Find your perfect location in Brea California
At KEYZ Commercial, we are your local commercial real estate experts.
Brea, CA
There is no single Brea retail market. There are four, and the deal you get depends on which one you land in: the mall, the Imperial Highway power centers, walkable downtown Birch Street, or a neighborhood center. Rent, co-tenancy, parking and the kind of tenant who succeeds are different in each.
Brea also has one requirement that catches newcomers out. A project valued at $1.5 million or more has to spend one percent of that valuation on sculpture, and past $4 million it has to be installed on your site. That is a real line item and a real schedule risk.
This page walks the four submarkets, then the sculpture rule, then what KEYZ has available near Brea. The zoning, parking and permit detail is further down, with section numbers, for when you need it.
$2.23B
retail sales, 2022
$47,178
retail sales per resident
123,974
people within 3 miles
Which Brea are you leasing in?
Take the four in turn. The same concept can be a strong deal in one and a bad one two miles away.
Brea Mall and the new mixed-use district
- Simon-owned, roughly 1.28 million SF, anchored by Nordstrom and Macy’s
- The former Sears site is being rebuilt: Sunset Green opened May 2026, Life Time opened a 123,000 SF club in July 2026, 380 apartments follow
- Mall-standard deal terms: percentage rent, set hours, landlord-controlled build-out
Who it suits: National and regional brands, experiential concepts and food that can carry mall occupancy costs.
Imperial Highway power centers
- Brea Union Plaza at Imperial and Kraemer: Walmart, Nordstrom Rack, PetSmart, Staples
- Brea Marketplace on East Birch: 352,289 SF with Target, 24 Hour Fitness, Sprouts, Old Navy and Big 5
- Deep parking fields, pylon signage and car-driven trips
Who it suits: Off-price, fitness, pet, medical-retail and quick service with drive-through ambitions.
Downtown Brea, Birch Street
- A 60-acre redevelopment with roughly 350,000 SF of commercial space and 19,000 SF of office
- Built for walking: on-street parking, two structured garages, wide sidewalks, cinema and live entertainment
- Managed through a non-profit Brea Downtown Owners Association rather than one landlord
Who it suits: Chef-driven restaurants, bars, boutiques and service uses that live on evening and weekend traffic.
Neighborhood centers
- Grocery and drug-anchored centers serving the residential north and east of the city
- Smaller shop spaces, lower occupancy costs, a trade area measured in minutes rather than miles
- Zoned C-N, where the code is written for everyday retail and services close to homes
Who it suits: Nail and hair studios, dental and medical, tutoring, takeout and the local services that renew for a decade.
Center facts: Regency Centers (Brea Marketplace), LoopNet and center materials for Brea Union Plaza, the US EPA Smart Growth case study for Downtown Brea, and Simon and press reporting for Brea Mall. Verified September 2026.
A 47,000-person city with a regional retail economy
Brea sells far more than its own residents could buy. That gap is the argument for leasing here, and it is the number to put in front of a franchisor or a lender.
| Measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Total retail sales (2022) | $2.23 billion | US Census Bureau, 2022 Economic Census |
| Retail sales per resident (2022) | $47,178 | US Census Bureau |
| Accommodation and food services sales (2022) | $373.1 million | US Census Bureau |
| City population (July 2025 estimate) | 47,260 | US Census Bureau |
| Median household income | $131,129 | ACS 2020-2024, in 2024 dollars |
| Population within 3 miles of Brea Marketplace | 123,974 | Regency Centers |
| Daytime population within 3 miles | 137,230 | Regency Centers |
| Average household income within 3 miles | $162,218 | Regency Centers |
Put plainly: about 47,000 people live in Brea, roughly 124,000 live within three miles of its main centers, and the daytime figure is higher still. A concept here is underwritten on the region that drives in, not on the rooftops inside the city line.
The rule that surprises people: Brea makes you buy sculpture
Brea has required public art from private development since 1975, and it is not a symbolic gesture. The current rule sits in the Zoning Code, added by Ordinance 1050 in 2001, with a policy manual re-adopted in November 2021.
| Project building valuation | What you owe | How you can satisfy it |
|---|---|---|
| Under $1.5 million | Nothing | Not subject to the requirement |
| $1.5 million to $3,999,999 | 1% of total project building valuation | Install approved, publicly visible sculpture on site, or contribute to Brea’s Art Fund |
| $4 million or more | 1% of total project building valuation | Sculpture on site. The in-lieu contribution is not available |
City of Brea, Sculpture Requirement for Developers, and the Art in Public Places Policy Manual (Resolution 2021-066). Valuation is based on International Code Council Building Valuation Data, not on your construction contract.
