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P22-1089, PUD-147 and Tract 8522, Merritt Planning Commission 25 of 33 • Program 2.6: Require design features in new development and redevelopment areas to encourage transit, bicycle, and pedestrian access, such as connections between activity centers and residential areas, and road design that accommodates transit vehicles, where feasible. • Program 2.8: Require land development that is compatible with alternative transportation modes and the use of trails, where feasible. Overall Community Development • Policy 4: Allow development consistent with the General Plan Land Use Map. Climate Action Plan (CAP) Strategies • Encourage and facilitate more walking and cycling trips. • Create the building site context that allows people to walk, bike or take transit rather than drive. • Decrease travel time and VMT, less idling leads to fuel savings and less consumption and GHG Emissions. Zoning and Uses Conformance The City Council approved the pre-zoning of the project site in December of 2012 to PUD-LDR (Planned Unit Development – Low Density Residential) and HOZ (Housing Opportunity Zone). The approved uses for the project site include attached and detached single-family residential development; thus, the proposed project conforms with the current pre-zoning designations. Objective Design Standards (ODS), Housing Site Development Standards, and Design Guidelines Although designated as a Housing Site in the City’s Housing Element, because the proposed project was submitted prior to the adoption of the City’s ODS, those standards are not applicable to the proposed project. Rather, given the PUD pre-zoning for the project site, the applicant is permitted via a PUD development plan to establish the minimum site development standards for the project. As stated previously, for lots 1 through 84 the site development standards include, but are not limited to, minimum lot area, minimum setbacks, maximum floor area ratio, maximum building height, accessory structure setbacks, etc. For lots 85-88 (custom/semi-custom units), the applicant has prepared Design Guidelines and Development Standards (see Exhibit B) that would establish a similar set of development standards, as well as architectural design guidelines for those lots. Because this is a PUD, the applicant has the ability to request customized minimum development standards for the proposed project. For a residential project such as this, staff encourages the applicant, to the extent possible, to establish minimum developm ent standards that are similar to those of surrounding residential uses to maximize compatibility with surrounding residential development. Based on the requested minimum development standards shown in Figure 6 above, the applicant is proposing lot sizes o f at least approximately 7,000 square feet for the detached units which is larger than the minimum approximately 6,500 square feet minimum lot sizes of the surrounding neighborhoods. The