Arcadia, CA Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Downtown Design Guide (2026)

The Downtown zones are the CBD Commercial Business District, MU Mixed Use, DMU Downtown Mixed Use and C-M Commercial Manufacturing zones (§ 9102.05.010). Table 2-11 in § 9102.05.030 carries the physical standards: a 60 ft maximum height in CBD, MU and DMU and 40 ft in C-M, a maximum floor area ratio of 1.0 in CBD, MU and DMU and 0.5 in C-M, and 100 sf of open space per residential unit in CBD, MU and DMU. Note (1) to that table, attached to the CBD and DMU columns, points builders to the City Center Design Plan for additional design guidelines.

Section 9101.01.070 sets the pecking order. Design guidelines adopted by the City are complementary to the development and design standards of the Development Code, and if a guideline conflicts with the Code, the Code governs.

Section 9102.05.040 adds downtown-specific rules. Commercial uses are encouraged but not required along street frontages, ground-floor commercial space needs a minimum ground-floor height of 12 feet, six inches, and no parking is allowed within required front or street side setbacks. Roof decks in the MU and DMU zones need Site Plan and Design Review and a five-foot setback from all building lines.

The review itself runs under § 9107.19. The Director decides the smallest projects without public notice, larger ones go to the Commission with a public hearing, and the Review Authority must approve, approve with conditions or deny within 30 days after a completed application is filed. The applicant also reimburses the City for the cost of its architectural and landscape design consultants. Building or Grading Permits, Business Licenses and Certificates of Occupancy are not issued until the review requirements are met.