Monarch BeachCRE

FAQ

Monarch Beach Commercial Real Estate FAQ

This FAQ covers commercial-property topics in the Monarch Beach area of Dana Point. Each answer leads with the answer, names the publisher of any figure, and uses the exact geography the source uses: Dana Point (citywide), the combined Dana Point/San Juan/San Clemente submarket, or Orange County. Where no source exists, the answer says so.

Last updated · Published by Daniel Weber, Commercial Real Estate Advisor (TREC License 828133)

Monarch Bay Plaza and the shopping center

Orange Coast Magazine is the only source read for the center, so the answers here are short.[7] Questions covered in this group:

  • What is Monarch Bay Plaza?
  • Can I find the size, owner or tenants of the Monarch Bay shopping center?

The resort hotel and the golf course

The resort and the course share a permit history and a specific plan, so the sources overlap.[6] [5] Questions covered in this group:

  • How large is the Monarch Beach resort?
  • Is the Monarch Beach golf course open to the public?
  • When did Monarch Beach Golf Links open?

The specific plan, coastal permits and zoning

The rules come from the City of Dana Point and the California Coastal Commission.[2][1][3] Questions covered in this group:

  • What is SP91-01?
  • Do coastal permits matter for Monarch Beach property?
  • What is the Commercial Residential zoning district?

Salt Creek Beach access and parking

OC Parks lists parking terms for Salt Creek Beach Park.[11] Questions covered in this group:

  • Where is Salt Creek Beach Park?
  • What does parking at Salt Creek Beach cost?

Citywide taxes

These figures come from the City of Dana Point’s September 2025 financial report and describe the whole city, not Monarch Beach.[12] Questions covered in this group:

  • Which taxes fund Dana Point (citywide)?
  • How large are the property tax and sales tax budgets (citywide)?

Submarket figures, buying and leasing, and the publisher

Kidder Mathews reports office and industrial for a combined submarket and retail for Orange County.[8] [9] [10] Questions covered in this group:

  • What do the Kidder Mathews figures say near Monarch Beach?
  • How should I approach buying or leasing in Monarch Beach?
  • Who publishes this site?

If your question is not answered here, write down the parcel, the use and what you need to decide before you contact planning staff or a licensed professional.

Prepare a note about what you are weighing

Questions people ask

What is Monarch Bay Plaza?

Orange Coast Magazine describes Monarch Bay Plaza as a Spanish-style center perched above Pacific Coast Highway, reflecting the relaxed sophistication of its Dana Point neighborhood, with boutiques and restaurants. The magazine is the only source read for this site, so nothing further about the shopping center is stated here.

Can I find the size, owner or tenants of the Monarch Bay shopping center?

Not from the sources read for this site. Orange Coast Magazine gives a description only, with no building size, owner, anchor tenants or zoning. Ask whether the landlord or property manager can provide a rent roll and lease expirations, and ask Dana Point planning staff which zoning or plan covers the center.

How large is the Monarch Beach resort?

Hilton’s January 2021 release describes 400 guest rooms and suites at the resort, now Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort & Club, and the resort’s own page describes 175 oceanfront acres. The Coastal Commission’s 2003 report records a 400 key hotel approved in 1992. Confirm current figures with the operator.

Is the Monarch Beach golf course open to the public?

The Southern California Golf Association’s FORE Magazine describes Monarch Beach Golf Links as the first upper-end public course in Orange County. The Coastal Commission’s permit history also records a clubhouse reconfiguration that lets the public reach the golf clubhouse from Niguel Road. Ask the operator for current access and fee terms.

When did Monarch Beach Golf Links open?

FORE Magazine, published by the Southern California Golf Association, says the course opened in the summer of 1983 and that the second nine did not open until late 1984. It also says the course was first called Salt Creek Golf Course, and that the resort was built along the first fairway in 2001.

What is SP91-01?

The City of Dana Point Zoning Code, Chapter 9.33, lists SP91-01 Monarch Beach Resort as an adopted specific plan in Appendix D, under Council Resolution 92-02-25-3. The code says that where a specific plan addresses zoning matters, it supersedes the land use regulations that would otherwise apply. Ask city planning staff for the current plan text.

Do coastal permits matter for Monarch Beach property?

