Category
Place Type
Description
Example Images
Common Uses/Development Types
● = number of dots represents the typical level of prevalence of the use or development type within the place type ●●●●● Most Common
● Least Common
Development Standards
Most Comparable Zoning
Open Space and Public Service
Natural Preservation and Open Space
This place type intends to protect natural resources in Salinas, such as creeks, habitats, and hillslope areas.
Gabilan Creek
Between Circle Dr. and N Madeira
Open space ●●●●●
Resource preservation ●●●●●
Flood management/green infrastructure ●●●●
Trails ●●
Development of buildings and structures not permitted
Open Space (OS)
Parks and Recreation
This place type provides a flexible designation for existing and future publicly- and privately-owned recreation areas. Parks can range from neighborhood tot lots to large multipurpose sports facilities, with many active recreation uses in between.
Closter Park
Natividad Creek Park
Public parks ●●●●●
Playgrounds ●●●●●
Sports fields ●●●●
Recreation centers ●●●
Trails ●●●
Flood management/green infrastructure ●●●
Dog parks ●
Community Gardens ●
Max 0.2 FAR
Parks (P)
Civic and Institutional
This place type includes schools, recreation centers, government offices, and hospitals, as well as the Salinas Airport. Some of these institutions require differing development standards to use space efficiently, including for associated housing, such as for school teachers and staff on school sites, which can include tiny homes and other alternative housing types.
El Gabilan Library
Hartnell College - photo by “Sgerbic”
Grade schools ●●●●●
Government buildings ●●●●
College/post-secondary ●●
Hospitals ●●
Recreation centers ●●
Residential ●
Airport ●
Navigation center/permanent supportive housing ●
Typically 2-3 stories, maximum 4 stories
Max 1.0 FAR
Up to 30 DU/Acre for workforce/student housing only
Public/Semi-Public (PS)
Residential
Traditional Neighborhood
These established neighborhoods include primarily detached single-family homes, accessory dwelling units, and small multifamily structures. Supporting uses include schools, parks/community centers, and places of worship.
Salinas home
Salinas Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU)
Single-family residential (detached homes, small lot homes) ●●●●● Small-scale multifamily units (accessory dwelling units, duplexes, bungalow courts) ●●● Education/worship/parks ●
1-2 stories. Scale and setbacks should be consistent with surrounding development.
Up to 12 DU/Acre
Residential – Low Density (R-L)
Blended Residential Neighborhood
These residential areas generally have a mix of housing types, including duplexes and triplexes, small apartment buildings, courtyard bungalows, and townhomes. Supporting uses include schools, parks/community centers, and places of worship. These areas are typically walkable to nearby commercial services.
Bungalow court – Riker Street
Salinas small apartment building – Riker Street
Multifamily (small apartment buildings, bungalow courts, townhomes, duplexes, and triplexes) ●●●●● Single-family residential ●●
Education/worship/parks ●
1-3 stories. Scale and setbacks should be consistent with surrounding residential development.
Up to 20 DU/Acre
Residential – Medium Density (R-M)
Multifamily Neighborhood
These areas feature apartment buildings large enough to support on-site community spaces, such as playgrounds and gardens, with supporting uses similar to other neighborhoods and commercial districts nearby, often along major roads.
Haciendas apartments – Calle Cebu
La Gloria apartments – E Market Street
Larger apartment and condominium developments ●●●●●
Rowhomes/townhomes ●●●
Education/worship/parks ●
Navigation center/permanent supportive housing ●
2-5 stories. Provides opportunity to build higher than most existing residential structures and include more amenities on site.
Up to 40 DU/Acre
Residential – High Density (R-H)
Mixed Use
Neighborhood Center
These key intersections include commercial uses that provide a variety of services and a social hub for nearby residents. Buildings are encouraged to provide retail, dining, and service uses on ground floors with residences above, and horizontal mixed use with offices, personal services, and small-scale retail.
Montana Avenue – Santa Monica
Romie Lane
Retail and dining ●●●●
Medical and professional offices ●●●●
Personal services and offices ●●●
Multifamily residential ●●●
Vertical mix of uses ●●●
Public gathering spaces ●
1-4 stories. Stacking of uses is encouraged. Opportunities exist to increase sidewalk width and build to sidewalk.