It is tied to valuation, not to use. A large tenant improvement or a ground-up pad can cross $1.5 million on the City’s valuation table faster than people expect. Ask who carries the sculpture cost before the letter of intent is signed, because it is rarely in a standard work letter.
It is a schedule item, not just a cost. The application runs through an advisory committee with milestones that can hold up permits and the certificate of occupancy. Start it early or it will sit on your opening date.
The owner maintains it forever. The sculpture is a fixed asset on the property, and the owner is responsible for maintaining it and for funding that maintenance.
Exceptions are narrow: residential projects of four or fewer units, places of worship, and case-by-case exemptions for 501(c)(3) public facilities and affordable housing. There are more than 150 sculptures on display across the city, which is why Brea looks the way it does.
Brea Mall is being rebuilt while you lease
The former Sears site is becoming a mixed-use district. The City Council approved it unanimously in May 2023. Sunset Green opened in May 2026, Life Time opened its roughly 123,000 SF athletic country club on July 9, 2026, and AMLI Brea - 380 apartments - lists first move-ins for spring 2029.
For anyone signing a five or ten year lease nearby, that is the traffic picture changing mid-term: a fitness anchor pulling members several times a week, a new outdoor gathering space, and several hundred households within walking distance before the lease is up.
Read our full Brea Mall redevelopment breakdown, with approval dates and sources
What space costs, honestly
We do not publish a Brea rent, because the four submarkets above do not share one. A mall deal and a neighborhood shop space are not the same product. What we can publish is the county benchmark the brokerage reports agree on, as a sanity check before you tour.
Mall and Imperial Highway space commonly prices above these averages; older strip space below. For the real number on a specific space, ask us and we will build it from the lease basis, the common area charge, the base year and the shell condition.
Sources: Kidder Mathews, Orange County Retail Market Report Q2 2026; CBRE, Orange County Retail Figures Q1 2026; Cushman & Wakefield, Orange County Retail MarketBeat Q2 2026.
What KEYZ has now, nearest Brea first
One KEYZ listing is in Brea today, on East Imperial Highway. The rest are our closest current availabilities. If nothing here fits, tell us the use and the size and we will work the corridor you need.
For leaseSouthern Steel Brea Center
Brea
872 SF industrial-flex · $2.70/SF/mo MG
For lease1543 N Tustin Ave
Orange
47,916 SF commercial lot · Contact for rate
For leaseSanta Fe Springs Marketplace
Whittier
1,400 - 17,880 SF · Negotiable
For leaseState Road Flex
Cerritos
2,511 - 4,130 SF · $1.50/SF/mo MG
For leaseLos Alisos Village
Mission Viejo
2,135 SF · $3.75/SF/mo NNN
For leaseLimonite Plaza
Jurupa Valley
1,126 - 5,255 SF · $3.50/SF/mo NNN
Recently done nearby
Reference: zoning, parking and permits
Commercial and mixed-use zones
| Zone | What it is for | Code |
|---|---|---|
| C-P | Commercial, administrative and professional - office-oriented | Ch. 20.224 |
| C-N | Neighborhood commercial - everyday retail and services close to homes | Ch. 20.228 |
| C-C | Major shopping center - the regional retail zone | Ch. 20.232 |
| C-G | General commercial and highway related uses | Ch. 20.236 |
| MU-18 / MU-50 | Mixed use; no ground-floor residential along Brea Blvd, Birch St, State College Blvd or Imperial Hwy frontages | Ch. 20.258 |
Every commercial zone draws its use list from one table, Table 20.11.020.A, where each use is marked permitted, minor conditional use permit, conditional use permit or prohibited. If your use is not listed, the Community Development Director decides which listed use it most resembles. In C-G, expect a 6,000 SF minimum lot, a 35 foot height limit, a 10 foot front setback, 50% maximum building coverage and 15% landscaping.
Off-street parking
| Use | Required parking |
|---|---|
| General retail | 1 space per 200 SF |
| Shopping center | 5.5 spaces per 1,000 SF |
| Restaurant (sit-down or quick service) | Greater of 10 spaces; 1 per 100 SF up to 6,000 SF plus 1 per 75 SF above that; or 1 per 3 seats |
| Outdoor dining | None under 300 SF or 20 seats; above that, 1 per 100 SF or 1 per 3 seats over the threshold |
| Health and fitness center | 1 space per 150 SF |
| Medical and dental | 5.5 spaces per 1,000 SF |
| Personal services | 1 space per 250 SF |
| Office | 1 space per 250 SF |
Two provisions worth remembering: drive-through stacking counts toward up to 30% of required parking, capped at 20 spaces, and mixed-use projects on consolidated parcels can reduce required parking by up to 20%.
