flood elevation.

Banned or limited uses. Across the districts, the SPA prohibits adult uses, check cashing and gun sales. Most districts also bar or limit auto uses, bars, pawn shops, tattoo shops and liquor stores, so read the table for the specific district before signing a lease.

Design Review. New buildings, major additions and facade changes to historic or locally significant buildings go through Design Review. Minor additions under 50% of floor area can be approved administratively. Major projects go to the Design Review Advisory Committee and the Rio Linda-Elverta Community Planning Advisory Council before the Board. Demolishing a formally designated historic property is prohibited unless the County finds it unsafe. A cultural resource study is required before discretionary projects that would demolish or substantially alter buildings more than 50 years old.

Site standards. Front setbacks run 0 to 20 feet in most districts, with build-to targets along M Street. Trash enclosures sit 24 feet back from public streets. A loading dock within 75 feet of housing needs an acoustical study. In the M Street Corridor, on-street parking counts toward the requirement. Native oaks 6 inches in diameter or larger must be protected. Removal or heavy encroachment requires replanting or payment into the County Tree Preservation Fund.

Industrial land, McClellan and other Rio Linda rules

Elkhorn Boulevard industry. The Community Plan steers heavy industry to Elkhorn Boulevard and the Union Pacific line south of it (LU-43). It says to maintain existing industrial lots (LU-41) and keeps waste-generating industry out (LU-44). Guiding Principle 06 discourages any net increase in industrial area, and auto dismantling is discouraged along West 6th Street and Straugh Road (LU-46).

Commercial shape. The Plan prohibits new strip centers (LU-36) and limits community shopping to specific areas (LU-34). Small neighborhood commercial is allowed elsewhere (LU-33).

McClellan. Policies protect the former McClellan base from encroachment (LU-24) and keep AR-2 zoning inside the 65 CNEL noise contour (LU-8). That limits intensification under the flight path.

Flooding. No habitable structures may be built in the Dry Creek floodway (PF-12).

Lodging. Hotels are banned in the NMU district. Any lodging or short-term rental elsewhere follows the County’s STR permit rules and 12% transient occupancy tax.

Transfer tax, business tax and property tax

Unincorporated Rio Linda pays only the County documentary transfer tax of $0.55 per $500, per the Clerk-Recorder. The City of Sacramento’s added tax applies only to parcels inside the city. A County General Business License is required for businesses located in the unincorporated area, per the Department of Finance. A change of ownership generally triggers Proposition 13 reassessment.

Due diligence that matters in Rio Linda

Start with our commercial due diligence checklist, then add:

Confirm County jurisdiction; parcels near the community’s edges may be in the City of Sacramento.
Identify the SPA district and check the use against that district’s table, not just LC.
For an older downtown building, plan for Design Review and a possible cultural resource study.
Check the NS flood combining zone and Dry Creek floodway near Dry Creek and Oak Lane.
For industrial land, confirm location relative to Elkhorn Boulevard and the McClellan noise contours.
Confirm sewer and water capacity; the Community Plan ties public water and sewer to urban lots.

Questions people ask

Is Rio Linda in the City of Sacramento?

No. Rio Linda is unincorporated and zoned by Sacramento County under the 1998 Rio Linda and Elverta Community Plan.

What is the Downtown Rio Linda SPA?

A 2015 County zoning ordinance, amended in 2020, that sets mixed-use districts, uses and design rules for downtown around M Street, Front Street and Rio Linda Boulevard.

How tall can a downtown Rio Linda building be?

Up to 55 feet and four stories in V-CMU, 45 feet in CMU and NMU, and 24 feet along the M Street Corridor.

Can I turn a house on M Street into an office?

Yes. The SPA allows adaptive reuse of single-family homes to general office with administrative review.

Where does industry belong in Rio Linda?

The Community Plan directs heavy industry to Elkhorn Boulevard and the Union Pacific line south of it, and discourages new industrial area.

Are strip centers allowed?

No. Community Plan Policy LU-36 prohibits strip commercial centers.

Does Diamond handle commercial property in Rio Linda?

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

Sources & notes

Note: The SPA’s density and height figures differ in places between its text and Table 3.1; we used the table for heights. We did not review the SPA’s sign standards.

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

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