Photo above: Pleasant Hill City Hall, where the City Council meets, photo posted March 2010. Bill Larkins, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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Maybe. On November 17, 2025, the Pleasant Hill City Council adopted a new zoning code and map that rezoned 1,072 parcels across the city, and it took effect December 17, 2025 (City of Pleasant Hill, Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance Amendment page and 2026 General Plan Land Use & Zoning Map Study page, checked September 24, 2026). The only way to know about your lot, or the one next door, is to look it up on the city’s approved zoning map.
The Council isn’t finished, either. It holds another public study session on the map on Monday, October 19, 2026. Here’s what changed, why, what the city says it means for an existing home, and how to check before you buy or sell.
What exactly did the city change?
The whole zoning code and the zoning map. Ordinance No. 978 replaced Title 18 of the Pleasant Hill Municipal Code, the city’s planning and land use rules, with six new parts, and adopted a new zoning map (City of Pleasant Hill, Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance Amendment page, checked September 24, 2026). The city posts each part and the approved map on that page.
The 1,072 figure comes from the city’s September 19, 2026 news post, which says the map rezoned 1,072 parcels “for consistency with the 2040 General Plan and 2023-2031 Housing Element” (City of Pleasant Hill, news flash, September 19, 2026).
Why did Pleasant Hill rezone so many parcels?
Because state law made it line the map up with plans it had already adopted. The city’s FAQ explains that as a general law city, Pleasant Hill must make its zoning match its General Plan. The 2040 General Plan, adopted in May 2023, moved some areas into new land use categories. For example, some single-family properties were redesignated mixed-use. The rezoning brought the zoning in line (City of Pleasant Hill, Rezoning Frequently Asked Questions, updated October 10, 2025).
The Housing Element drives much of it. Pleasant Hill’s share of the regional housing need under the state process (RHNA) for 2023 to 2031 is 1,803 units: 566 very low income, 326 low, 254 moderate and 657 above moderate. The city identified capacity for more than 2,130, including 1,421 units on vacant and non-vacant sites (City of Pleasant Hill, 2023 to 2031 Housing Element, adopted May 18, 2023 and certified November 22, 2023, p. 4-7, checked September 25, 2026). The FAQ adds two programs that go beyond that target:
- Program F called for rezoning almost 105 acres of low-density areas to higher-density mixed-use or multifamily designations, with a deadline of November 22, 2025.
- Program R calls for new mixed-use zones and standards that allow “missing middle” housing types by 2026.
The FAQ names one example area: the East Vivian residential area east of Contra Costa Boulevard (same FAQ).
What does mixed-use zoning mean for an existing house?
The city says nothing changes for the house that’s there. Its FAQ says single-family homes are permitted in all mixed-use zones, existing homes do not become nonconforming, and the city will not make an owner add a commercial component to improve an existing single-family home in a mixed-use zone (City of Pleasant Hill, Rezoning FAQs, updated October 10, 2025).
Mixed-use itself means a zone that allows commercial and residential uses together. The FAQ’s examples: shops or a coffee shop on the ground floor with homes above, or a commercial building sharing a site with townhomes.
One caution. That FAQ is dated October 10, 2025, before the Council’s final vote. The adopted code is the rule. For your parcel, read the adopted zoning district rules or ask the city’s Planning Division.
Will a rezoning raise my property taxes?
The city says no. Its FAQ says the Contra Costa County Assessor confirmed to city staff that property is reassessed on a change in ownership or when new construction adds value, and a rezoning by itself does not trigger a reassessment (City of Pleasant Hill, Rezoning FAQs, updated October 10, 2025).
That’s the city’s summary, not tax advice. For your own bill, call the County Assessor or a tax professional.
Is the city taking property or planning a project on my street?
Not according to the FAQ. The city says it does not own the rezoned properties and does not intend to use eminent domain to acquire any of them for the rezoning. It also says the zoning changes are not tied to any development project, and that it had no new mixed-use development applications under review when the FAQ was written (City of Pleasant Hill, Rezoning FAQs, updated October 10, 2025).
What gets built later depends on owners who apply. That’s why the project list below matters more than the map alone.
What housing projects are already on the city’s list?
The city’s Major Development Projects page lists these residential applications, among many smaller commercial ones (City of Pleasant Hill, Major Development Projects page, checked September 24, 2026):
| Address | What the city lists |
|---|---|
| 490 Golf Club Road | Redevelopment with 81 one-bedroom senior affordable units plus a two-bedroom manager’s unit, four stories on four acres, a day care for up to 90 students and a new building for the existing adult day health program |
| 230 Cleaveland Road | Approved: nine three-story townhomes, one set aside as very low income |
| 170 Cleaveland Road | Approved: an eight-lot single-family development, one lot set aside as low income, on 0.55 acres |
| 250 Cleaveland Road | Habitat for Humanity application: seven attached single-family homes, four low income and three moderate income, with a state density bonus request |
| 85 Woodsworth Lane | Habitat for Humanity application: four affordable homes on an undeveloped site |
The same page lists an approved four-story, 155-room Cambria Hotel at 3131 and 3195 North Main Street and 1531 Oak Park Boulevard, replacing the Black Angus restaurant and a retail building. The page doesn’t show a build date for any of these. Ask the planner named on each entry for its status.
