Showroom Retail Space in Aliso Viejo

What to diligence before LOI

1. 01

   Furniture and appliance stores are a conditional use in CT and CC and not permitted in CN, PO, BP-1 or BP-2 (AVMC Table 15.18.020). Table 15.70.030 sends every CUP to the City Council at a public hearing. A design showroom under 10,000 sq ft that Planning treats as 'Retail stores, general' is permitted by right in CT, CC and CN, so get the use classification in writing through the Zoning Compliance Application (PS-240) before you commit to a CUP timeline.

2. 02

   Parking is lighter for this use: Table 15.38.040 sets furniture and appliance stores at 1 space per 500 sq ft of gross floor area, against 1 per 250 for general retail under 80,000 sq ft. Retail home improvement and hardware stores over 80,000 sq ft are 1 per 400. If you are replacing a general retailer, the lower ratio can help a center with a tight parking count.

3. 03

   EV and auto showrooms: 'Auto and motorcycle dealerships, with associated repair services' need a CUP and are allowed only in BP-1 and BP-2, and 'Vehicle, truck, recreation vehicle and marine sales, service, and storage' only in BP-2 (Table 15.18.020). Parking for vehicle sales and service is 1 space per 2,500 sq ft of gross site area, minimum 8. Inside The Commons, the specific plan's Table IV-1 lists 'Sales and lease of on-site vehicles and equipment' as prohibited, so ask Planning how the existing Tesla use was classified before you treat it as a precedent.

4. 04

   The Commons is governed by SP-2, The Commons Specific Plan, not the base zoning table. Its Table IV-1 permits 'Retail sales, goods and merchandise' in SP2-CTC but prohibits 'Maintenance and repair of household appliances', which matters for an appliance showroom that also services units. The copy on the city site is a 2009 scan, so ask whether amendments since then changed the table.

5. 05

   Big box history: the plan records that the closed Super Kmart was split into a Lowe's and two other tenants in 2004 (Site Development Permit SPAV03-18), and ValueRock's May 2022 announcement put 99 Ranch into 45,000 SF of the former Lowe's. General retail over 80,000 sq ft needs a CUP in CT and CC, so a single user taking a whole large box should plan for a Council hearing.

6. 06

   Regional comps: Cushman & Wakefield's Q2 2026 report lists two South County home furnishings leases, LV Furniture Collection (84,766 SF at 26532 Towne Centre Dr.) and Dumos Home (22,500 SF at 26736-26756 Portola Pkwy.), and shows power centers as the lowest-priced center type countywide at $1.98 per SF per month NNN. Use those as a sanity check on large-format pricing, not as an Aliso Viejo quote.