Land Use & Community Character Element
Program Description
Responsible
Departments
Implementation
Timeframe Status 2025 Update Strategic Priority
LU-1: Comprehensive Zoning
Ordinance Update
1. Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance Update. The City shall prepare a comprehensive update to the Hayward Zoning Ordinance to ensure that the City’s zoning regulations align with the guiding principles, goals, and policies of the General Plan. [Source: New Program; City Staff] (RDR) Development Services 2014-2016 Partially complete In 2024, the City adopted a comprehensive update
to the Residential District regulations; adopted
streamlining provisions for qualifying properties;
and, processed updates related to supportive
housing which were recommended for approval
by the Planning Commission in December 2024
and approved by the City Council in January 2025.
In 2025, the Planning Division in partnership with
the Economic Development Division initiated a
comprehensive update to the City's Commercial
District regulations to incentivize and support
businesses. The amendments are expected to be
adopted in 2026.
Grow the Economy (EP3,
EP4, EP5, EP7, EP10, EP11,
EP12, EP13, EP14)
LU-2: Comprehensive Subdivision
Ordinance Update
2. Comprehensive Subdivision Ordinance Update. The City shall prepare a comprehensive update to the Hayward Subdivision Ordinance to ensure that the City’s subdivision regulations align with the guiding principles, goals, and policies of the General Plan. [Source: New Program; City Staff] (RDR) Development Services 2014-2016 Not started The City has not begun this program due to
limited staff and fiscal resources, along with other
City priorities. Minor updates were made to the
Subdivision Ordinance in 2017. LU-3: Comprehensive Design Guidelines Update14:20
3. Comprehensive Design Guidelines Update. The City shall prepare a comprehensive update of the Hayward Design Guidelines and the Hillside Design and Urban Wildland Interface Guidelines. The guidelines shall apply to commercial, residential, industrial, and mixed-use developments located outside of the City’s Priority Development Areas. [Source: New Program; City Staff] (RDR)
Development Services 2017-2019 Partially complete
In January 2024, the City adopted new Residential
Design Guidelines, which will included updates to
the City’s Zoning Ordinance and the Off-Street
Parking Regulations. Further, the Downtown
Specific Plan (adopted 2019), and the Mission
Boulevard Code (adopted 2020) include design
and development standards that apply to mixed
use, commercial and residential development
within the specified areas. These efforts meet the
intent of this program.
LU-4: Downtown City Center
Specific Plan
4. Downtown City Center Specific Plan. City shall develop and adopt a Downtown City Center Specific Plan. [Source: New Program; City Staff] (MPSP) Development Services 2014-2016 Complete
Completed. In 2019, the City adopted the
Downtown Specific Plan, and is currently
implementing the plan through private
development and infrastructure improvements.
These efforts meet the intent of this program.
LU-5: Priority Development Area
Marketing Strategy
5. Priority Development Area Marketing Strategy. The City shall prepare, implement, and maintain a Priority Development Area Marketing Strategy. Based on the findings of the strategy, the City shall develop an implementation program to promote development opportunities within the City’s Priority Development Areas. [Source:
New Program; City Staff] (MPSP/CSO) City Manager 2017-2019 (Ongoing) Partially complete Although this program has not begun due to
limited staff and budget resources, the City did
designate a Priority Production Area (PPA) for
many of the existing Industrially zoned areas in
Hayward and is currently exploring grant
opportunities to further promote and market
these areas within the Priority Development Area
and Priority Production Areas of the City. In
December 2024, the City received a Priority Site
designation for three areas within existing PDAs in
the City, including the Hayward BART Station, the
South Hayward BART Station and downtown City
Center site. All three sites are located within a
designated Priority Development Area and the
Priority Site designation will help facilitate
redevelopment of these areas.
Attachment IV
LU-6: CompleteNeighborhood
Strategy
6. CompleteNeighborhood Strategy. The City shall develop and implement a community outreach program to identify various types of complimentary and supporting uses that are needed and desired in each Hayward neighborhood. Based on the findings of the outreach program, the City shall develop an implementation program to facilitate desired changes within local neighborhoods. [Source: New Program; City Staff] (MPSP) City Manager 2020-2040 Ongoing
The Planning Division conducts annual updates to
the public stakeholder, neighborhood, and HOA
contact list, and uses these lists to provide
notification about upcoming development projects
and City initiatives.
LU-7: "A" Street and Redwood
Road Corridor Plan Feasibility
Report
7. “A” Street and Redwood Road Corridor Plan Feasibility Report.
The City shall coordinate with Alameda County to explore the feasibility of preparing a master plan or specific plan for the “A” Street and Redwood Road corridor. The City shall submit a feasibility report to the City Council, and additional actions shall be determined based on Council direction. [Source: New Program; City Staff] (IGC/PSR) Development Services 2020-2040 Not started
The City received grant funding from the USDOT
Safe Streets for All program to conduct safety-
focused corridor studies for seven corridors,
including A Street between Hesperian Rd and
Foothill Blvd. The portion of A Street between
Foothill Blvd and Redwood Road is not included
in this grant or project. This may be a future
project upon realignment of staffing and priorities.
LU-8: Hesperian Boulevard College
Corridor Plan
8. Hesperian Boulevard College Corridor Plan. The City shall develop and adopt a master plan or specific plan to enhance the Hesperian Boulevard corridor. [Source: New Program; City Staff] (MPSP) Development Services 2020-2040 Partially complete The City received grant funding from the USDOT
Safe Streets for All program to conduct safety-
focused corridor studies for seven corridors,
including Hesperian. The work on Hesperian will
be in FY27 and will develop a comprehensive
multimodal study for the entirety of Hesperian
within the City of Hayward.