What happens at the October 19, 2026 meeting?
More discussion, and possibly more map changes. At a March 16, 2026 study session, the Council directed staff to follow up with the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development about possible changes to the land use and zoning map adopted in Ordinance No. 978. The October 19 study session will review what’s new since March and give staff direction on whether more General Plan land use and zoning map changes are needed (City of Pleasant Hill, news flash posted September 19, 2026, and 2026 General Plan Land Use & Zoning Map Study page, checked September 24, 2026).
The details: Monday, October 19, 2026, 7:00 p.m., City Council Chambers, 100 Gregory Lane. The public can attend and comment. A staff report comes out before the meeting. We’re not taking a side. We’re telling you it’s on the calendar.
How do I check a specific address?
Four steps.
- Find the zone. Open the 2025 approved zoning map on the city’s Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance Amendment page (phillca.gov/1666) and find the parcel.
- Read the rules for that zone. Part 2 of the new code covers zoning districts and development standards. It’s linked on the same page.
- Look at the neighbors. Check the zones of the lots around it, and scan the Major Development Projects page (phillca.gov/1589) for anything nearby.
- Ask the city. The Planning Division is the right place for “what can be built on this lot.” For anything that turns on a legal reading, talk to a real estate attorney.
Sign up for the city’s email updates at phillca.gov/gpamend if you want notice of future meetings.
I’m selling. Do I need to say anything about this?
Ask a real estate attorney about your disclosures. What we can tell you is practical: buyers are asking, and a seller who has already pulled the zoning for the lot and the block has a straight answer ready. That helps in any negotiation.
Questions people also ask
How many parcels did Pleasant Hill rezone?
1,072, under Ordinance No. 978, which the City Council adopted November 17, 2025 and which took effect December 17, 2025, per the City of Pleasant Hill’s news post of September 19, 2026 and its zoning pages, checked September 24, 2026. The same ordinance replaced the city’s entire zoning code, Title 18 of the Municipal Code. The approved zoning map is posted at phillca.gov/1666.
Can a Pleasant Hill home rezoned to mixed-use stay a single-family home?
Yes, according to the city. Its Rezoning FAQs, updated October 10, 2025, say single-family homes are allowed in every mixed-use zone, don’t become nonconforming, and won’t be required to add a commercial use when owners make improvements. The FAQ came out before the final vote, so confirm your parcel’s rules in the adopted code with the Planning Division.
Does rezoning change my property tax in Contra Costa County?
The City of Pleasant Hill’s FAQ says the County Assessor told city staff that a rezoning does not trigger reassessment. Reassessment follows a change in ownership or new construction that adds value. That is the city’s summary of the rule, not tax advice. For your own parcel, check with the Contra Costa County Assessor or a tax professional.
When is Pleasant Hill’s next zoning meeting?
A City Council study session on the General Plan land use and zoning map is set for Monday, October 19, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at 100 Gregory Lane, per the city’s news post of September 19, 2026. The public may attend and comment. A staff report will be posted before the meeting.
Your next step
Looking at a Pleasant Hill home, or thinking of selling one? Send us the address. We’ll pull the zoning for the lot and the block and the recent sales on that street, and point you to the right person at the city for anything we can’t answer. Talk to a Pleasant Hill agent on our team or call (510) 949-5525.
More on Pleasant Hill: Is Pleasant Hill, CA a good place to live? · Selling a home in Pleasant Hill · What’s my home worth?
By Bill Davis, DRE #01880656, The Davis Team at eXp Realty, Pleasant Hill, CA. Updated September 24, 2026.
Sources
- City of Pleasant Hill, Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance Amendment and Proposed Rezoning Map page (Ordinance No. 978, zoning code parts and 2025 approved zoning map): phillca.gov/1666 (checked September 24, 2026)
- City of Pleasant Hill, Rezoning Frequently Asked Questions, updated October 10, 2025: phillca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/23153 (checked September 25, 2026)
- City of Pleasant Hill, 2026 General Plan Land Use & Zoning Map Study page: phillca.gov/1674 (checked September 24, 2026)
- City of Pleasant Hill, news flash “2026 General Plan Land Use & Zoning Map Amendment Study,” posted September 19, 2026: phillca.gov (checked September 24, 2026)
- City of Pleasant Hill, 2023 to 2031 Housing Element (adopted May 18, 2023, certified November 22, 2023), p. 4-7: phillca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/21784 (checked September 25, 2026)
- City of Pleasant Hill, Major Development Projects page: phillca.gov/1589 (checked September 24, 2026)