Tenants Rental Resources

Navigating the rental housing market can be confusing, we are here to help! We have put together information about rent increases, rent review processes, petitions, and tenant protections to help you understand your rights and responsibilities as renters in Hayward.
A blue leather book with gold text that says: Renters Rights

If you need further assistance, please contact our staff at the Rent Review Office. Staff is available to assist by e-mail, housing@hayward-ca.gov or phone at (510) 583-4454. Para español llamar (510) 583-5547.

Resources and information: 

The Affordable Housing Ordinance (17-20), set forth in Chapter 10, Article 17 of the Hayward Municipal Code, was adopted on November 28, 2017 and became effective on February 1, 2018.

The Ordinance applies to all new residential development projects consisting of two (2) or more dwelling units.

 

Learn more

The Affordable Housing Dashboard is a tool to provide a comprehensive look at affordable housing development within the City of Hayward. The dashboard allows community members to review summary and specific information about upcoming affordable housing developments in a visual way, including affordability levels, geographic locations around the City, City investment and more.

 

Explore the dashboard

Alameda County Housing Secure: The Alameda County Housing Secure Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ACHS-ERAP) will help income-eligible households pay rent and utilities, both for past due and future payments. 

 

Learn more

ENGLISH:

 

Compliance Documents:

 

 

Petition Documents:

 

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Fact Sheets:

 

 

​Other Resources:

 

SPANISH:

 

Documentos de cumplimiento (Compliance Documents):

 

 

Documentos de petición (Petition Documents):

 

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Hojas informativas (Fact Sheets):

 

 

CHINESE:

 

合規文件 (Compliance Documents):

 

 

請願文件 (Petition Documents):

 

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情況說明書 (Fact Sheets):

 

The Residential Rent Stabilization Rent Ordinance (RRSO) creates the following tenant protections: harassment and retaliation protections, just cause for eviction, and prohibition of discrimination of sources of income (including Section 8 vouchers).  

Harassment and Retaliation Protections:

Tenant harassment and retaliation protections give tenants remedies in court if they are harassed or retaliated against by landlords. Tenant protections applies to almost all rentals.

 

Getting Help: Get legal advice from a lawyer. See list of legal resources. As a tenant, you have the option to file a complaint in court if they have a problem related to retaliation or harassment. The RRSO sets a minimum fine of $1,000. If the tenant is a senior citizen. veteran or an individual with a disability the minimum fine is $5,000. Before you file a complaint in court, you must tell your landlord about the problem. 

 

As a tenant, you must allow the landlord 15 days to correct problems related to:

  • A loss of housing services;
  • Maintenance and repairs;
  • Refusal to accept rent; and
  • Direct interference with a tenant's enjoyment of rental unit. 
For more information on tenant protection, please click here. 

The Residential Rent Stabilization Rent Ordinance (RRSO) creates the following tenant protections: harassment and retaliation protections, just cause for eviction, and prohibition of discrimination of sources of income (including Section 8 vouchers).  

Just Cause for Eviction:

 

At the time of eviction, the landlord must include a legal reason in order to evict a tenant. The reason must be stated on the notice of termination of tenancy. This applies to almost all rental units. If the landlord does not state the reason for eviction on the notice of termination of tenancy, as the tenant, you can use this as defence against an eviction. 

 

Getting Help: Get legal advice from a lawyer. See list of legal resources. 

 

For more information on just cause for eviction, please click here. 

A tenant in a covered unit starts the rent review process by filing a petition with the City of Hayward's Rent Review Office.

 

The petition must be filed within 30 days after receiving a notice of any of the following: 

  • An annual rent increase above 5%;
  • A banking increase applied;
  • An increase in utility costs of more than 1% of the tenant's current rent; and/or
  • To seek help regarding decreases in housing services, and;
  • If the property has health, safety, fire, or repairs that the landlord will not fix. 

To file a petition, contact the Rent Review Office of the Housing Division.

777 B Street, Fourth Floor

Hayward, CA 94541;

Telephone: (510) 583-4454

Email: housing@hayward-ca.gov

 

After filing a petition, the City will provide a copy of the petition to the landlord. The tenant should try to contact the landlord regarding the disagreement. This can sometimes resolve the problem. If it does not, the City will set a date for mediation. If an agreement cannot be reached at mediation, the City will schedule a date for arbitration.

