Retail Pad Space in San Clemente

What to diligence before LOI

1. 01

   QSR drive-through permit: Table 17.36.020, as amended by Ord. 1808 (May 19, 2026), requires a Conditional Use Permit for restaurants with drive-through in NC 1.2 through CC 4 and does not allow them in NC 1.1. In the mixed-use zones (Table 17.40.030) they need a CUP in MU 3.0 through MU 5 and are not allowed in MU 1 or MU 2. Section 17.28.260 then requires City Engineer approval of the queue, one lane with six stacking spaces per window, speakers at least 30 feet from any residential zone or use, and possible hours limits (the code's example is 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.) next to residential zoning.

2. 02

   Bank pads: Table 17.36.020 permits Banks/Financial Institutions with Drive-Through Facilities by right in CC 1 through CC 4 but requires a CUP in NC 1.1 through NC 3. In the mixed-use zones banks are permitted, but a drive-thru facility attached to a permitted use is listed only in MU 5 (CUP). Banks park at 1 space per 300 sq ft under Table 17.64.050, so a 4,429 SF branch like Wells Fargo's at Ocean View Plaza needs about 15 spaces.

3. 03

   Auto service pads: vehicle service and repair needs a CUP in NC 1.3 through CC 4, and Section 17.28.320 bars new facilities on properties fronting El Camino Real, bordering a residential or mixed-use zone (or separated from one only by an alley, easement or non-arterial street), or inside the Central Business overlay. All work must be indoors, and street frontages need a 10-foot planting strip with landscaping or berms at least three feet high. Oil change shops park at 1 per bay plus 1 per employee plus two queuing spaces per bay, minimum five.

4. 04

   Pad parking math under Table 17.64.050: drive-thru or fast food restaurants need 1 space per 35 sq ft of public seating plus 1 per 200 sq ft of other floor area, casual dining needs 1 per 4 indoor seats, and a single destination restaurant over 3,000 sq ft needs 1 per 120 sq ft of interior space. For Ocean View Plaza's 1,812 SF pad 68, ask Brixmor for the reciprocal parking count and any recorded drive-through restrictions before an LOI.

5. 05

   Traffic from an official source is limited to I-5: Caltrans' 2024 counts put I-5 at 148,900 vehicles a day just south of Avenida Pico and 150,900 just north, and 173,500 north of Camino de Estrella. We found no City traffic volume map for Avenida Pico, Camino de Los Mares or Avenida Vista Hermosa, so ask the landlord for its count source and year.

6. 06

   Kitchen approvals: Chapter 13.30 names drive-thrus in its definition of a food service establishment, so a new or remodeled QSR pad must install a grease interceptor sized to the California Plumbing Code, a roof exhaust grease guard and a waste oil container, pass a City inspection and hold its own Discharge Permit. Section 13.30.070 makes owners of multi-tenant centers notify new food tenants of these rules. The OC Health Care Agency's Plan Check unit also reviews all new and remodeled food facilities before construction.