Zoning explained · Palm Beach County

Central Business District - Railroad Corridor Sub-district Delray Beach, Florida

The Railroad Corridor is the light-industrial pocket of Delray Beach's Central Business District, running in two nodes alongside the FEC railroad. The code's stated goal is to recognise the long-standing light industrial character of the corridor, allow existing uses to upgrade and expand, and keep employment in the downtown.

39 buildings zoned CBD-RC53 permitted business types

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Insights › Zoning & land use › Delray Beach — CBD-RC

Permitted uses

What you can operate in CBD-RC, Delray Beach

The businesses the CBD-RC district in Delray Beach allows. The ones on the left are permitted by right; the ones on the right need a special approval first. (Zoning codes are set by each municipality, so CBD-RC here means specifically Delray Beach's CBD-RC district.)

Allowed by right

Light manufacturing / fabricationProduct assemblyMetal fabricationCabinet / millwork shopSign fabrication shopWarehouse / storageWholesale distributionDistribution facilityContractor and trade servicesGeneral contractor shop / trade shopElectrical contractorPlumbing contractorHVAC contractorAutomobile brokerage with enclosed vehicle displayRetail store (as GC district)RestaurantCoffee shopBar / cocktail loungeBusiness officeProfessional officeMedical officeBarber shopBeauty salonGym / fitness centerArt galleryPrint shopPhotography studioTattoo studioLive/work unitApartment / multi-family dwellingHotelMotelBed and breakfast innAssisted living facilityNursing homePublic parking garageUrban agriculture / community garden (not outdoor farm)

With special approval

Auto repair shopGas stationCar washCommissary kitchen / food preparation and processingDry-cleaning processing plantDrive-through facilityBowling alleySkating rinkMovie theaterVeterinary clinicFuneral home / crematoryFlea marketChild care center / daycareAdult day careOutdoor urban farm24-hour or late-night business within 300 ft of residential

Build envelope

Development standards

Headline dimensional limits for this district. Confirm exact figures against the current code for your specific parcel.

StandardOne of four CBD sub-districts (Central Core, Railroad Corridor, Beach Area, West Atlantic Neighborhood) - permissions differ by sub-district, so confirm the parcel is in the Railroad Corridor node

StandardFabrication/assembly, wholesaling/storage/distribution, contractor and trade services and automobile brokerage are PROHIBITED in the other three CBD sub-districts and permitted only here

StandardSales of automotive parts, lawn care equipment, firearms or second-hand material (other than verifiable antiques) are not allowed on properties facing designated Required Retail Frontage streets

StandardPrimary Streets are held to higher standards for building placement, frontage and location of parking and service uses; Secondary Streets accommodate service functions, parking, loading and drive-throughs

StandardDevelopment is governed by the adopted CBD Regulating Plans, which map primary/secondary streets, required retail frontage and parking/transit locations

StandardServices and facilities are permitted as in the GC district but EXCLUDING drive-through facilities (drive-throughs are conditional)

The fine print

In plain English

BY RIGHT No hearing needed

If your business is on the by-right list, you can occupy a space in this district and open — no zoning hearing. Building permits and licensing still apply, but the use itself is already allowed.

SPECIAL Approval first

Special-approval uses can work here too, but they go through a public review before opening. Plan for extra time and possible conditions — we'll tell you which path a space needs.

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