 

*Please be advised that a petition form will soon be available on the website.*

 

To view the steps of the rent review process for tenants, please click here. 

State planning law requires a general plan to describe the general distribution, location, and extent of planned land uses within the jurisdiction’s planning area.  The General Plan Land Use Diagram uses color-coded land use designations to express the intended use of land across the Hayward (see Figure LU-1).  For most properties, the land use designation shown on the Land Use Diagram matches the current land use of the property.  This indicates that the City does not expect the use of the property to change.  On other properties, the land use designation is different from the current use of the property.  This indicates that the City expects the land use of the property to change as Hayward grows and develops between now and 2040.

 

A total of 19 land use designations are shown on the Land Use Diagram. This includes seven residential designations, two commercial designations, four mixed-use designations, two industrial designations, three open space designations, and one public and quasi-public designation.  A description of each land use designation follows the Land Use Diagram.  The descriptions include density and intensity standards to regulate development within each land use designation.  A summary table of development standards for each land use designation is provided after the land use descriptions.

 

The Land Use Diagram is largely implemented through the City’s zoning regulations.  Each land use designation has a corresponding set of compatible zoning districts.  Many of the land use designations have more than one corresponding zoning district, which allows a more detailed interpretation of the Land Use Diagram based on existing uses and neighborhood conditions. Whereas the land use designations are intentionally broad, the zoning designations are more detailed and provide a variety of detailed development standards, including permitted and conditional uses, building heights, setbacks, lot coverage, and parking requirements.  While the Land Use Diagram guides zoning, it is not the same as the City’s Map.  By definition, the Land Use Diagram is intended to be more general than the Map. 

 

Because land use designations may not reflect specific property and neighborhood conditions, they should not be interpreted to either propose or preclude land uses or developments without consideration of the guiding principles, goals, and policies of the General Plan. Site considerations related to topography, geology, or historic preservation may be more important in establishing the specific use and intensity of a particular parcel than the parcel’s specified land use designation.  Similarly, the goals and policies of the General Plan may support certain types of uses that are not specifically listed within the description of the property’s land use designation.  Therefore, the guiding principles, goals, and policies should always be reviewed to determine if a proposed use or development is consistent with the General Plan.

 

Requests to amend the Land Use Diagram are subject to a public process involving the Planning Commission and City Council.  Amendments are also subject to evaluation under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

 

View the Interactive Land Use Map

More on Land Use: 

Goal LU-9: Provide quality public and quasi-public uses that benefit residents and businesses and enhance the city’s overall quality of life and economic viability.

Hayward has a variety of public and quasi-public uses, including government facilities, college campuses, medical centers, and a municipal airport.  This goal and its supporting policies are designed to ensure that public and quasi-public land uses enhance the quality of life of residents and meet the service needs of the community.  Policies encourage public and quasi-public uses to be designed and operated in a manner that is compatible with surrounding properties.

 

Similar policies that are related to medical centers, parks and recreation, and senior care facilities are provided in the Health and Quality of Life Element. 

 

LU-9.1: Design of City Public Facilities:

 

The City shall ensure that all City-owned facilities are designed to be compatible in scale, mass, and character with the neighborhood, district, or corridor in which they are located.

 

LU-9.2: Design of Non-City Public Facilities: 

 

The City shall coordinate with school districts, park districts, utility providers, and other government agencies that are exempt from local land use controls to encourage facility designs that are compatible in scale, mass, and character with the neighborhood, district, or corridor in which they are located.

 

LU-9.3: Medical Centers: 

 

The City shall coordinate with the owners of existing and planned medical centers to encourage site development or redevelopment in a manner that is compatible with surrounding areas.

 

LU-9.4: Alameda County Government Center:

 

The City shall encourage the expansion and enhancement of the Alameda County Government Center area on Winton Avenue to increase employment opportunities and provide additional services and amenities to employees and residents.

 

LU-9.5: Cal State University, East Bay:

 

The City shall coordinate with California State University, East Bay to encourage campus development that:

  • Maintains compatibility with adjacent residential areas,
  • Improves access routes to the campus,
  • Protects sensitive habitat and steep slopes as open space,
  • Provides additional student and faculty housing and services on campus,
  • Supports the City’s economic development policies and programs,
  • Enhances opportunities for students, residents, and visitors to experience arts, culture, recreation, and entertainment, and
  • Promotes sustainable design and maintenance practices.

