Dana Point / Coastal Orange County
Monarch Bay Plaza at Pacific Coast Highway and Crown Valley Parkway is the one grocery-anchored center we could confirm: Gelson's and a CVS with a drive-through pharmacy anchor a directory that also includes Starbucks, Chase, Salt Creek Grille, a family dentist, an optometrist, a med spa and fitness studios. Away from the highway, Albertsons sits at Del Obispo Street and Stonehill Drive, and Mother's Market is on Camino Del Avion near Hoag's Monarch Beach urgent care. The zoning code counts grocery and food stores as a retail sales use permitted in all four commercial districts, so the harder questions are parking, loading and, near the coast, whether a coastal development permit is needed.
Population
32,790
Median HHI
$141,520
Median age
47.4
Homeownership
62.4%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.
Primary retail corridors
Pacific Coast Highway · Del Prado Avenue · Crown Valley Parkway · Golden Lantern · Street of the Green Lantern
Specific shopping centers in Dana Point that already carry credible co-tenancy for this use. Listed in approximate order of fit.
Pacific Coast Highway at Crown Valley Parkway
Anchors / key tenants: Gelson's Market, CVS Pharmacy
PCH at Crown Valley — the premium daily-needs and dining node for the Monarch Beach/Ritz-Carlton trade area. Restaurant mix includes Ichibiri Japanese, LUA Asian Fusion, and Salt Creek Grille. Local boutiques (Coastal Accents, Meesh Boutique) anchor the lifestyle side.
Golden Lantern Street
Anchors / key tenants: everyday essentials and specialty boutiques
Neighborhood-serving center with specialty foods, gifts, and convenience for the residential pocket around Golden Lantern.
Existing operators are the most honest comp for whether a use can support Dana Point rents. These are publicly visible grocery-anchored retail space businesses currently trading in the market.
Gelson's Market
Monarch Bay Plaza, 32932 Pacific Coast Highway, Suite 24, Dana Point, CA 92629
Per the center's own tenant page, which also notes Vicktor Bene's Bakery inside the store. The center's home page mentions a Wine & Tapas Bar in the Gelson's.
CVS Pharmacy
Monarch Bay Plaza, 32900 Pacific Coast Highway, Suite 26, Dana Point, CA 92629
Co-anchor at Monarch Bay Plaza with a drive-through pharmacy, per the center's tenant page.
Albertsons (Del Obispo & Stonehill)
33601 Del Obispo Street, Dana Point, CA 92629
The only Dana Point store on Albertsons' own locator. The locator gives no center name.
Mother's Market & Kitchen
24040 Camino Del Avion, Suite G, Dana Point, CA 92629
Per Mother's Market's locations page. Hoag Urgent Care Monarch Beach is at 24060 Camino Del Avion, Suite A, on the same street.
01
Use: Section 9.11.020(b) lists Retail Sales Uses as permitted in NC, CC/P, CC/V and V/RC, and Section 9.75.270 defines retail sales uses to include grocery and food stores, drug stores and convenience stores. Alcoholic Beverage Outlets are P* or C* in all four districts under the special standards in Section 9.07.040, so a grocer selling beer and wine should check which of the two applies to its format.
02
Parking: Section 9.35.080(e)(42) requires 1 stall per 220 sq ft for a multi-tenant center under 25,000 sq ft, 1 per 250 sq ft above 25,000 sq ft, and 1 per 300 sq ft for a single use on its own lot. If restaurant space exceeds 20% of the center's floor area, or one restaurant exceeds 2,000 sq ft, the excess is parked at the restaurant rate. Ask how Planning counts in-store dining, such as the Wine & Tapas Bar Monarch Bay Plaza advertises at Gelson's.
03
Loading: Section 9.35.090 requires 1 loading space for buildings of 10,001 to 20,000 sq ft, 2 for 20,001 to 50,000 sq ft and 3 above 50,000 sq ft, each at least 10 by 25 feet with 14 feet of clear height, screened from adjacent residential districts by landscaping at least six feet high. Confirm a grocery box or a large inline format can meet this on site.
04
Drive-through: Drive-Through Uses need a conditional use permit in all four commercial districts under Section 9.11.020(b) (see also Section 9.07.240). A pharmacy or pickup lane like the CVS drive-through at Monarch Bay Plaza is not something to assume for a new pad.
05
Coastal permit: Section 9.69.020 requires a coastal development permit for all development in the Coastal Overlay District, and Section 9.75.040 defines development to include a change in the intensity of use. Section 9.69.040(b) exempts improvements that do not change a structure's use, except for structures between the sea and the first public road or within 300 feet of the beach. Monarch Bay Plaza fronts Pacific Coast Highway, so ask Planning early whether an expansion or re-tenanting needs a coastal permit.
06
Plan areas: the Lantern District is governed by the Dana Point Town Center Plan as amended by the 2015 voter initiative (Section 9.26.010), and the harbor by the Dana Point Harbor Revitalization Plan (Section 9.25.010). The Chapter 9.11 table does not apply in either area, so a grocery site there needs the plan's own use list.
Zoning, licensing, and demographic figures on this page come from the public records below. Codes and licenses change, so confirm with the city and the licensing agency before you sign.