Dana PointCRE

Development tracker

Dana Point development tracker

This page tracks 10 commercial, hotel, harbor and mixed-use projects in Dana Point that public sources describe, from the harbor commercial core to the Victoria Boulevard apartments. Each project shows its location, type, size as the source words it, a dated status and a dated event list with source links. Last checked October 13, 2026.

Counts by status: 3 with construction or site work reported, 1 with a contract award on record, 2 in review or waiting on a vote, 1 proposed or at the study stage, and 3 completed.

As of October 13, 2026 · Last updated · Published by Daniel Weber, Commercial Real Estate Advisor (TREC License 828133)

Which Dana Point projects are under construction?

These are projects whose sources describe work under way. A project listed here can still change its phasing or dates, so read each dated line as the status on that date.

Dana Point Harbor Revitalization: Commercial Core (land side)

Location: Dana Point Harbor, Dana Point. Type: Waterfront restaurant, retail and public space redevelopment (the land side of the harbor revitalization); Dana Point Harbor Partners, a collaboration of Burnham-Ward Properties, Bellwether Financial Group and R.D. Olson Development. Size as the source words it: Five phases and 12 new multi-tenant buildings; Phase 3 brings more than 100,000 square feet of new waterfront restaurants, shops and public space in seven new buildings. Status: Phase 3 still under construction; Phase 4 to begin when the Wharf closes, July 24, 2026.

Dana Point Harbor Marina Renovation

Location: Dana Point Harbor, Dana Point. Type: Marina renovation within the harbor revitalization. Status: Work more than two-thirds complete, March 27, 2026.

The Wave at Dana Point (hotel)

Location: Pacific Coast Highway and Green Lantern, Dana Point. Type: Hotel with an underground parking structure, a full service restaurant and bar, a fitness room and an outdoor pool. Size as the source words it: 35,000-square-foot development with 60 hi-tech rooms and 40 "overnight surfers den" hostel-like accommodations. Status: Rough grading began, October 22, 2025.

Which Dana Point projects have an approval or award on record?

This group holds a public contract award that the source dates. An award is not a construction start, and the source gives no start date.

Doheny Ocean Desalination Project (South Coast Water District)

Location: Not stated in the source. Type: Seawater desalination plant (design, build, operate and maintain services contract), South Coast Water District. Size as the source words it: $6.861 million Phase 1 design-build-operate services contract. Status: Phase 1 contract awarded, October 2024.

Which Dana Point projects are in review, filed or waiting on a vote?

Each entry below has a vote or a permit step that its source reports as still open: the harbor hotels' lease vote ended in a 2-2 deadlock, and the Victoria Boulevard applicant is in plan check for building and grading permits. Read each status with its date.

Dana Point Harbor Hotels: The Doheny (130 rooms) and The Salt Haus (169 rooms)

Location: Marina Inn site, Dana Point Harbor Village, Dana Point. Type: Two hotels planned to replace the Marina Inn: The Doheny, a higher-end hotel joining the Marriott Autograph Collection, and The Salt Haus, a surf-focused hotel that is to be the first Marriott Moxy-branded property in Orange County; R.D. Olson Development. Size as the source words it: The Doheny, 130 rooms; The Salt Haus, 169 rooms. Status: Lease vote deadlocked 2-2, August 25, 2026.

Victoria Boulevard Apartments and Victoria Boulevard Specific Plan

Location: Former Capistrano Unified School District bus yard on Victoria Boulevard, Dana Point (CEQAnet cross streets: Victoria Boulevard and Sepulveda). Type: Apartment complex with an attached parking structure; in May 2024 the Planning Commission recommended that the City Council approve a General Plan Amendment, zone change, Victoria Boulevard Specific Plan, Local Coastal Plan Amendment and Development Agreement. Size as the source words it: 306 units on a 5.51-acre site. Status: Applicant in plan check for building and grading permits, August 21, 2026.

Which Dana Point plans are proposed or at the study stage?

Long-range plans appear here when the source reports review or discussion only. No filing, approval or schedule is stated.