LU-9.6: Chabot College:

 

The City shall coordinate with Chabot College to encourage campus development that maintains compatibility with adjacent residential areas, promotes sustainable design and maintenance practices, and mitigates neighborhood compatibility issues, such as student parking on city streets.

 

LU-9.7: Hayward Municipal Airport:

 

The City shall maintain and implement an airport master plan to guide the long-term development of the Hayward Municipal Airport.

 

LU-9.8: Co-location of Public & Quasi-Public Uses: 

 

The City shall encourage the co-location of public and quasi-public uses within commercial and mixed-use developments.

Goal LU-8: Preserve Hayward’s historic districts and resources to maintain a unique sense of place and to promote an understanding of the regional and community history.

Historic preservation greatly enhances a community’s overall sense of place and quality of life.  Not only does it help residents and visitors appreciate local history, but it also helps to revitalize and stabilize downtowns, business districts, and neighborhoods.  Historic preservation efforts can also produce local jobs, promote heritage tourism, and increase local property values.

 

This goal and its supporting policies strive to preserve Hayward’s many unique historic resources, including its civic and commercial buildings, and colonial, Victorian and Queen Anne homes and cottages.  The policies also support the establishment of historic districts to preserve the character of Downtown Hayward, the Upper B Street District, the B Street Historic Streetcar District, and the Prospect Hill Historic Neighborhood.

 

LU-8.1: Value of Historic Preservation:

 

The City shall recognize the value and co-benefits of local historic preservation, including job creation, economic development, increased property values, and heritage tourism.

 

LU-8.2: Local Preservation Programs:

 

The City shall strive to enhance its local historic preservation programs to qualify for additional preservation grants and financing programs.

 

LU-8.3: Historic Preservation Ordinance:

 

The City shall maintain and implement its Historic Preservation Ordinance to safeguard the heritage of the city and to preserve historic resources.

 

LU-8.4: Survey & Historic Reports: 

 

The City shall maintain and expand its records of reconnaissance surveys, evaluations, and historic reports completed for properties located within the city.

 

LU-8.5: Flexible Land Use Standards:

 

The City shall maintain flexible land use standards to allow the adaptive reuse of historic buildings with a variety of economically viable uses, while minimizing impacts to the historic value and character of sites and structures.

 

LU-8.6: Historic Preservation Standards & Guidelines:

 

The City shall consider The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring, and Reconstructing Historic Buildings when evaluating development applications and City projects involving historic resources, or development applications that may affect scenic views or the historic context of nearby historic resources.

 

LU-8.7: Historic Districts:

 

The City shall encourage the establishment of National Park Service Certified Historic Districts to encourage the preservation of Hayward’s historic neighborhoods and districts, and to qualify property owners for the Federal Preservation Tax Incentives Program.

 

LU-8.8: Marks Historic Rehabilitation District:

 

The City shall maintain the current Marks Historic Rehabilitation District for Downtown Hayward to issue tax-exempt revenue bonds for financing the rehabilitation of historic structures.

 

LU-8.9: State Historic Building Code:

 

The City shall promote the use of the State Historic Building Code to facilitate the reuse and conversion of historic buildings to alternative uses.

 

LU-8.10: Mills Act: 

 

The City shall participate in the California Mills Act Property Tax Abatement Program to provide property owners of historic resources an economic incentive (property tax relief) to restore, preserve, and maintain qualified historic properties.

 

LU-8.11: Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives: 

 

The City shall promote the use of the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives Program to encourage the rehabilitation of income-producing historic structures in Hayward.

 

LU-8.12: Federal Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program: 

 

The City shall promote the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program to encourage the charitable contribution of historic resources and the establishment of conservation easements for historic preservation purposes.

 

LU-8.13: Planning Study Considerations: 

 

The City shall consider historical and cultural resources when developing planning studies and documents.

 

LU-8.14: Demolition of Historic Resources: 

 

The City shall prohibit the demolition of historic resources unless one of the following findings can be made:

  • The rehabilitation and reuse of the resource is not structurally or economically feasible.
  • The demolition is necessary to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public.
  • The public benefits of demolition outweigh the loss of the historic resource.