LU-9: Corridor Beautification Plan
9. Corridor Beautification Plan. The City shall develop and adopt a Corridor Beautification Plan as the key regulatory document for focusing future streetscape improvements along major streets and corridors throughout the city. [Source: New Program, City staff] (MPSP) Development Services 2020-2040 Partially complete
The City is implementing corridor enhancements
through the following projects:
-Main Street CompleteSt. Improvements from A St
to D St.
- Mission Blvd Phase 3 Improvements from A St to
Rose St.
- Hesperian Blvd Median Landscape
Improvements
The City received grant funding from the USDOT
Safe Streets for All program to conduct safety-
focused corridor studies for seven corridors. Work
started on 2025 for A St, B St, the Loop, and
Tennyson Rd. Work will begin in 2026 for
Hesperian Blvd, Jackson St, and Mission Blvd.
Invest in Infrastructure
(FP2, FP5)
LU-10: Sign Ordinance Update
10. Sign Ordinance Update. The City shall update the Sign Ordinance. [Source: New Program; City Staff] (RDR) Development Services 2014-2016 Complete This program was completed in 2015.
Grow the Economy (EP4,
EP5, EP10, EP12, EP13,
EP14)
LU-11: Industrial Technology and
Innovation Corridor Plan
11. Industrial Technology and Innovation Corridor Plan. The City shall develop and adopt a specific plan or master plan for the Industrial Technology and Innovation Corridor. [Source: New Program; City Staff] (MPSP) Development Services 2017-2019 Complete This program was completed in 2019.
Grow the Economy (EP7);
Preserve, Protect &
Produce Housing for All
(HP6, HP7, HP8), and
Cultivate Vibrant
Neighborhoods (NP1, NP4,
NP5, NP6 and NP7)
LU-12: Grading and Clearing
Ordinance Update
12. Grading and Clearing Ordinance Update. The City shall update the Grading and Clearing Ordinance. [Source: New Program; City Staff] (RDR)
Public Works –
Engineering and
Transportation 2017-2019 Not started
The City has not initiated a comprehensive update
to the Grading and Clearing Ordinance due to
limited staff resources and competing priorities. In
the interim, PW&U–Engineering and DSD-
Engineering has refined grading/fill review
requirements for projects proposing fill within
Special Flood Hazard Areas. These refinements
include (1) requiring independent third-party
technical review of CLOMR-F/LOMR-F submittals
at the applicant’s expense, and (2) requiring an
agreement that obligates the applicant/developer
to submit the FEMA LOMR-F (and obtain final map
revision) when FEMA resumes processing and/or
as a condition of project completion, as applicable.
Broader ordinance amendments (e.g., hillside
grading/slope stability requirements and other
citywide grading standards) remain pending and
will be advanced when staffing allows.
Preserve, Protect and
Produce Housing For All
(HP6, HP7 and HP8); and
Grow the Economy (EP6,
EP7, EP11, EP12, EP13)
LU-13: Certified Local Government
Program
13. Certified Local Government Program. The City shall coordinate with the State Historic Preservation Office to initiate and Completethe process for becoming a Certified Local Government under the National Parks Service historic preservation program. [Source: New Program; City Staff] (MPSP/IGC) Development Services 2020-2040 Not started The City has Not startedthis program.
LU-14: Historic Districts Strategy
14. Historic Districts Strategy. The City shall prepare and submit applications to the State Historic Preservation Office to establish National Park Service Historic Districts for the Upper “B” Street neighborhood; “B” Street Historic Streetcar District; Prospect Hill Neighborhood; and the Downtown Historic District. [Source: New Program; City Staff] (MPSP/IGC) Development Services 2020-2040 Not started The City has Not startedthis program.
LU-15: State Historic Building Code
15. State Historic Building Code. The City shall develop and adopt an ordinance to allow the use of the State Historic Building Code for the rehabilitation of historic resources. [Source: New Program; City Staff] (RDR) Development Services 2014-2016 Complete
Pursuant to Hayward Municipal Code Chapter 10,
Article 11, Historic Preservation Ordinance,
historical resources are eligible to use the
California Building Code, which allows for
alternate methods of meeting building code
requirements. These efforts meet the intent of this
program.
LU-16: Mills Act Program
16. Mills Act Program. The City shall develop and adopt a California Mills Act Property Tax Abatement Program. [Source: New Program; City Staff] (MPSP) Development Services 2017-2019 (Ongoing) Complete The City Council established the Hayward Mills
Act Program on May 3, 2016. Information about
the program is available on the City's website.
These efforts meet the intent of this program.
LU-17: Historic Preservation
Resource Center
17. Historic Preservation Resource Center. The City shall prepare and maintain a web-based resource center to promote Hayward’s local historic resources and to provide resources and incentives to encourage historic preservation. [Source: New Program; City Staff] (CSO/PI) Development Services,
Information Technology,
Library and Community
Services
2020-2040 (Ongoing) Not started The City has not started this program.
LU-18: Alameda County
Government Center Area Plan
Feasibility Report
18. Alameda County Government Center Area Plan Feasibility Report. The City shall coordinate with Alameda County to explore the feasibility of forming a partnership to fund and prepare a master plan or specific plan for the Alameda County Government Center area. The City shall submit a feasibility report to the City Council, and additional actions shall be determined based on Council direction. [Source: New Program; City Staff] (IGC/PSR) City Manager 2020-2040 Not started The City has not started this program.