Dana Point General Plan Update (Phase 2)

Location: Areas the advisory committee reviewed, including Pacific Coast Highway toward Dana Point Harbor and Pacific Coast Highway along Capistrano Beach. Type: Long-range plan update; the advisory committee recommended no land-use changes for the highlighted properties and suggested new or revised goals and policies, including mixed-use development potential in areas such as Coast Highway in Capistrano Beach. Status: City Council reviewed the Phase 2 road map; the article says no actionable items, February 4, 2025.

What has opened or finished in Dana Point?

Completed items stay on the tracker with their dates, because each source reports an opening or a completion on a stated date.

Dana Point Harbor Parking Structure and Golden Lantern Entrance (Phases 1 and 2)

Location: Golden Lantern and Dana Point Harbor Drive, Dana Point Harbor. Type: Public parking structure and harbor entrance. Size as the source words it: Three-tiered structure; $45 million. Status: Completed, July 2, 2025.

Capistrano Coast House (former El Caminante Bar & Bungalows)

Location: PCH, Capistrano Beach. Type: Newly rebranded hotel at the site of the former El Caminante Bar & Bungalows. Status: Opened, May 6, 2026.

Del Prado House Apartments (historic Dana Point Hotel site)

Location: Not stated in the source. Type: Apartments at the historic Dana Point Hotel site, after two years of renovation. Status: Opened, 2024.

Do the sources disagree on cost, timing or start dates?

Yes, in three places, and each is shown with its source rather than resolved here. On cost, the Dana Point Times article of March 20, 2026 calls the harbor revitalization a $600 million project.[2] The same publication's article of August 28, 2026 calls it a $700 million project.[5] Neither article explains the difference.

On the harbor hotels, the June 12, 2026 article says the team will continue working toward an August groundbreaking.[7] The Orange County Board of Supervisors lease vote then ended in a 2-2 deadlock on August 25, 2026, short of the four votes needed.[5] The August 28 article says construction is slated to begin by March 2028 and that the plans are running out of time. The June 26 article says hotel construction is on hold, while the August 28 article quotes Supervisor Katrina Foley saying the project continues; the hotels are grouped by the latest dated source.[8]

On Victoria Boulevard, an April 2025 article reports a target of early 2026 for construction.[13] The August 21, 2026 article says that timeline has passed and that no new start date is confirmed.[14]

How to read this tracker

A filing is not an approval. Look for the source's own words, such as approved, awarded or issued, before treating a step as final.

An approval is not a construction start. The Victoria Boulevard apartments hold approvals from 2024 and 2025, yet an August 2026 article reports the applicant is still in plan check for building and grading permits.[14] The harbor hotels show a related gap: a June 2026 article reports construction on hold after the lease vote was delayed, and an August 2026 article reports the vote deadlocked 2-2.[5]

Dates are the source's dates. When an article reports an event after the fact, the tracker shows both the event date and the publication date. Treat any future date, such as the November 1 Wharf closure, as the source's stated plan.

What to ask about a project near your property

If a project sits near a building you own, lease or are weighing, these questions help you read a headline.

  • Ask City of Dana Point planning staff which approval stage the project has reached, and whether the approval carries conditions that affect access, parking or hours.
  • Ask whether construction fencing, closures or lane changes are scheduled near your entrance. The Wharf closure reported for November 1 is an example of a dated closure.[4]
  • Compare the project's stated size and use with your property type.
  • Check whether the project depends on a vote still pending. Treat any plan that does as uncertain until the vote result is on record.
  • Write down the source and date next to every project fact you rely on, and recheck it before a lease or purchase decision.

Write down the project, the date of the status you rely on and its publisher, then compare it with your property type and your timeline.

Ask about a project near your property

Questions people ask

What is the status of the Dana Point Harbor hotels?

The Orange County Board of Supervisors vote on the 66-year ground lease ended in a 2-2 deadlock on August 25, 2026, short of the four votes needed, according to the Dana Point Times. The same article says construction is slated to begin by March 2028 and that plans are running out of time.

