Retail Pad Space in Newport Beach

What to diligence before LOI

1. 01

   Permit path: the current Zoning Code Tables 2-4 and 2-5 require a minor use permit for a Drive-Through Facility in every commercial district (CC, CG, CM, CN, CV) and every office district (OA, OG, OM, OR). Fast food with no late hours is permitted, but needs a minor use permit within 500 feet of a residential zoning district or if open past 11 p.m. Minor use permits are decided by the Zoning Administrator, who can refer the case to the Planning Commission (Section 20.52.020(C)(2)).

2. 02

   Site design: Section 20.48.080 asks each drive-through lane to be separated from the parking and entry drives by curbing and landscaping, used only for stacking, at least 12 feet wide with a 10-foot inside radius, and screened against headlight glare. A lot line that adjoins a residentially zoned or occupied parcel needs an 8-foot solid decorative wall with a 5-foot landscape strip. The code gives no fixed car count for the stack, so the Traffic Engineer sets 'adequate queuing space' for each site.

3. 03

   Parking and signs: a drive-through never reduces required parking (Section 20.48.080(C)). Table 3-10 sets fast food at 1 space per 50 sq ft plus 1 per 100 sq ft of outdoor dining, financial institutions at 1 per 250 sq ft, and take-out fast-casual at 1 per 250 sq ft. Section 20.42.080(K)(2) allows up to two menu boards of 48 sq ft each for a drive-through food use.

4. 04

   Fuel and car wash pads: Table 2-5 lists Service Stations as conditional in CC, CG, CN and CV (not CM), with standards in Section 20.48.210, and full-service car washes as a minor use permit in CG, CN and CV. Conditional use permits go to the Planning Commission or a Hearing Officer.

5. 05

   Traffic: Caltrans' 2024 counts on Route 1 (Coast Highway) run 47,200 to 56,500 vehicles a day at Bayside Drive, 50,200 at Dover Drive, 49,600 at the Route 55 junction and 50,600 at Balboa Boulevard/Superior Avenue. The same table shows a break in Route 1 between the Laguna Beach city limit and Bayside Drive, so Caltrans publishes no counts for East Coast Highway through Corona del Mar and Newport Coast. Ask the City for arterial counts there and in the Airport Area.

6. 06

   Kitchens and grease: Municipal Code Section 14.30.030 requires any new food service establishment to get a permit to install a grease control device, and Section 14.30.030(D) bars a certificate of occupancy until it is installed and approved. Gravity interceptors must be between 750 and 2,000 gallons unless the City approves otherwise, so leave room on the pad site plan.