SUMMARY OF PROPOSITION U’s 10-POINT PLAN

Following is a summary of the original 10-point plan, parts of which will undoubtedly be altered in coming weeks:

--All commercial projects larger than 50,000 square feet (about the size of a supermarket) would be required to go through the conditional-use process, a planning tool used when construction could adversely affect the surrounding community. Among other items, the process would include public hearings and an environmental review.

--A conditional-use permit would also be required before building residential structures in commercial zones and commercial buildings in industrial zones.

--Heights of apartment buildings that abut single-family homes would be limited to provide more sunlight and protect privacy.

--Billboards would not be allowed within a 300-foot radius of land zoned for residential use.

--Mini-malls on corner lots next to residential neighborhoods would require special reviews by a zoning administrator. Such reviews would also be required of mini-malls in which 20% or more of the gross floor space is occupied by restaurants.

--Parking requirements for commercial and industrial buildings would be increased. Special emphasis would be placed on free-standing restaurants, bars and other types of structures that create an above-average need for parking space and high volume of traffic.

--Firms that employ more than 700 people at one location would have to implement a ride-sharing program. If more than 700 people work in the same building but aren’t employed by the same firm, the building’s owner would have to implement the program.

--Creation of urban-design guidelines for issues including the building’s size, landscaping, color, use of material and graduated heights.

--Adoption of a citywide slope-density formula that reduces the amount of allowable building as a hillside gets steeper. This point is designed to preserve the city’s hills and slopes in their natural state.

--Adoption of a citywide moratorium on development of hillside residential lots considered too small for full-sized homes.