How to lease your commercial building in Dana Point, CA

Which owners is this page written for?

This page discusses four kinds of commercial property owner. The first holds a harbor-area interest. Dana Point Harbor is within city boundaries but managed by the County of Orange,^[2] and the County entered a master lease in 2018 that The Log described as running 66 years.^[9] If your building is on harbor land, the first question is who actually holds the right to lease it and on what terms.

The second owns ground-floor commercial space in the Lantern District, which the City places north of the Harbor along Pacific Coast Highway and Del Prado Street, between Copper Lantern and Blue Lantern Streets.^[2] The third owns commercial or light industrial space in Doheny Village. The fourth owns an office or service building elsewhere in the city. An owner in that group may want to ask a broker how parking, visibility and price compare for similar buildings.

What should an owner pull together before pricing a lease?

Consider preparing information about what the space costs to occupy and what it can legally be used for. These materials can help an owner prepare for a conversation with a broker.

• A rent roll with suite sizes, rents, lease start and expiration dates, options and who pays which operating costs.
• Copies of the leases or lease abstracts, including exclusives, signage rights, assignment limits and any right of first refusal.
• Recent operating expenses and the current property tax bill, so you can ask a broker how a full service rate differs from a NNN rate.
• Floor plans, a parking count and its ratio to square footage, loading and utility details such as electrical capacity.
• The certificate of occupancy, the permitted use history and any open code or permit items.
• Roof, HVAC, accessibility and life safety condition, with dates of recent work.
• For industrial space: clear height, dock and grade-level doors, yard area and any environmental reports.
• A realistic date the space can be delivered, and whether the owner will fund a tenant improvement allowance.

What do the leasing and availability figures say?

Kidder Mathews publishes office and industrial figures for a combined Dana Point/San Juan/San Clemente submarket. These are not Dana Point alone, and they are not a prediction of what one building will achieve. The table below shows activity rather than price. Ask a broker how to read leasing and absorption figures for a single building.^[6][7]

One gap is worth a question. Industrial total availability is 13.2% against total vacancy of 6.8%. Ask a broker what makes up the difference.^[7] For retail, Kidder Mathews reports Orange County totals only, with 3Q 2026 vacancy of 3.3% and an asking rent of $2.77 per square foot per month.^[8] That is a county reference, not a quote for any Dana Point address.

How does a building compare with the harbor, Lantern District and Doheny Village?

Retail and restaurant owners may want to ask about the harbor. Orange County describes the commercial core as planned to include approximately 120,000 square feet of new retail, shops and restaurants, and separately describes Phase 3 as seven waterfront buildings with more than 100,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space.^[1] Supervisor Foley's office also reported in May 2025 that the relocation of existing merchant tenants to the wharf area was underway.^[3]

In the Lantern District, REBusiness reported that the four-block downtown is anchored by Prado West, with 109 apartments and nearly 30,000 square feet of ground-floor retail.^[4] An owner nearby may want to ask a broker how their space compares with Prado West's ground-floor retail on size, use and rent. In Doheny Village, the City's 2021 update aims to preserve the mix of commercial, light industrial and residential uses.^[5] An owner there may want to ask a broker how utility, access and flexibility compare with frontage for their tenants.

The Ocean Institute says more than 100,000 guests visit its waterfront campus each year,^[12] and the Festival of Whales is scheduled for March 5-7, 2027.^[13] On the two harbor hotels, the Dana Point Times reported a 2-2 deadlock among county supervisors on Aug. 25, 2026,^[10] and the developer told the Orange County Business Journal that it missed the window to open before the 2028 Olympics.^[11] Ask a broker which demand sources a proposed rent relies on.

What should you ask a California-licensed broker about leasing your building?

These questions are for a California-licensed broker. They are meant to shape the conversation, not to replace it.

• Which tenants have been looking at buildings like mine, and how long did comparable spaces take to lease?
• What rent and structure are realistic for my building, and what evidence supports that number?
• Which of my building's features, such as parking, frontage or clear height, will tenants pay for, and which are neutral?
• How do new harbor and Lantern District spaces compare with my building, and what is the status of each?
• What does my zoning designation allow, and which prospective tenant uses need a permit or approval?
• What are the commission terms, the agreement length and the exclusivity period, and what happens if I find a tenant myself?
• What tenant improvement allowance or free rent will I need to offer, and how does it change my net return?
• If my building is in the Harbor commercial core, which phase is it part of, and what does the County's arrangement with the developer mean for my lease rights?
• If my space is in the Lantern District, how does it compare with ground-floor retail in a mixed-use building on size, parking and rent?
• If my building is in Doheny Village, which of the three districts is it in, and what does the City confirm in writing about permitted uses?
• If my tenant depends on visitors, which parts of the lease terms still work if the harbor hotel plans do not go ahead?

Prepare a note about the building you want to lease

This form builds the note in your browser and does not send it anywhere.

What happens after you prepare the note?

The Download button saves a plain text file with the address, size, occupancy and timing you entered, and the form itself does not transmit it. Take the file to a California-licensed broker if and when you choose, ask for their license number and the brokerage they are licensed through, and request their answers in writing so you can compare more than one.