White Rock Commercial Corridors Guide

Commercial real estate in White Rock is concentrated in a few places: Marine Drive along the waterfront, Johnston Road through the uptown Town Centre, the Five Corners area where Johnston Road meets Pacific and Buena Vista Avenues, and North Bluff Road on the Surrey border. Each corridor draws a different kind of customer, so the same unit can suit a cafe in one spot and a clinic in another. Knowing those differences is the first step to buying, leasing or investing well.

White Rock is a small city with limited commercial land, and good retail space here does not come up often. As a commercial realtor in White Rock, The Oberoi Group works from an office on Foster Street in uptown, a short walk from Johnston Road. RE/MAX ranked us in the Top 3 Commercial Teams across Canada by commission in 2025, and this guide shares how we look at each corridor.

Marine Drive: the waterfront strip

Marine Drive runs along the beach below the bluff, from West Beach past the pier to East Beach. It is lined with restaurants, patios, ice cream shops, gift stores and small hotels, and most of its customers are visitors who come for the promenade and the pier.

That makes Marine Drive the most seasonal corridor in the city. Summer weekends can be packed, while quiet winter weekdays can be slow. Retail space in White Rock on the waterfront suits businesses that can earn most of their year in the warmer months, or that also draw locals in winter.

Parking matters here. The City runs waterfront pay parking year round from 10 a.m. to midnight, with higher rates from March to October than from November to February (City of White Rock, checked October 2026). Merchants on Marine Drive can buy a Waterfront Commercial Merchant decal. When you look at a waterfront unit, think about where your staff and customers will park and how much it will cost them.

Zoning along the waterfront includes the CR-3 West Beach Business Area and CR-4 East Beach Business Area zones in Zoning Bylaw No. 2506, both of which allow commercial uses with homes above. Under the Official Community Plan, as amended in 2021, the Waterfront Village area is limited to three storeys in West Beach, west of Foster Avenue, with four storeys allowed east of Foster Avenue only in limited cases. Expect low-rise buildings and small units rather than large floor plates.

Johnston Road and the uptown Town Centre

Johnston Road is uptown White Rock's main street. Its uptown blocks fall within the City's Town Centre, where the CR-1 Town Centre Area Commercial / Residential zone allows retail and service uses, restaurants, pubs and liquor stores, medical and dental clinics, hotels and apartments. The zoning bylaw describes this area as the City's pedestrian and transit focused growth area, with the greatest concentration of employment uses.

The City has invested in the street itself. Its Johnston Road revitalization was designed to strengthen the road as the commercial and cultural high street of the Town Centre, with new sidewalks, crosswalks, rain gardens, street trees and treed seating areas. For businesses, that means a more walkable block and more reasons for residents to linger.

Uptown customers are mostly local and come year round, which is why the street mixes professional offices, banks, salons, clinics, cafes and everyday shopping. The 2021 OCP amendment set Town Centre heights at four to twelve storeys, so newer buildings are often mixed-use towers or mid-rises with retail at street level and homes above.

Five Corners and the Lower Town Centre

Five Corners is where Johnston Road, Pacific Avenue and Buena Vista Avenue meet, between uptown and the beach. The City places it in the Lower Town Centre, and the zoning bylaw has a dedicated CR-2 Lower Town Centre Area Commercial / Residential zone for commercial land in this part of the city.

It has a village feel, with small shops, cafes and services in older low-rise buildings. The City's Five Corners Improvement project aims to make the area more of a social, cultural and commercial hub, with goals that include pedestrian safety, more public space, better walking and cycling paths and a stronger link to the beach. The design has been through public consultation and may still change, so check the City's project page for the current plan before you buy or lease nearby.

North Bluff Road and the Semiahmoo side

North Bluff Road is the boundary between White Rock and Surrey, and on the Surrey side it is known as 16 Avenue. Peace Arch Hospital sits on the White Rock side, and medical and dental clinics are a permitted use in the CR-1 Town Centre zone, which makes nearby office space attractive to health care tenants who want to be close to the hospital.

