maybe the size of the zoning? If you just paint a whole area the game will want to spawn exclusively 4x4 assets. Use different sized, manually painted zoning, such as 2x3, 2x4, 2x2, etc. You can also use a mod like Advanced Zoning Control to cycle through the different levels and toggle different models. When you get what you like, make historical.

Also, the game ends up needing far less commercial area in any small town build than the demand indicator would lead you to believe. Without a massive city and a lot of industry you would have a lot of commercial zones lacking goods, and they would become abandoned. So, this set is meant for a residential-heavy small island build with limited commercial development. That said, there are definitely more commercial assets included in this style than Shell gas stations!

It's great, except the commercial zones ends up being all Shell gas stations for some reason.