San Ramon staff, consultants and planning commission debate removing cap on non-retail uses in shopping centers

San Ramon city staff and a consultant presented a study and public testimony on Feb. 11 weighing whether to raise or eliminate the city’s 25% cap on non-retail uses in neighborhood and community shopping centers.

The discussion urged the City Council to decide whether the cap — part of the zoning ordinance since incorporation and carried into the 2040 General Plan implementation work — should be increased (the consultant modeled 35% and 45% scenarios) or removed entirely.

Why it matters: The cap limits how much ground-floor space in a shopping center can be occupied by uses the city classifies as “non-retail” (medical offices, fitness clubs, tutoring, personal services and similar uses). Supporters of change say the rule makes centers harder to lease as national retail chains shrink, while opponents said loosening the rule risks losing retail that generates sales tax and services residents want locally.

Roger Dale, managing principal of the Nalsendale Group, told the council the consultant team modeled likely changes in vacancy, tenant mix and…