Across the road, the City of Surrey's Semiahmoo Town Centre Plan covers the area from 16 Avenue north to 24 Avenue and was approved in January 2022, with updates approved in July 2026 to line up with the King George Boulevard Bus Rapid Transit. That growth will bring more residents within reach of White Rock businesses. For more on the Surrey side, see our guide to commercial real estate in Surrey.

Mixed-use buildings and commercial strata units

Much of White Rock's newer commercial space sits in mixed-use buildings: shops and offices at street level, apartments above. These ground-floor units are often sold as commercial strata lots, which lets a business or a small investor own a single unit rather than a whole building.

Owning a commercial strata unit means following the strata's bylaws, which can limit hours, odours, signage, deliveries and certain uses, and paying strata fees toward the shared building. In some buildings the commercial owners form a separate section with their own budget. If you are a business owner thinking of buying instead of renting, our guide to owner-occupied commercial property explains how financing works.

A case study: 1336 Johnston Road

We sold an office and retail strata unit at 1336 Johnston Road in uptown White Rock. It was about 890 square feet, delivered as a shell unit with no mezzanine, so every square foot was on the main level.

That layout gave the unit flexibility. A shell lets the next owner or tenant build out for their own use, and a single level avoids the stairs and wasted space that come with a mezzanine. The unit suited a retail, office or service tenant, which widens the pool of possible buyers and tenants on a street with steady local traffic. That is the kind of unit we look for on Johnston Road: modest size, street presence and a layout that works for more than one type of business.

Nearby in Grandview Heights, South Surrey, we have listed a premium office of about 2,172 square feet at 208 2626 Croydon Drive, offered both for sale and for lease, for buyers who want more space just outside the city.

What to check before you buy or lease

Zoning. Confirm your exact use is allowed. White Rock has CR-1 to CR-6 commercial zones and many site-specific Comprehensive Development (CD) zones, each with its own permitted uses.
Strata bylaws. For a strata unit, read the bylaws, minutes, budget and depreciation report for limits on your use and upcoming costs.
Parking. Count the stalls that come with the unit and think about customer parking, especially on the pay-parking waterfront.
Signage. Most signs, from fascia signs to sandwich boards, need a sign permit under the City's Sign Bylaw.
Foot traffic and seasonality. Visit at different times of day and in different seasons. Marine Drive in July and in January are very different streets.
Business licence. Every business operating in White Rock needs a City business licence, and the City asks you to check zoning first.

For a closer look at which property types tend to perform best here, read the best commercial property types for ROI in White Rock. If you are open to larger, multi-tenant retail, our commercial plazas page covers what we see across the region, and our White Rock real estate page covers the residential side of the city.

Whether you want a storefront on Marine Drive, an office uptown or an investment unit near Five Corners, a commercial realtor in White Rock who knows each block can save you time and costly surprises. Call The Oberoi Group at 604-385-3770 or book a free 15-minute call to talk about what you are looking for.

Frequently asked questions

Which zones allow commercial uses in White Rock?

Zoning Bylaw No. 2506 has six commercial zones, CR-1 to CR-6, covering the Town Centre, Lower Town Centre, West Beach, East Beach, neighbourhood commercial and gas bar sites. Many newer buildings have site-specific CD zones.

How tall can buildings be in the White Rock Town Centre?

The 2021 OCP amendment limits new Town Centre development to four to twelve storeys. The Waterfront Village area is limited to three storeys in West Beach.

Is there pay parking on Marine Drive?

Yes. The City runs waterfront pay parking year round from 10 a.m. to midnight, with higher rates from March to October (checked October 2026).

Where is Five Corners in White Rock?

Five Corners is where Johnston Road, Pacific Avenue and Buena Vista Avenue meet, in the Lower Town Centre between uptown and the beach.

Do I need a permit for a storefront sign in White Rock?

Most signs, including fascia signs, awning signs and sandwich boards, need a sign permit under the City's Sign Bylaw. Very small signs and some temporary decorations are exempt.

Sources

Rates, thresholds and program rules in this article were checked against these official pages on October 22, 2026. Rules change, so confirm current details before you act.

White Rock Commercial Corridors: Marine Drive, Johnston Road and Five Corners