Goal LU-7: Preserve the rural and natural character of hillside development areas.

Hayward contains a number of unique hillside neighborhoods and hillside developments. This goal and its supporting policies are designed to preserve the rural and natural character of hillside development areas.  The policies in this section support hillside developments that are sensitively located and designed to retain natural slopes, ridgelines, and sensitive habitat areas.  They also require developments to provide connections to adjacent open space and trail networks. 

 

Additional policies related to hillside development, such as landslide hazards and wildland fires, are provided under Goal HAZ-1 and Goal HAZ-5 of the Hazards Element.

 

LU-7.1: Slopes: 

 

The City shall prohibit the construction of buildings on unstable and steep slopes (slopes greater than 25 percent).

 

LU-7.2: Ridgelines: 

 

The City shall discourage the placement of homes and structures near ridgelines to maintain natural open space and preserve views. If ridgeline development cannot be avoided, the City shall require grading, building, and landscaping designs that mitigate visual impacts and blend the development with the natural features of the hillside.

 

LU-7.3: Hillside Street Layouts:

 

The City shall require curvilinear street patterns in hillside areas to respect natural topography and minimize site grading.

 

LU-7.4: Hillside Street Design: 

 

The City shall encourage narrow streets in hillside areas. Streets should be designed with soft shoulders and drainage swales (rather than sidewalks with curbs and gutters) to maintain the rural character of hillside areas and minimize grading impacts. The City shall prohibit parking along narrow street shoulders to provide space for residents to walk and ride horses.

 

LU-7.5: Clustered Developments: 

 

The City shall encourage the clustering of residential units on hillsides to preserve sensitive habitats and scenic resources as natural open space. Sensitive areas and scenic resources include woodlands, streams and riparian corridors, mature trees, ridgelines, and rock outcroppings.

 

LU-7.6: Open Spaces Access: 

 

The City shall require new hillside developments to provide public trail access (as appropriate) to adjacent greenways, open space corridors, and regional parks.

 

LU-7.7: De-Annexations: 

 

The City shall consider de-annexing properties outside of the City’s sphere of influence (e.g., Pleasanton Ridgeline) if cooperative agreements with Alameda County, Pleasanton, and the East Bay Regional Park District are in place to permanently preserve the properties as open space or regional parkland.

Goal LU-6: Enhance the Industrial Technology and Innovation Corridor to expand the economic and employment base of Hayward and to achieve a healthy balance between a manufacturing-based economy and an information- and technology-based economy.

The Industrial Technology and Innovation Corridor is a crescent-shaped corridor located along the western and southwestern edge of the City’s Urban Limit Line.  Due to its centralized Bay Area location, freeway access, and relatively low land costs, the Industrial Technology and Innovation Corridor has attracted a variety of warehouse and distribution facilities, food manufacturing companies, bio-technology firms, and high technology businesses.

 

As the main employment area of the city, the Corridor is an important economic asset that needs to be protected and enhanced.  This goal and its supporting policies are designed to maintain and improve the Industrial Technology and Innovation Corridor and expand the economic and employment base of Hayward.  The policies support land use changes that will help Hayward transition from a manufacturing-based economy to an information- and technology-based economy.  

 

Supporting goals and policies related to the Industrial Technology and Innovation Corridor are provided in the Economic Development Element and Mobility Element.  Additional policies related to the regulation of industrial uses that involve hazardous materials are provided under Goal HAZ-6 of the Hazards Element.

 

LU-6.1: Land Uses:

 

The City shall encourage employee-intensive uses, such as professional office, corporate campuses, research and development, traditional and specialized manufacturing, throughout the Industrial Technology and Innovation Corridor.

 

LU-6.2: Industrial & Warehouse Conversations:

 

The City shall encourage the conversion of obsolete industrial and warehouse distribution space to a productive use, such as advanced manufacturing, professional office centers, corporate campuses, research and development parks, and flex space.

 

LU-6.3: Parcel Consolidation: 

 

The City shall promote the consolidation of small and irregular shaped parcels within the Industrial Technology and Innovation Corridor to improve the economic feasibility of development projects.

