San Clemente / South Orange County
Camino de Los Mares by I-5 is where San Clemente's pet businesses group together: Brixmor's Ocean View Plaza has Pets Plus (8,700 SF) and Seashore Pet Spa (1,300 SF), and Plaza By The Sea next door has Caring Heart Pet Hospital (1,800 SF). In Talega, OC Grooming & Pet Spa holds 1,136 SF at Talega Village Center. The national chains are outside the city: Petco's California directory lists no San Clemente store (the nearest is in Mission Viejo), PetSmart's nearest store is at 33963 Doheny Park Road with a San Juan Capistrano address, and VCA's nearest hospitals are in Laguna Niguel and Mission Viejo.
Population
63,273
Median HHI
$140,062
Median age
45.6
Homeownership
66.5%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.
Primary retail corridors
Avenida Del Mar · El Camino Real · Avenida Pico · Avenida Vista Hermosa · Avenida Talega
Specific shopping centers in San Clemente that already carry credible co-tenancy for this use. Listed in approximate order of fit.
801 Avenida Talega
Anchors / key tenants: Ralphs
Size: 102,273 SF
Regency Centers-owned community center anchoring the Talega master-planned neighborhood. Ralphs (about 46,000 SF) is the only anchor. Fitness in place via Anytime Fitness and Club Pilates. Food is Peet's Coffee plus independents such as BallPark Pizza, Barnoa Wine Bar, Basanti, Fettuccine Marcello, and Kiann's.
Existing operators are the most honest comp for whether a use can support San Clemente rents. These are publicly visible pet service space businesses currently trading in the market.
Pets Plus (Ocean View Plaza)
638 Camino de Los Mares, Space 04, San Clemente, CA 92673
Pet supply store in 8,700 SF per Brixmor's tenant roster, in the Ralphs and Trader Joe's center.
Seashore Pet Spa (Ocean View Plaza)
638 Camino de Los Mares, Space 08, San Clemente, CA 92673
Grooming tenant in 1,300 SF per Brixmor, a few doors from Pets Plus.
Caring Heart Pet Hospital (Plaza By The Sea)
620 Camino De Los Mares, Suite D, San Clemente, CA 92673
Veterinary tenant in 1,800 SF (620-D) per Brixmor's roster for the Stater Bros.-anchored center next door to Ocean View Plaza. Brixmor showed no vacancies there.
OC Grooming & Pet Spa (Talega Village Center)
801 Avenida Talega, Suite 6-101, San Clemente, CA 92673
Grooming tenant in 1,136 SF per Regency Centers' roster for the Ralphs-anchored center.
01
Grooming, vet and pet supply permits: under Table 17.36.020 as amended by Ord. 1808 (May 19, 2026), Animal Grooming Shops, Offices, Veterinary/Animal Hospitals and Pet Supply Stores are permitted by right in NC 1.2 through CC 4 and need a Minor Conditional Use Permit in NC 1.1. Note 26 adds that an NC 1.2 property next to a residential zone still needs a Minor CUP. Pet Shops (stores selling animals) need a Minor CUP in every commercial zone.
02
Mixed-use zones are tighter: Table 17.40.030 requires a full CUP for a veterinary office in every MU zone, allows grooming only in MU 5 with a Minor CUP, and needs a Minor CUP for pet shops. Pet supply stores are permitted in all MU zones. A groomer looking at downtown or North Beach storefronts should expect grooming to be unavailable there.
03
Boarding and dog daycare: Chapter 17.88 defines a commercial kennel as a place where five or more dogs or cats over four months old are kept for boarding, breeding, raising or training for a fee. Commercial kennels are not listed in the commercial or mixed-use use tables, and Section 17.28.180 sends applicants to the City's specific plans, bars kennels on property adjacent to residential zoning, requires sound attenuation at the property line and keeps runs out of setbacks. The veterinary office definition allows only short-time boarding incidental to treatment. A daycare or boarding concept in a shopping center needs a written use determination from Planning before a lease.
04
Animal services license: Chapter 6.40 (re-adopted by Ord. 1797, November 4, 2025) requires a license from the Coastal Animal Services Authority, the joint powers authority that handles animal licensing for the city, before operating a boarding kennel, pet shop or grooming parlor. The authority inspects the premises first, the license becomes void if the business moves or is sold (6.40.050), kennels and groomers must keep owner and veterinarian records for each animal (6.40.090), and emergency contacts must be posted where they can be read from outside the building (6.40.120).
05
Veterinary premises: the California Veterinary Medical Board requires each practice location to hold a Veterinary Premises Registration, applied for online through BreEZe with a managing licensee associated to it, and the Board inspects premises for sanitation, practice management and record keeping under Business and Professions Code 4809.7 and 4854. Budget time for the registration after the suite is built and before opening.
06
Parking is not set for these uses: Table 17.64.050 has no line for grooming or veterinary offices, so Section 17.64.050.A.2 has the City Planner assign the most similar use. A pet supply store would normally count as general retail at 1 per 300 sq ft. The gap matters: medical offices park at 1 per 200 sq ft and general retail and offices at 1 per 300, so an 1,800 SF clinic like Caring Heart's could be counted at 9 spaces or 6. Get the Planner's call in writing, and check whether Talega Village Center falls under the Talega Specific Plan (Res. 92-71), which would operate as its zoning under Section 17.52.030.
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.