Coffee Shop Space in Rancho Santa Margarita

What to diligence before LOI

1. 01

   Use: Table 9.03.4 (Section 9.03.080) lists Restaurants (sit-down) as P in both the Commercial General (CG) and Commercial Neighborhood (CN) districts, and the Chapter 9.01 definition of restaurant (a place where food and beverages are prepared, served and consumed) covers a coffee bar. The table's notes add that outdoor seating and dining requires a conditional use permit and that the use is subject to the nuisance standards in Section 9.05.010, which require business operations to be carried out inside a building that keeps odors and noise from bothering neighbors.

2. 02

   Drive-through: Restaurants (drive-thru) are C in CG, CN and the mixed use district, and Section 9.08.110(c) gives the Planning Commission authority over conditional use permits. The findings include that the location, size, design and operation will not create unusual noise or traffic, and an approved permit must be put to use within one year. Section 9.03.080(e) also requires a site development permit (Section 9.08.170) for commercial development projects, so a new lane on an existing pad adds a design review step.

3. 03

   Parking and stacking: Section 9.06.070 parks sit-down restaurants and cafes at 1 space per 100 SF (minimum 8), and drive-through, fast food and take-out restaurants at 1 per 100 SF plus queuing equal to five times the drive-through line's capacity, counting each 20 linear feet of lane as one car. Shopping centers are parked at 1 per 200 SF, and the Development Services Director can require more if the mix of uses adds up. A 1,800 SF cafe is 18 spaces at the restaurant rate and 9 at the center rate, so ask Planning which rate applies to your suite in writing.

4. 04

   Business park space: in the Business Park district (Table 9.03.6), the closest listed use for a coffee counter is Retail sales (small-scale and/or accessory), a conditional use that covers snack bars and delicatessens without alcohol and is capped at 500 SF or 10% of the building, whichever is larger. A full cafe belongs in CG or CN space.

5. 05

   Setbacks for a new pad: Table 9.03.5 requires 20 feet from a residential use or district (or the height of the nearest building, whichever is greater) and 15 feet from the street, measured from back of curb, in both CG and CN. Check these against the drive-through lane layout on any pad near the Santa Margarita Parkway neighborhoods.

6. 06

   Health and grease: the OC Health Care Agency Plan Check unit reviews plans for every new or remodeled food facility and asks for a menu and equipment specification sheets. Santa Margarita Water District, which provides wastewater service in Rancho Santa Margarita, runs a FOG program for food service establishments under Ordinance No. 2012-05-01 and publishes a sizing chart that counts a three-compartment sink as 9 drainage fixture units and starts gravity interceptors at 500 gallons for up to 8 units and 750 gallons for up to 21. Send SMWD your fixture schedule before you finalize the bar layout.