Up to 30 DU/Acre
Max 1.0 FAR
Commercial Office/Residential (CO/R)
Mixed Use – (MX)
Mixed Use Corridor
These major thoroughfares feature a vertical mix of commercial activity, such as retail shopping centers, offices, and professional services with residential uses above.
Fremont Boulevard – Fremont
Lighthouse Avenue - Monterey
Vertical mix of uses ●●●●●
Retail and dining ●●●●●
Offices and services ●●●●
Multifamily residential ●●●●
Entertainment ●●●
Hotels/lodging ●●
Public gathering/open space ●
2-6 stories. New development should be oriented to the street, be accessible to pedestrians and transit riders, and include a mix uses to create a walkable and transit-friendly environment.
Minimum 12 DU/Acre
Up to 40 DU/Acre
Max 3.0 FAR (non-residential only)
Mixed Use (MX)
Mixed Arterial Frontage (MAF)
Mixed Use Village
This place type is designed to accommodate both a vertical and horizontal mix of uses, often in clusters of multiple buildings in a planned development, or via redevelopment of big box retail centers. Mixed use villages should be well-integrated with surrounding development, including residential and commercial uses.
Fruitvale Station – Oakland
Constitution Blvd – Creekbridge Village
Mix of uses ●●●●●
Retail and dining ●●●●●
Offices and services ●●●●
Multifamily residential ●●●●
Entertainment ●●●
Hotels/lodging ●●
Public gathering/open space ●
1-6 stories. New development should be oriented to the street, be accessible to pedestrians, and include a mix uses to create a walkable environment.
Minimum 12 DU/Acre
Up to 50 DU/Acre
Max 1.0 FAR (non-residential only)
Mixed Use (MX)
Commercial/
Employment
Commercial Retail
The Commercial Retail place type primarily provides for larger-scale stores, as well as restaurants and personal and business services. These uses are commonly located in local- and regional-serving shopping centers on major roads. This place type also allows for hotels and some multifamily housing.
North Main Street – Northridge Mall
West Davis Road - Costco
Regional shopping centers and malls ●●●●●
Retail and dining ●●●●●
Offices and services ●●●●
Entertainment ●●●●
Multifamily residential ●●●
Hotels/lodging ●●●
Auto sales/service ●●●
1-4 stories.
Up to 30 DU/Acre
Max 0.5 FAR
Commercial Retail (CR)
Employment Center
These areas with business parks, research and development laboratories, office clusters, and limited manufacturing include landscaping and design standards intended to buffer noise, traffic, and other impacts to be compatible with apartments and workforce housing.
Abbot Street - Primecare
Rossi Street and Quail Run
Office/business parks ●●●●●
Research facilities ●●●●
Medical offices/labs ●●●
Multifamily residential/workforce housing ●●
Light industrial ●●
1-4 stories
Max 2.0 FAR
Up to 30 DU/Acre
Includes form and screening/landscaping requirements to make compatible with adjacent residential development. Development often planned as a cohesive “campus” or business park.
Industrial - Business Park (IBP)
Industrial – General Commercial (IGC)
Commercial Office (CO)
Emerging Industry
These areas support a variety of light manufacturing, workshops, arts and crafts production, commercial kitchens, and other small-scale, lower-impact uses. This place type also accommodates live/work and supporting retail. –
Office building – Santa Monica
Industrial/business incubator/office building – Richmond Light industrial ●●●●
Workshops ●●●●
Maker space ●●●●
Business incubators ●●●
Auto-repair ●●●
Live/work ●●
Retail ●
1-4 stories
Max 2.0 FAR
Up to 12 DU/Acre
Includes form and screening/landscaping requirements to make compatible with residential.
Mixed Arterial Frontage (MAF)
Industrial – General Commercial (IGC)
Light intensity
Industrial
Medium Industrial
The Medium Industrial place type provides for manufacturing, distribution and warehousing/wholesaling, automobile sales and repairs, and building materials sales that would generally not be appropriate in place types with residential uses because of potential impacts. In areas where this place type is adjacent to residential uses, there should be screening or a landscaped buffer between the uses.
West Market Street
Industrial building – San Luis Obispo
Light manufacturing ●●●●
Warehousing and distribution ●●●●
Vehicle sales and repair ●●●●
Wholesaling ●●●●
Business parks ●
Energy production ●
1-2 stories
Max 0.4 FAR
Industrial – General (IG)
Medium intensity
Heavy Industry and Production
These areas dedicated to intense manufacturing, distribution, freight, and other heavy industry and infrastructure are located near rail and highways for efficient movement of goods. They provide significant space for large-scale operations and other uses that may generate significant noise, odors, or other potential effects that require buffering from surrounding areas.
