DATE: April 9, 2026
TO: Planning Commission
FROM: Elizabeth Blanton, AICP, Senior Planner and Sachiko Riddle, Assistant Planner
SUBJECT
Title
Business Friendly Hayward: Proposed Text Amendments to Municipal Code Chapter 10 Articles 1, 2, 24, and 28 and Chapter 6 Article 2; Proposed Zoning Map Revisions; and Related Master Fee Schedule Updates Related to the Business-Friendly Hayward Project.
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RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
That the Planning Commission review and provide a recommendation to City Council on the proposed text amendments to Municipal Code Chapter 10 Articles 1, 2, 24, and 28 and Chapter 6 Article 2; proposed Zoning Map revisions; and related Master Fee Schedule updates related to the Business-Friendly Hayward Project.
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SUMMARY
The Business-Friendly Hayward Project aims to accomplish a series of Strategic Roadmap projects and Downtown Specific Plan implementation programs by focusing on the following objectives:
* Streamline entitlement and permitting processes for desirable businesses across the City's commercial and mixed-use zoning districts
* Activate vacant and underutilized properties and storefronts Downtown
To date, City staff has reviewed best practices from nearby jurisdictions, analyzed Hayward's existing codes and practices related to commercial and mixed-use districts, conducted an analysis of commercial businesses in the Downtown area, and facilitated a series of public outreach efforts aimed at getting feedback from businesses, the public, and other community stakeholders.
Based on these efforts and feedback received from the Planning Commission and City Council, revisions to the Municipal Code and Zoning Map are being proposed. These include a new organization and simplification of the Commercial Districts section of the Zoning Ordinance; relaxed permitting requirements for popular business types; strategic new land use controls; new simple permit types to better supp...
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