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THE ZONING REPORT Page Two A community business zone is provided by per- haps 50-60% of zoning codes separately from a general or regional business zone. The remain- ing codes providing this zone as a general busi- ness zone alIow all types of businesses except intensive highway-oriented commercial uses. This zone provides for retail sales and service businesses whose trade area comprises several adjacent neighborhoods, whose primary custom- er base serves more than a single adjacent neighborhood. Problem uses, such as gas sta- tions with auto repair and trailer rentals, car- washes, drive-in banks and fast-food places, are usually allowed conditionally. Although most businesses in this zone are located along major arterials as strip commer- cial, development standards for the zone com- monly are oriented toward compatibility with nearby residential zones, to reduce adverse impacts. As such, the zone requires large set- backs, extensive landscaping and screening and low height limits, below the treeline. But along the arterial street, the zone allows more and larger signs including a freestanding front yard identification sign or, in older commercial strips where buildings front on sidewalks, pro- jetting or flat wall signs. Businesses generally are expected to operate inside enclosed build- ings, but incidental outdoor display is allowed. A regional business zone is provided by 25-30% of codes in large communities. Many recent zoning codes combine community and regional business zones into a general business zone that excludes highway commercial uses and trucking, warehousing and wholesaling uses. The regional business zone serves an entire community, often mapped as a freestanding zone on individual tracts for large shopping centers or big-box retailers. The regional busi- ness zone is not a strip commercial zone~ usu- ally being located near or at intersecting major arterials or near a freeway interchange. Most uses operate inside enclosed buildings with in- cidental outdoor sales and display. More signs are allowed, coordinated in shopping centers, and large expanses of parking lots are expect- ed. Access control and signalization is requir- ed, whose location and financing is coordinated with public authorities. Height is allowed to three to six stories, and multi-tenant office buildings are allowed to greater heights based on FAR. A highwa~f commercial zone is provided by al- .most all codes. The predominant characteristics of uses in the zone are extensive outdoor sales, display, service and storage areas~ ex- tensive signage and lighting, and long business hours. Principal uses are oriented to travelers, tourists, vehicle-related sales, services and repair of automobiles, trucks of all types, farm implements, mobile homes and RVs and camp- ers, and all types of drive-in uses, motels and restaurants. The zone also allows other uses preferring location along major streets, such as supermarkets, freestanding special-use retailers and neighborhood/community strip shopping centers. Development standards for the zone require large deep lots and front yards whose land- scape standards permit high visibility of these uses from highways. The uses require access control to the adjoining highways, especially in newer d~veloping less congested areas along high-speed roadways. Some communities have a second highway commercial zone, limited to older established strip commercial areas. The zone recognizes the development problems of these areas, al- lowing shallower depth, smaller lots, smaller setbacks and less stringent access control, since these lots front on congested low-speed arterial streets. The downtown business center zone, or CBD zone in most codes, is provided in all zoning codes. But zoning codes having only three busi- ness zones combine CBD uses and functions with' all other business uses that primarily operate indoors as a general business zone; of with the other two zones, one provides for highway Commercial uses and the other for neighborhood businesses. The CBD zone is pedestrian oriented. It en- courages compact high-bulk building density October 21, 1994 issue