For more than 20 years, Darwin Horan has worked in the home building and land development industry. He leads Ventana Capital, Inc., as its president and CEO and oversees 180,000 square feet of office buildings, 17 subdivisions, and 12,000 acres of land. Throughout his career, Darwin Horan has become extremely familiar with a variety of entitlement forms, including zoning.
There are several types of zoning designations that are usually denoted by specific letters of the alphabet. Following are three common zoning designations:
1. Residential: In most areas, residential zoning areas are reserved for co-ops, duplexes, trailer parks, homes, condos, and apartments. These areas dictate how many structures can be built on a specific property and normally limit how many horses, chickens, and certain other animals can be kept on the property.
2. Industrial: Reserved for factories and other manufacturing businesses, industrial zones limit the height of buildings on the property, along with the total amount of land that said buildings cover. Many industrial zoning laws also regulate the environmental impact of businesses on the property and the noise levels of the businesses.
3. Commercial: Businesses that are not involved in manufacturing, such as retail stores, theaters, and offices, are housed in areas with commercial zoning. Property that is zoned for commercial buildings must comply with parking regulations. In addition to that, there are certain proximity regulations that apply to commercial buildings.
