The Orange Avenue Corridor Specific Plan - City of Coronado

strongest potential to succeed in the Specific
Plan area include restaurants; oneof-a-kind
specialty retailers; upscale boutique
retailers; and specialty food outlets
such as Whole Foods or Trader Joes.
Key Retail Findings and
Recommendations
• Currently, Coronado’s economy is in
equilibrium. The City’s actions to
limit/restrict the introduction of chain
retailers and national credit tenants
and to forego active marketing campaigns
in support of the tourist industry
have not adversely affected the
City’s economy or property values.
• The City is exporting the vast majority
of its retail sales potential out of the
City. The most recent figures available
indicate that Coronado is retaining
only 35% of its sales potential. This is
due in large part to the presence of
the Navy Exchange at North Island
Naval Air Station (NASNI) and an
abundance of established discount
retailers and super-regional malls on
the mainland.
• The City’s potential for attracting a
large national discount retailer or
general merchandise powerhouse is
limited by: (a) small population base,
(b) lack of available sites, (c) lack of
access/visibility to freeway arterial,
and (d) strong competition from Navy
Exchange.
• The Orange Avenue retail corridor
should not attempt to compete with
the Navy Exchange at North Island
Naval Air Station (NASNI) to recapture
General Merchandise sales. The
scale of the Exchange and the deep
discounts offered to active-duty and
retired military personnel residing in
Coronado cannot be overcome by the
local business district.
• The City should encourage businesses
that contribute to create a unique
retail environment oriented to oneof-a-kind
upscale retail. An objective
should be to retain local merchants
and attract new merchants whose
uniqueness will: (a) add to downtown’s
ability to offer both merchandise
and ambiance that is difficult to
duplicate in most shopping centers
and other downtowns, (b) help to
establish and maintain Downtown
Coronado as a significant destination
retail location, and (c) serve the retail
needs of local residents.
• Service uses (e.g. plumbers, electricians,
automotive, etc.) are not
appropriate for Orange Avenue.
Moreover, commercial lease rates in
Downtown are unattractively high for
such users. The City should seek to
establish suitable locations elsewhere
in the City.
• The Village Theater should be revived
to serve as an anchor for Downtown.
It is thought that the single-screen
theater can be supported by the local
non-military population despite the
presence of first-run movies at NASNI.
However, finding an operator for a
single screen movie theater may be
difficult and expensive.
Office Market
Coronado’s approximately 60,000 SF of
office space is concentrated in the
extreme southern portion of the Plan
area, south of 10th Street. Slightly over
56,000 SF of office space is concentrated
in three primary locations: California
Plaza (33,000 SF), Eldorado Square
(13,800 SF), and Coronado Plaza (9,500
SF.) Coronado’s office inventory also
includes small amounts of second-story
space that lacks amenities such as air conditioning,
e.g., the Winchester Building
and the Spreckels Building. There have
been no new office buildings built in
Coronado since the early 1980s when California
Plaza and El Dorado Square were
constructed.
Overall, the office market is healthy with
relatively low vacancy throughout. There
may be moderate demand for suites
APPENDIX 4 – MARKET STUDY SUMMARY
ORANGE AVENUE CORRIDOR SPECIFIC PLAN Page 123