 

LU-6.4: Incidental Commercial Uses:

 

The City shall encourage incidental commercial uses that support employees and businesses within the Industrial Technology and Innovation Corridor, such as restaurants, business services, business hotels, gas stations, and similar uses.

 

LU-6.5: Incompatible Uses: 

 

The City shall protect the Industrial Technology and Innovation Corridor from the encroachment of uses that would impair industrial operations or create future land use conflicts.

 

LU-6.6: Property Upgrades: 

 

The City shall encourage property owners to upgrade existing buildings, site facilities, and landscaped areas to improve the economic viability of properties and to enhance the visual character of the Industrial Technology and Innovation Corridor.

 

LU-6.7: Design Strategies: 

 

The City shall encourage developments within the Industrial Technology and Innovation Corridor to incorporate the following design strategies:

  • Provide attractive on-site landscaping and shade trees along street frontages and within employee and visitor parking lots.
  • Screen areas used for outdoor storage, processing, shipping and receiving, and other industrial operations with a combination of landscaping and decorative fences or walls.
  • Encourage consistent architectural facade treatments on all sides of buildings.
  • Screen roof-top equipment with roof parapets.
  • Design shipping and receiving areas and driveways to accommodate the turning movements of large trucks.
  • Develop coordinated and well-designed signage for tenant identification and way-finding.
  • Incorporate attractive building and site lighting to prevent dark pockets on the site.
  • Provide pedestrian walkways to connect building entrances to sidewalks.
  • Use landscaped buffers with trees and attractive sound walls to screen adjacent residential areas and other sensitive uses.

LU-6.8: Employee Amenities:

 

The City shall encourage the provision of employee-serving amenities for major employment uses within the Industrial Technology and Innovation Corridor, such as courtyards and plazas, outdoor seating areas, fitness facilities, bicycle storage areas, and showers.

 

LU-6.9: Industrial Technology & Innovation Corridor Assessment District:

 

The City shall encourage the creation of an assessment district or other funding mechanisms to implement streetscape improvements and enhanced transit or shuttle service within the Industrial Technology and Innovation Corridor.

Goal LU-5: Promote attractive and vibrant community and regional centers that provide convenient and enhanced opportunities for shopping, services, entertainment, social interaction, and culture.

Centers are commercial and mixed-use developments that contain a mix of commercial businesses and at least one anchor tenant.  For the purpose of this General Plan, the City of Hayward has two types of centers:  regional centers and community centers.  Regional centers, such as the Southland Mall, are large commercial developments that serve residents from Hayward and other nearby communities in Alameda County.

 

Regional centers are generally located at the intersections of major arterial streets and near freeway interchanges.  Community centers are smaller commercial developments that primarily serve local residents and business within nearby neighborhoods.  Community centers are typically located along arterial streets.  As a result, they may be confused with corridor developments (see Goal 4).

 

The key differences between community centers and corridor developments are the size of the property and the tenant mix.  Community centers are larger properties that contain a mix of commercial businesses and at least one anchor tenant, such as a grocery store or large health gym.  Corridor developments are located on smaller sites and do not have an anchor tenant.

 

This goal and its supporting policies are designed to promote attractive and vibrant regional and community centers that provide opportunities for commerce, shopping, services, entertainment, and culture.  The policies support the renovation, reuse, and redevelopment of underutilized and obsolete centers to create more economically viable developments.  In some circumstances, residential and mixed-use developments may be appropriately integrated within existing and new centers to improve the economic viability of properties.  However, the integration of these uses should support, rather than replace, the primary commercial and service functions of the center.    

 

Because of the continuing growth of online retailing, convenience and experience are becoming more and more important in the design of regional and community centers.  To attract customers and drive sales, centers need to give people additional reasons to visit. As a result, centers are being reinvented to enhance the social experience of shopping by offering quality indoor and outdoor spaces, wireless networks, quality dining experiences, and community gathering spaces, such as sidewalk dining, play areas for children, and plazas for community events.  The policies in this section support these types of improvements and enhancements to existing and new centers.

 

The policies in this section apply to most centers within the City.  They do not apply to the centers within the City’s Priority Development Areas, as more specific policies for those areas are provided under Goal 2.

