Where new homes are being built in Dana Point
Dana Point is almost fully built out, and its growth now comes from replacement and infill rather than new subdivisions. The city's 2025 Housing Element progress report, presented in March 2026, counted 47 housing applications during 2025: 8 new single-family homes, 24 new ADUs and 1 mobile home, plus 4 demolitions of existing houses and 9 major remodels. Net of demolitions, the city gained 29 homes that year. Building permits went to 42 new units, and 30 units were finished.
Against its state housing target, Dana Point is behind. Its 2021-2029 allocation is 530 homes, including 231 for very-low and low-income households. By the end of 2025 the city had permitted 138, and only 20 in those two lower-income groups. The 306-unit apartment project on Victoria Boulevard, still in building plan check, is not yet counted.
For buyers, that means the new-home choices are expensive and scattered. A December 2025 city report noted that building valuations peak in years when new single-family homes go up in The Strand or Monarch Bay. For the wider market, start with our Dana Point homes for sale guide.
New home projects in Dana Point
The Strand at Headlands (custom homes, ZIP 92629)
The Strand is a gated community on the Dana Point Headlands above Strands Beach. The city's Headlands plan, adopted in 2004, covers 121.3 acres with 118 single-family homes, a 28-acre conservation park and about 41 more acres of parks and open space. Buyers buy a lot and build, or buy a finished home. The city said in December 2025 that only three vacant parcels were left. Lot prices have been extreme: the Orange County Business Journal reported in April 2023 that a 10,502-square-foot front-row lot at 37 Strand Beach sold for nearly $17.8 million, and that 7 Strand Beach Drive was built by Brown Brothers Construction. Finished homes listed in early November 2026 included 1 Strand Beach Drive at $65,000,000 and 55 Strand Beach Drive at $59,995,000.
Del Prado Place (18 condos, Lantern District)
Del Prado Place at 24722 Del Prado is a mixed-use building with 18 condos over street-level commercial space. A December 2025 city report gave a tentative completion in the first quarter of 2026, with residential certificates of occupancy before the commercial spaces. On October 31, 2026, unit 205, a two-bedroom of about 1,553 square feet built in 2026, was listed at $2,200,000 with HOA dues of $780 a month. It had been on the market 249 days, so there may be room to negotiate.
Monarch Bay and Monarch Bay Terrace rebuilds
In Monarch Beach, older homes are being redeveloped. The city's December 2025 report said Monarch Bay has seen more rebuilding as owners move from leasing their lots to owning them. A newly completed single-level house of 5,188 square feet at 32711 Caribbean Drive in Monarch Bay Terrace, built by Casa Arte Group, closed at $12,995,000 on March 24, 2026, with HOA dues of $54 a month.
Custom rebuilds across Dana Point
Elsewhere in the city, new houses are single rebuilds on existing lots: the city's 2025 report counted 8 new single-family applications and 4 demolitions. They rarely appear as a builder community; they show up as individual listings marked new construction, or as homes still under construction. When you find one, ask for the permit number, the contractor's license and the expected certificate of occupancy date.
Victoria Boulevard apartments (306 rentals, Doheny Village)
Toll Brothers' apartment project at 26126 Victoria Boulevard, the former Capistrano Unified bus yard, will add 306 rental units, 46 of them affordable under a 55-year deed restriction, plus about 1.5 acres of park and open space. The Coastal Commission approved the plan amendment, with changes, on February 5, 2025. The city's December 2025 report said grading and street plans were in plan check and building plans were expected in December. These are rentals, not homes for sale.
Accessory dwelling units and SB 9 lots in Dana Point
ADUs are the most common new homes in the city. Dana Point entitled 19 ADUs and issued permits for 13 in 2025. Every ADU needs a city ADU permit and a building permit, and those in the coastal overlay also need a Coastal Development Permit. The city adopted urgency ordinances in September 2025 to bring its ADU and SB 9 rules into line with state law, and received one SB 9 lot-split application that year. Our California ADU rules guide covers the state limits.