The two permit paths
| Minor conditional use permit | Conditional use permit | |
|---|---|---|
| Who decides | Community Development Director | Planning Commission |
| Hearing | No hearing; mailed notice within 300 feet, at least 10 days before the decision | Public hearing |
| Effective | 10 days after the decision, unless appealed | 10 days after the decision, unless appealed |
| Expires | 2 years if not exercised; 6-month extensions | 2 years if not exercised; 6-month extensions |
A recent example: Main Event at 245 West Birch Street needed two conditional use permits in 2025, one for the indoor recreation use and one for a restaurant and bar with a Type 47 license. If your concept mixes food, alcohol and entertainment, plan on the Commission hearing.
Cannabis is the one flat prohibition. Brea bans all commercial cannabis activity, including storefront retail and delivery to or from any location in the city (section 8.48.020, Ordinance 1200).
Brea Municipal Code Title 20 (current through Ordinance 1276, June 16, 2026), sections 20.08.040, 20.11.020, 20.236, 20.258 and 20.408.030, and section 8.48.020; CEQAnet SCH 2025060913. Read September 2026. Get a zoning verification letter from the City before you sign.
Brea retail leasing, frequently asked
Which part of Brea should I be looking at?
It depends on your concept. Brea Mall suits national and experiential brands that can carry mall occupancy costs. The Imperial Highway power centers suit off-price, fitness, pet and quick service with parking-heavy trips. Downtown Birch Street suits restaurants, bars and boutiques that live on evening and weekend traffic. Neighborhood centers suit everyday services on lower occupancy costs.
Do I really have to pay for a sculpture in Brea?
If your project building valuation is $1.5 million or more, 1% of that valuation goes to public art. Between $1.5 million and $3,999,999 you can install a sculpture on site or contribute to the City's Art Fund instead. At $4 million and above the sculpture must be installed on site, and the property owner maintains it. Ask early who carries the cost, and build the approval milestones into the construction schedule.
What does retail space cost to lease in Brea?
No public source publishes a Brea-only average, and Brea's four submarkets do not price alike. Orange County retail averaged $2.56 - $2.72 per SF per month in the first half of 2026 ($2.56 NNN per CBRE in Q1; $2.72 per Kidder Mathews in Q2). Mall and Imperial Highway space often runs above that. KEYZ can pull current comparable rents for a specific space.
How much parking does a restaurant need in Brea?
At least 10 spaces, or 1 space per 100 SF up to 6,000 SF plus 1 per 75 SF above that, or 1 space per 3 seats - whichever is greater. Outdoor dining under 300 SF or 20 seats adds no parking requirement (Brea Municipal Code section 20.08.040).
Do I need a conditional use permit in Brea?
It depends on the use and the zone. Brea marks every use in Table 20.11.020.A as permitted, minor conditional use permit (a Community Development Director decision with mailed notice and no hearing) or conditional use permit (a Planning Commission hearing). Concepts that combine alcohol and entertainment have needed the full conditional use permit.
Can I open a cannabis dispensary in Brea?
No. Brea prohibits all commercial cannabis activity, including retail storefronts and delivery to or from any location in the city (Brea Municipal Code section 8.48.020).
Is Brea Mall closing?
No. Brea Mall is open and being expanded. The former Sears site is being redeveloped with Sunset Green, a Life Time athletic club and 380 apartments, with first apartment move-ins listed for spring 2029.
Available Properties
Southern Steel Brea Center
2750 E Imperial Hwy | Brea, CA 92821
872 SF of industrial-flex space in an 86,402 SF building on East Imperial Highway. One space available at $2.70 SF / month, modified gross.
Map
Brea Contact List
| DEPARTMENT/BUSINESS | PHONE NUMBER | WEBSITE LINK |
|---|---|---|
| City Contacts | ||
| City Hall | 1-714-930-7600 | City of Brea |
| Planning and Zoning | 1-714-990-7674 | City of Brea | Planning Department |
| Fire Department | 1-714-990-7655 | City of Brea | Fire Department |
| Police Department | 1-714-990-7652 | City of Brea | Police Services |
| Utility Providers | ||
| Electricity | 1-800-655-4555 | Southern California Edison |
| Gas | 1-877-238-0092 | Southern California Gas Company |
| Water | 1-714-990-7687 | City of Brea | Water Division |
| Trash | 1-714-238-2444 | City of Brea | Trash & Recycling Services |
| Preferred Vendors | ||
| Alarm Company | 1-888-969-EPIC | Epic Alarm |
| Internet Service | 1-844-723-0252 | AT&T |
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