 

LU-5.1: Mix of Uses & Activities:

 

The City shall encourage a mix of retail, service, dining, recreation, entertainment, and cultural uses and activities in regional and community centers to meet a range of neighborhood and citywide needs.

 

LU-5.2: Flexible Land Use Regulations:

 

The City shall maintain flexible land use regulations that allow the establishment of economically productive uses in regional and community centers.

 

LU-5.3: design Strategies for New Centers:

 

The City shall encourage new and redeveloped centers to incorporate the following design strategies:

  • Place large anchor retail buildings (big-box stores) to the rear of the site and away from streets.
  • Place smaller commercial or mixed-use buildings along street frontages and/or internal driveways that function as small pedestrian-oriented “Main Street” environments. Orient the main entrances to these buildings toward streets rather than internal parking lots.
  • Minimize large expanses of parking along streets by placing parking lots and structures behind buildings and within the interior of the site.
  • Encourage pedestrian-friendly sidewalks and outdoor gathering and dining spaces along building frontages.
  • Incorporate pedestrian connections and access routes to connect building entrances to adjacent sidewalks, transit stops, parks and greenways, and neighborhoods.
  • Design buildings with articulated facades and transparent storefront entrances.
  • Enhance building facades with awnings, shade structures, pedestrian-oriented signage, decorative lighting, and other attractive design details and features.

LU-5.4: Parking Lot Enhancements: 

 

The City shall require new and renovated community and regional centers to incorporate landscaping and shade trees into parking lots to capture and filter stormwater runoff, minimize the heat island affect, and improve the visual appearance of properties. Parking lot shade structures with solar panels may also be used as an alternative to shade trees.

 

LU-5.5: Southland Mall: 

 

The City shall support private-sector efforts to improve the economic health and vitality of the Southland Mall, including major redevelopment efforts that transform the property into a regional destination for shopping, dining, and family and youth entertainment and recreation.

 

LU-5.6: Adaptive, Reuse, Renovation or Redevelopment: 

 

The City shall support the adaptive reuse, renovation, or redevelopment of community and regional shopping centers that are no longer viable due to changing market conditions, demographics, or retail trends. The City shall consider alternative land uses if market conditions limit the feasibility of commercial uses.

 

LU-5.7: Integrating Centers with Residential or Mixed-Use Developments:

 

The City shall consider the integration of residential or mixed-use developments into new and existing community and regional centers. The integration of these uses should support, rather than replace, the primary commercial and service functions of the center.

Goal LU-4: Create attractive commercial and mixed-use corridors that serve people traveling through the city, while creating more pedestrian-oriented developments that foster commercial and social activity for nearby residents and businesses.

The city of Hayward has a variety of arterial streets that traverse the community.  These arterial corridors are generally lined with auto-oriented commercial uses, such as gas stations, fast-food restaurants, and a variety of strip commercial developments.  The land uses and development patterns along Hayward’s corridors generally serve motorist driving through the neighborhood or city.

 

Most of the commercial properties do not offer convenient access and attractive amenities that encourage nearby residents and employees to walk or bike to businesses and services.  Some corridor segments are also lined with blighted properties and residential sound walls and fences.  These areas are targets for litter and graffiti, which degrade the image and perceived safety of the city.

 

This goal and its supporting policies are designed to reinvent Hayward’s corridors to create more attractive and economically viable uses.  Rather than creating conditions that exclusively serve motorists driving through the neighborhood or city, the policies support efforts to create more pedestrian-oriented developments that foster commercial and social activity for nearby residents and employees.

 

Supporting policies related to complete and multi-modal streets are provided in the Mobility Element. 

 

The policies in this section apply to the majority of corridors within the City.  They do not apply to corridor segments within the City’s Priority Development Areas and Industrial Technology and Innovation Corridor.  Policies for the Priority Developments Areas and the Industrial Technology and Innovation Corridor are provided under Goal 2 and Goal 6, respectively.

 

LU-4.1: Mixed-Use Corridors: 

 

The City shall encourage a variety of development types and uses along corridors to balance the needs of residents and employees living and working in surrounding areas with the needs of motorists driving through the community.

 

LU-4.2: Transformation of Auto-Oriented & Strip Commercial Uses: 

 

The City shall support the transformation of auto-oriented and strip commercial uses into attractive pedestrian-oriented developments that frame and enhance the visual character of the corridor.

