Coffee Shop Space in Newport Beach

What to diligence before LOI

1. 01

   Pick the right use category: under the current Zoning Code Table 2-5, a coffee bar with no alcohol, counter ordering and no more than 20 seats is Take-Out Service, Fast-Casual, which is permitted in the CC, CG, CM, CN and CV districts. It needs a minor use permit only if it sits within 100 feet of a residential zoning district or stays open past 11 p.m. Above 20 seats it becomes Food Service, which needs a minor use permit within 500 feet of residential zoning. The City-hosted 2010 PDF still shows the older 6-seat limit, so work from the current code.

2. 02

   Parking follows the category: Table 3-10 (Section 20.40.040) sets Take-Out Service, Fast-Casual at 1 space per 250 sq ft including outdoor dining, against 1 per 100 sq ft plus 1 per 150 sq ft of patio for Food Service and 1 per 50 sq ft for Fast Food. A 1,500 sq ft cafe needs 6 spaces as fast-casual and 15 as food service. In a center of 100,000 sq ft or less with restaurants at 15 percent or less of the floor area, Section 20.40.050 lets the whole center use 1 per 200 sq ft.

3. 03

   Drive-through: Tables 2-4 and 2-5 require a minor use permit for a drive-through in every commercial and office district. Section 20.48.080 asks for curbed and landscaped stacking lanes at least 12 feet wide with a 10-foot inside radius, headlight screening, and an 8-foot solid wall on any lot line next to a residential parcel, and a drive-through does not reduce required parking. Section 20.42.080(K)(2) allows up to two menu boards of 48 sq ft each.

4. 04

   Patio: Section 20.48.090(A) keeps activity indoors except permitted outdoor dining, which cannot sit between the use and a side facing a residential district. Private-property patios need barriers from parking and drive aisles (Section 20.48.090(D)(2)), and sidewalk seating on public property falls under Municipal Code Chapter 13.18.

5. 05

   Grease permit: Municipal Code Section 14.30.020 requires every food service establishment to hold a City Grease Disposal Permit before it opens, and Section 14.30.030 requires a new FSE to get a building permit for a grease control device. Section 14.30.035 allows a waiver when there is no room or slope for a device, or when the operation produces little grease, which fits many coffee concepts. A waiver carries an annual Grease Disposal Mitigation Fee (Section 14.30.040). OC Health Care Agency's Plan Check unit also has to approve the plans for any new or remodeled food facility.

6. 06

   Center rules and the coast: most of the neighborhood centers named here are Irvine Company properties, and the City keeps separate Planned Community texts that may override Tables 2-4 and 2-5. For Corona del Mar, Lido and the Peninsula, also ask Planning whether the site is in the coastal zone under the Local Coastal Program.