Harkins Road
Hansen Street
Packing and shipping centers ●●●●●
Plants and factories ●●●●●
Warehousing and distribution ●●●●●
Waste management/processing ●●●
Auto salvage ●
Energy production ●
1-3 stories depending on internal production activities required for facility Max 0.5 FAR
Includes buffering, landscaping, and green infrastructure to limit nuisances and environmental harm.
Industrial – General (IG)
Heavy Intensity
Unique
City Center
Core
Edge
The City Center place type is centered along the vibrant heart of Main Street in Salinas. This place type builds off the area’s strong historic character, while encouraging innovation, adaptive reuse, multi-story mixed use, and transit-oriented development, especially near the Intermodal Transit Center. The City Center Core area should feature the tallest buildings in Salinas, with development intensity tapering off in City Center Edge areas.
South Main Street – Downtown Core
Transit Oriented Development – Pleasant Hill BART Station Area East Alisal Street – Downtown Edge
Retail and dining ●●●●●
Entertainment ●●●●
Multifamily residential ●●●●●
Office ●●●●
Government ●●●●
Hotels ●●
Public gathering/open space ●
Core:
1-8 stories
Max 6.0 FAR
Up to 80 DU/Acre
Edge:
1-5 stories
Max 3.0 FAR
Up to 40 DU/Acre
Mixed Use (MX) + Central City Overlay Downtown Core Area and Downtown Neighborhood Area Alisal Marketplace
This place type offers a major redevelopment opportunity to connect the City Center to the Alisal through a new walkable neighborhood that includes larger-scale residential, mixed use, civic, commercial, and even flexible light industrial development.
Mixed use building – Berkeley
Tannery Arts Center – Santa Cruz
Source: Jscotannery.com
Large apartments/multifamily residential ●●●●
Retail and dining ●●●●
Office ●●●●
Live/work ●●●
Light industrial/maker space ●●●
Hotel/lodging ●●
Civic (government/education) ●
Public gathering/open space ●
1-6 stories
Max 4.0 FAR
Up to 60 DU/Acre
Mixed Use (MX)
Mixed Arterial Frontage (MAF)
Industrial – Business Park (IBP)
Specific Plan Areas
West Area Specific Plan (WASP)
Approved in 2019, the WASP is located on 797 acres north of Boronda Road between San Juan Grade and Natividad Road. It plans for more than 4,300 housing units at a variety of densities, mixed use commercial areas, and community uses such as parks and schools.
WASP Land Use Map
Low – medium density residential ●●●●●
High density residential ●●
Schools ●●
Parks and open space ●●
Mixed use and commercial space ●●
Set by adopted specific plan
The WASP and CASP each have their own land use/zoning plans Central Area Specific Plan (CASP)
Approved in 2020, the CASP is located on 760 acres north of Boronda Road between Natividad Road and Constitution Boulevard. Designed according to New Urbanism principles, it plans for about 3,900 housing units, a mixed-use village center, and community uses such as parks and schools.
CASP Land Use Map
Low – medium density residential ●●●●●
High density residential ●●
Schools ●●
Parks and open space ●●●
Mixed use and commercial space ●●
Library/fire station ●
Set by adopted specific plan
The WASP and CASP each have their own land use/zoning plans East Area Specific Plan (Neighborhood Center, Traditional Neighborhood, Blended Residential Neighborhood, and Natural Preservation and Open Space, Parks and Recreation, Civic and Institutional place types) The General Plan shows this area as a residential neighborhood with two mixed use nodes at key intersections. These nodes also include new schools. Residential neighborhoods are made up of predominantly low-density housing with a mix of housing types concentrated more along major roadways and intersections. The Natividad Creek corridor will also be preserved as open space throughout the neighborhood. A specific plan will refine the locations and types of planned land uses for the East Area.
General Plan Land Use and Circulation Policy Map of the East Area Low – medium density residential ●●●●●
Parks and open space ●●●●
Schools ●●●
High density residential ●●
Mixed use and commercial space ●●
Civic and institutional ●
Set by specific plan – would have to determine broad numbers in General Plan