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II. <br /> <br />DEVeLOPMeNT STANDARDS <br /> <br />In compliance with State Planning law which mandates that <br />the General Plan include building intensity standards in <br />its Land Use Element, this amendment proposes to establish <br />floor area ratios for the areas of the City designated for <br />non-residential land uses. The Land Use Element within <br />the Policy Plan portion of the Santa Aaa General Plan is <br />proposed to be amended to add the following: floor area <br />ratio definitions and policies; land use designations; and <br />development standards and policies. The current text of <br />the land use element is replaced by this amendment. <br /> <br />A. Floor Area Ratio as an Intensity Standard <br /> <br />There are many regulatory tools that can be used to <br />establish a level o£ development that is appropriate <br />for the character and role of an urban area. Floor <br />area ratio is proposed as the standard for regulating <br />development intensity in Santa Ana's General Plan. <br />As expressed in this plan, the FAR indicates the <br />maximum level of building intensity within the area <br />in which it is designated. Urban development is <br />dynamic in its response to economic factors and <br />community desires, therefore, the standards <br />established are subject to change over time as the <br />City's goals change in response to growth and <br />development. <br /> <br />The floor area ratio system, as proposed in this <br />amendment, is now in effect in most major American <br />cities as a zoning device. It is becoming the <br />preferred method £or establishing intensity standards <br />in local general plans. As a ratio of the total <br />gross £1oor area in a building to the lot area <br />occupied by the building, the floor area ratio is a <br />simple and direct measure of the intensity of <br />development. <br /> <br />As a control, it applies to the intensity of <br />development rather than limiting the height or the <br />total size of a building. Height may increase as the <br />coverage of the site is decreased, and'the total <br />building size may increase in proportion to the size <br />of the site. The use of FAR as a development <br />standard allows a high degree o£ flexibility in both <br />the location and design of a structure. The benefit <br />of this flexibility to the City is the possibility <br />for the provision of more open space on the site <br />without reduced total.square footage. Through the <br />use of a creative site plan and unique exterior <br />facades, a development could create stunning light, <br /> <br /> <br />