Mission Viejo / South Orange County
Marguerite Parkway is the grocery spine: the City's inventory shows Ralphs at La Paz (25105), Trader Joe's in Mission Viejo Village (25410) and Pavilions at Oso in Mission Viejo Marketplace (26022). Santa Margarita Parkway is the second node, with Ralphs in Portola Plaza (27730) and Sprouts in the 190,000 SF Trabuco Hills Center (27765) a few address numbers apart. Alicia Parkway has Albertsons at Olympiad Plaza, and Trabuco Road has Smart & Final Extra. For inline shop space, the centers with the widest daily-needs mix in the City's list are Mission Viejo Village, Mission Viejo Marketplace and Portola Plaza.
Population
92,151
Median HHI
$136,123
Median age
45.5
Homeownership
76.9%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.
Primary retail corridors
Marguerite Parkway · Alicia Parkway · Oso Parkway · La Paz Road · Santa Margarita Parkway · Crown Valley Parkway
Specific shopping centers in Mission Viejo that already carry credible co-tenancy for this use. Listed in approximate order of fit.
26032 Marguerite Parkway
Anchors / key tenants: Pavilions, OrangeTheory, Stretch Lab, Denault's Ace Hardware, Brightcare Veterinary
Pavilions-anchored center at the Marguerite/Oso intersection, reported as the #1 Pavilions in OC. Affluent trade area ($200k+ HHI). Health, fitness, and pet services already validated in the mix.
25280–25410 Marguerite Parkway
Anchors / key tenants: Trader Joe's, CVS, Big Lots
Size: 175,000 SF
Trader Joe's-anchored community center on the signalized corner of La Paz and Marguerite, across from City Hall and the library. Strong cross-shop with Jersey Mike's, Rubio's, Del Taco, Menchie's, and a Ralphs across the street.
27692–27766 Santa Margarita Parkway
Anchors / key tenants: Ralphs, TJ Maxx, Chase, Starbucks
Size: 160,000 SF
Ralphs-anchored community center on Santa Margarita Pkwy. Daily-needs co-tenancy supports weekly-frequency users.
23062 Alicia Parkway
Anchors / key tenants: daily-needs neighborhood mix
Size: 44,497 SF
Westwood Financial-owned daily-needs center on Alicia Parkway serving the surrounding residential neighborhoods.
Existing operators are the most honest comp for whether a use can support Mission Viejo rents. These are publicly visible grocery-anchored retail space businesses currently trading in the market.
Pavilions (Pavilions Marguerite Pkwy)
26022 Marguerite Parkway, Mission Viejo, CA 92692
Confirmed on Pavilions' own store locator. The City's tenant inventory places it in Mission Viejo Marketplace at Marguerite and Oso, with inline tenants including Denault's ACE Hardware, Orange Theory, Stretch Lab, Sports Clips, Massage Heights, WingStop, Subway, OC Urgent Care and Mission Dental Group.
Trader Joe's (store 126)
25410 Marguerite Parkway, Mission Viejo, CA 92692
Confirmed on Trader Joe's own locator. The City's tenant inventory lists it in Mission Viejo Village Center alongside CVS Pharmacy, Jersey Mike's Subs, Rubio's Coastal Grill, Panda Express, Menchie's Frozen Yogurt, Del Taco, Round Table Pizza and Saddleback Lanes.
Albertsons (Alicia & Olympiad)
23072 Alicia Parkway, Mission Viejo, CA 92692
Confirmed on Albertsons' own locator. The City's tenant inventory lists it under Olympiad Plaza with Dollar Tree, Wendy's, Subway and The UPS Store. Westwood Financial's property page gives Olympiad Plaza as 44,497 SF GLA at 23062 Alicia Parkway.
Sprouts Farmers Market
27765 Santa Margarita Parkway, Mission Viejo, CA 92691
Confirmed on Sprouts' own store page. It sits in Trabuco Hills Center (27755 to 27875 Santa Margarita Parkway), which Pacific Castle lists among its currently owned properties and describes as a 190,000 SF community center. The City's inventory shows Wild Fork Foods, Petco, Yogurtland and F45 Training in the same center.
Ralphs (Portola Plaza)
27730 Santa Margarita Parkway, Mission Viejo, CA 92691
Listed in the City's tenant inventory under Portola Plaza, with CVS Pharmacy, Verizon Wireless, Nekter Juice Bar, Nothing Bundt Cakes, McDonald's and Taco Bell. The ralphs.com store page did not load for us, so this rests on the City's inventory.
Ralphs (La Paz and Marguerite Center)
25105 Marguerite Parkway, Mission Viejo, CA
Second Ralphs listed in the City's tenant inventory, at La Paz Road and Marguerite Parkway, with Supercuts, El Pollo Loco, Chase and The UPS Store in the same center. Not confirmed on ralphs.com.
Smart & Final Extra
26911 Trabuco Road, Mission Viejo, CA 92691
Listed in the City's tenant inventory under Alicia Trabuco Plaza, next to CVS Pharmacy (26851 Trabuco Road). Smart & Final's own locator did not resolve for us.
01
Zone check: Municipal Code Section 9.11.015 lists Food markets and Supermarkets as permitted in the CN, CC and CR zones, conditional (C) in CH and prohibited in OP. Confirm the zone for the specific center with Planning. On a CH site the grocer needs a conditional use permit under Chapter 9.48, which goes to the Design Review Committee and then a Planning Commission public hearing (Sections 9.48.015 and 9.48.020).
02
Small-format grocery: Section 9.11.020(c)(6) sets mini-market standards for grocery and sundry sales in structures under 5,000 sq ft of gross floor area, including a 10,000 sq ft minimum site, 1,000 feet of separation from another mini-market or an elementary, junior high or high school, and two public restrooms. The use table (Section 9.11.015) lists mini-markets tied to former or existing service stations, so get Planning's written read on whether a sub-5,000 sq ft specialty grocer in an inline suite is a Food market or a mini-market.
03
Parking: Section 9.25.020 requires 1 space per 200 sq ft of gross floor area for retail commercial, while restaurants need 1 per 100 sq ft of public seating area up to 4,000 sq ft. Section 9.25.015 makes a change in use subject to the chapter. Restaurant-heavy centers such as Mission Viejo Village (Jersey Mike's, Rubio's, Panda Express, Round Table, Venetian Kitchen & Bar) should show their parking count before a grocer or large inline user signs. Shared parking under Section 9.25.030(n) needs a shared parking analysis and recorded agreements.
04
Expansion or new pad: under Section 9.11.010, a permitted use going into an existing building with no enlargement follows the chapter's standards, but enlarging the building or building new requires a planned development permit under Chapter 9.47. Build that into the schedule for a grocery expansion or a new pad at Mission Viejo Marketplace or Portola Plaza.
05
Opening: Chapter 9.41 requires a certificate of occupancy before a change in use is inaugurated, filed at least 30 days before the intended use (Section 9.41.015(b)), and before reopening under new ownership (Section 9.41.015(c)). The City may require a deposit to guarantee conditions. Put the 30-day filing into the rent commencement timeline.
06
Ownership and GLA: Westwood Financial lists Olympiad Plaza at 23062 Alicia Parkway as 44,497 SF, while Albertsons uses 23072 Alicia Parkway. Confirm whether the Albertsons parcel is inside the landlord's ownership before relying on grocer co-tenancy clauses. At Trabuco Hills Center, Pacific Castle's page still names Party City as an anchor, so confirm what occupies that box today.
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.