DATE: April 21, 2026
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Development Services Director
SUBJECT
Title
Business Friendly Hayward: Proposed Text Amendments to Hayward Municipal Code Chapter 10 Articles 1, 2, 24, and 28 and Chapter 6 Article 2; Proposed Zoning Map Revisions; and Proposed Master Fee Schedule Updates Related to the Business-Friendly Hayward Project.
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RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
That the City Council adopt the Resolutions (Attachments II and III) supporting the amendments to Hayward Municipal Code Chapter 10 Articles 1, 2, 24, and 28 and Chapter 6, Article 2, and related Zoning Map Amendments (Attachment IV) containing updates related to the Business-Friendly Hayward project upon determining that no further environmental review is required pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act.
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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 ty...
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