They can. The California Coastal Commission’s records show Coastal Development Permit 5-92-168 approved a 400 key resort hotel and eighty-six residential units in 1992, before the city’s Local Coastal Program was certified. Ask planning staff whether a coastal permit applies to what you propose and whether earlier permits impose conditions relevant to it.

What is the Commercial Residential zoning district?

A November 1999 Coastal Commission report concerned a Local Coastal Program amendment on uses in the Commercial Residential zoning district in the Monarch Beach area and one other area of the city. That is the only sourced statement here, so ask Dana Point planning staff which parcels carry the district and what it allows today.

Where is Salt Creek Beach Park?

OC Parks lists Salt Creek Beach Park at 33333 S. Pacific Coast Hwy., Dana Point, CA 92629. It describes restrooms with outside showers, a paved parking area, and a surfing location with a small offshore reef producing left swells. Ask OC Parks about anything the listing does not cover before planning a visitor-serving use.

What does parking at Salt Creek Beach cost?

OC Parks says Salt Creek Beach parking is pay and display at $1 per hour year-round, and that an annual County beach parking card is also available. OC Parks gives no capacity figure in the page read for this site, so ask OC Parks about supply if parking matters to a business you are weighing.

Which taxes fund Dana Point (citywide)?

The City of Dana Point reports an FY26 General Fund revenue budget of $51.5 million, citywide. Its financial report lists Transient Occupancy Tax first among the largest annual sources, then property tax and sales tax. No hotel tax rate is sourced on this site.

How large are the property tax and sales tax budgets (citywide)?

The City of Dana Point’s September 2025 report projects total property tax revenue of $12.3 million in its FY26 budget and an amended sales and use tax budget of $6.97 million. It reports $5.9 million of Transient Occupancy Tax through September 30, 2025, down 3.5 percent. All of these are citywide figures.

What do the Kidder Mathews figures say near Monarch Beach?

Kidder Mathews’ 3Q 2026 reports cover a combined Dana Point/San Juan/San Clemente submarket, not Monarch Beach alone. Office shows 2,468,827 square feet, 6.1 percent total vacancy and a $2.87 full service asking rent per square foot per month. Industrial shows 3,062,216 square feet and 6.8 percent vacancy.

How should I approach buying or leasing in Monarch Beach?

Start with the regulations for your parcel, meaning the specific plan, the zoning and the coastal permit history, then ask for property-level data from the owner. Work with a California-licensed professional for brokerage services. Kidder Mathews reports Orange County retail at 3.3 percent vacancy, a countywide reference point and not a Monarch Beach figure.

Who publishes this site?

The publisher is Daniel Weber, Commercial Real Estate Advisor, a Texas real estate sales agent (TREC License 828133) sponsored by DFW Trinity Advisors LLC (SVN | Trinity Advisors). He is not licensed in California, and the site offers sourced research, not California brokerage services.

Sources

  1. Coastal Commission staff report, February 2003 (permit 5-92-168 history, Monarch Beach Specific Plan), California Coastal Commission, 2003-02. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  2. Dana Point Zoning Code, Chapter 9.33, Specific Plan District, City of Dana Point (gocodebook.com mirror of the city code). Accessed October 13, 2026.
  3. Coastal Commission report on a Local Coastal Program amendment, November 1999, California Coastal Commission, 1999-11-18. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  4. Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach, what to expect, Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  5. Dana Point, Calif. welcomes Waldorf Astoria, Hilton, 2021-01-06. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  6. Standing the test of time (Monarch Beach Golf Links), Southern California Golf Association, FORE Magazine, 2024-07-18. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  7. Monarch Bay Plaza description, Orange Coast Magazine. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  8. Orange County Office Market Report, 3Q 2026, Kidder Mathews, 3Q 2026. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  9. Orange County Industrial Market Report, 3Q 2026, Kidder Mathews, 3Q 2026. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  10. Orange County Retail Market Report, 3Q 2026, Kidder Mathews, 3Q 2026. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  11. Salt Creek Beach, OC Parks. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  12. September 2025 Quarterly Financial Report (FY26 Q1), City of Dana Point, 2025-10-23. Accessed October 13, 2026.
  13. Coastal Commission staff report, April 2003 (CPH Monarch Golf, LLC), California Coastal Commission, 2003-04. Accessed October 13, 2026.