Doheny Village and the Lantern District: future mixed use
Two planning areas allow homes over shops. The Doheny Village zoning, adopted in 2021 and certified by the Coastal Commission in 2023, aims to keep the area's mix of commercial, light-industrial and residential uses. In the Lantern District, the Town Center Plan guides public improvements to draw private building; an earlier project there, Prado West, broke ground in 2017 with 109 rental apartments, according to the Orange County Business Journal. Watch these areas for future condo projects.
Dana Point Harbor revitalization nearby
The harbor is not a housing project, but it will change the area around the Lantern District and Capistrano Beach. Dana Point Harbor Partners, which holds a 66-year ground lease from the County of Orange, plans about 120,000 square feet of shops and restaurants, rebuilt docks and two hotels with 130 and 136 rooms, at a cost of nearly $600 million.
Dana Point new-home projects at a glance
| Project | Type | Homes | Status (date checked) | Price seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Strand at Headlands | Custom homes, gated | 118 planned; 3 vacant parcels left | Nearly built out (city, December 2025) | Homes listed at $59,995,000 and $65,000,000 (November 2026) |
| Del Prado Place, 24722 Del Prado | Condos over retail | 18 | Completion due Q1 2026; units on sale | $2,200,000 for unit 205 (October 31, 2026) |
| 32711 Caribbean Drive, Monarch Bay Terrace | Single new house (Casa Arte Group) | 1 | Closed March 24, 2026 | $12,995,000 |
| Victoria Boulevard apartments | Rental apartments (Toll Brothers) | 306, 46 affordable | In plan check (city, December 2025 and March 2026) | Rentals, not for sale |
| ADUs citywide | Accessory units | 13 permitted in 2025 | Ongoing | Build cost varies |
Mello-Roos, HOA dues and property tax on new homes
In 141 of Dana Point's 146 tax rate areas, the 2026-27 total rate in the county rate book is 1.00850%: the 1% base plus a Metropolitan Water District charge. On a $2,200,000 condo that is about $22,187 a year before any special assessments. Ask the seller or builder for the most recent tax bill or an estimate that lists every special tax and assessment on the parcel. Our Mello-Roos guide explains how special taxes work.
HOA dues on new homes in Dana Point vary widely: $54 a month in the Monarch Bay Terrace listing above and $780 at Del Prado Place. Before you buy a lot in a gated community such as The Strand, ask whether the HOA has design review or architectural rules, and read the CC&Rs and any design guidelines.
A new home is assessed at its purchase price. If you buy land and build, ask the Orange County Assessor how and when the finished home will be added to your assessment. See our Orange County property tax guide.
New vs resale homes in Dana Point: what each costs
New space costs more per foot. Unit 205 at Del Prado Place was listed at about $1,417 per square foot. Redfin's median for all condos sold in ZIP 92629 in the three months to September 2026 was $1,038 per square foot, and for detached houses $1,258. Part of that gap is age: the Census puts the city's median year built at 1979, so most resale homes need some updating, and a new home should need little for years.
On a resale house you can renovate over time. On a lot, you take on design, permits, coastal review and construction risk before you can move in, and you will carry the land, taxes and loan during the build. Get a builder's estimate and a timeline from someone who has finished homes in Dana Point's coastal zone.
Inspections and warranties for new construction
California Civil Code section 900 requires a builder selling a new home to give at least a one-year written warranty on fit and finish items such as cabinets, counters, floors, walls, paint and trim. Section 941 generally limits claims for construction defects to 10 years after substantial completion. Read the builder's warranty to see what it covers and how to file a claim.
Hire your own inspector even on a brand-new home, ideally at the pre-drywall stage and again before closing. On bluff-top and hillside lots, ask for the geotechnical report and grading approvals. For a custom home you build yourself, the protections depend on your contract with the builder, so have it reviewed.
Buying a new home in Dana Point with a local agent
The new homes on this page were listed through the MLS by agents rather than sold from a builder's sales office, so a buyer's agent works much as on a resale. Your agent should pull the permit history, compare the price with recent new-build sales and check the HOA's design rules. Since 2024 buyers sign a written agreement with their agent before touring; see our commission guide. For the attached-home market, see Dana Point condos.