How much is the Dana Point Harbor revitalization projected to cost?

Sources disagree. The Dana Point Times called the project $600 million in articles from February to July 2026, including March 20, 2026. Its August 28, 2026 article calls it a $700 million project. Neither article explains the difference, so quote both figures with their dates and publisher.

What is being built in the Dana Point Harbor commercial core?

The Dana Point Times reports the Commercial Core comprises five phases and will feature 12 new multi-tenant buildings. Phase 3 brings more than 100,000 square feet of waterfront restaurants, shops and public space, with a Phase 3 groundbreaking ceremony held March 17, 2026. The source says Phase 3 includes seven new buildings. The land-side redevelopment is expected to continue through 2027.

When does the Dana Point Harbor Wharf close?

A July 24, 2026 Dana Point Times article says the Wharf will close to the public on Nov. 1 as construction begins on Phase 4 of the Commercial Core Revitalization. Closure dates can change, so recheck the date before you rely on it.

What is happening with the Victoria Boulevard apartments in Dana Point?

The project is a 306-unit apartment complex on a 5.51-acre former bus yard. The Dana Point Times reported on August 21, 2026 that demolition at the site is complete, the applicant is in plan check for building and grading permits, and no new start date is confirmed.

Has the Dana Point General Plan Update proposed land-use changes for the harbor corridor?

The Dana Point Times reported on February 14, 2025 that the advisory committee recommended no land-use changes for the highlighted properties, which included Pacific Coast Highway toward Dana Point Harbor and along Capistrano Beach, and suggested new or revised goals and policies. Ask City staff for the current plan status.

Sources

  1. Dana Point Harbor adjustments continue during Phase 3 construction and demolition, Dana Point Times (picketfencemedia.com), published 2026-02-20. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  2. Dana Point Harbor demolition clears way for next phase of revitalization, Dana Point Times (picketfencemedia.com), published 2026-03-20. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  3. Dana Point officials share harbor construction and summer event updates, Dana Point Times (picketfencemedia.com), published 2026-05-22. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  4. Dana Point Harbor businesses prepare for Wharf closure this fall, Dana Point Times (picketfencemedia.com), published 2026-07-24. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  5. Harbor hotel plans still alive but running out of time after supervisors deadlock, Dana Point Times (picketfencemedia.com), published 2026-08-28. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  6. 2024 year in review: harbor revitalization milestones and traditions, Dana Point Times (picketfencemedia.com), published 2024-12-27. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  7. Dana Point Harbor hotels officially named The Doheny and The Salt Haus, Dana Point Times (picketfencemedia.com), published 2026-06-12. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  8. Harbor hotel project on hold after Orange County supervisors delay lease vote, Dana Point Times (picketfencemedia.com), published 2026-06-26. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  9. Dana Point Harbor continues its metamorphosis, Dana Point Times (picketfencemedia.com), published 2026-03-27. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  10. Site preparation begins for Wave hotel construction on the Headlands, Dana Point Times (picketfencemedia.com), published 2025-11-14. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  11. Dana Point Planning Commission approves key permits for Victoria Boulevard apartments, Dana Point Times (picketfencemedia.com), published 2024-05-17. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  12. Victoria Boulevard apartments, Notice of Determination (SCH 2021070304), CEQAnet (California Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation), published 2025-04-03. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  13. Toll Brothers targets early 2026 for Victoria Boulevard apartments construction, Dana Point Times (picketfencemedia.com), published 2025-04. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  14. Demolition at CUSD bus yard site completed for new Dana Point apartments, Dana Point Times (picketfencemedia.com), published 2026-08-21. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  15. City Council reviews changes in Dana Point General Plan, Dana Point Times (picketfencemedia.com), published 2025-02-14. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  16. 2025 year in review: harbor revitalization and traditional events, Dana Point Times (picketfencemedia.com), published 2025-12-31. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  17. Capistrano Coast House opens at site of historic El Caminante hotel, Dana Point Times (picketfencemedia.com), published 2026-05-15. Accessed October 13, 2026.