 

LU-4.3: Mixed-Use Developments within Commercial-Zoned Properties:

 

The City shall allow mixed-use developments within commercially-zoned properties along corridors and ensure that these uses are located, designed, and operated in a manner that maintains compatibility with adjacent residential uses.

 

LU-4.4: Design Strategies for Corridors Developments:

 

The City shall encourage corridor developments to incorporate the following design strategies:

  • Widen and improve public sidewalks to accommodate street trees, pedestrian-scaled lighting, and streetscape furniture. When sidewalks cannot be widened within the public right-of-way, the City shall encourage developers to extend sidewalk improvements on private property to create room for improvements.
  • Place buildings and outdoor gathering and dining spaces along or near the public sidewalk of the corridor.
  • Locate parking lots to the rear or side of buildings or place parking within underground structures or above-ground structures located behind buildings.
  • Design commercial and mixed-use buildings with articulated facades and transparent storefront entrances that front the corridor.
  • Design residential buildings with articulated facades and entries that front the corridor.
  • Enhance commercial and mixed-use building facades with awnings, shade structures, pedestrian-oriented signage, decorative lighting, and other attractive design details and features.
  • Enhance residential building facades with stoops, porches, balconies, and other attractive design details and features.

LU-4.5: Massing, Height, and Scale: 

 

The City shall require corridor developments to transition the massing, height, and scale of buildings when located adjacent to residential properties. New development shall transition from a higher massing and scale along the corridor to a lower massing and a more articulated scale toward the adjoining residential properties.

 

LU-4.6: Commerical Signs: 

 

The City shall maintain, implement, and enforce sign regulations and design standards to reduce sign clutter and illegal signage along corridors.

 

LU-4.7: Parcel Consolidation: 

 

The City shall promote the consolidation of small and irregular shaped parcels along corridors to improve the economic feasibility of development projects.

 

LU-4.8: Shared Driveways & Parking Lots: 

 

The City shall encourage adjoining properties along corridors to use shared driveways and shared parking lots to promote the efficient use of land, reduce the total land area dedicated to parking, and to create a more pedestrian-friendly environment by minimizing curb-cuts along the sidewalk.

 

LU-4.9: Existing Sound Walls & Fences: 

 

The City shall encourage landscaping improvements along sound walls and fences to discourage graffiti and to enhance the visual character of corridors. Where landscaping is not feasible, the City shall encourage the painting of murals on sound walls.

 

LU-4.10: New Sound Walls & Fences: 

 

The City shall discourage the construction of new soundwalls and fences along corridors and shall encourage new developments to front corridors whenever feasible. This policy does not apply to the reconstruction of existing soundwalls or fences that shield existing residential uses from noise.

 

LU-4.11: Streetscape Enhancements: 

 

The City shall strive to improve the visual character of corridors by improving streetscapes with landscaped medians, and widened sidewalks that are improved with street trees, pedestrian-scaled lighting, underground utilities, landscaping, and streetscape furniture and amenities.

 

LU-4.12: Hesperian Boulevard College Corridor: 

 

The City shall develop, maintain, and implement a plan to create a mixed-use and pedestrian-oriented corridor along the segment of Hesperian Boulevard near Chabot College (between Winton Avenue and State Route 92). The City shall encourage a variety of student- and neighborhood-oriented uses along the corridor, including student housing, restaurants, entertainment uses, and cafes.

 

LU-4.13: "A" Street & Redwood Road Corridor: 

 

The City shall coordinate with Alameda County to prepare a coordinated corridor enhancement and land use plan for the “A” Street and Redwood Road Corridor.

 

LU-4.14: Grants for Corridor Planning: 

 

The City shall pursue grant funding to prepare land use, urban design, and mobility plans for additional corridors in Hayward.

 

LU-4.15: Gateway Monument Signs: 

 

The City shall provide gateway monument signs or archways at major corridor entrances to the city, including:

  • Mission Boulevard (at the north and south City Limits),
  • Hesperian Boulevard (at the north and south City Limits),
  • Foothill Boulevard (at the north City Limit),
  • “A” Street and Redwood Road (at the north City Limit),
  • B Street (at the northeast City Limit), and
  • Industrial parkway Southwest (at the south City Limit).