The purposes of this chapter are to implement the land use element
of the master plan to guide orderly development promoting the public
health, safety, morals and general welfare. They are intended to regulate
the use of land; secure safety from fire, flood, panic, and disasters;
provide adequate light, air, and open space; limit buildings and structures
according to their type and the nature and extent of their use; regulate
the bulk of structures; avoid conflicts with neighboring municipalities,
the county and the state; establish appropriate population densities
and concentrations contributing to the well-being of persons, neighborhoods,
communities and regions and the preservation of the environment; provide
sufficient space for residential, recreational, and commercial uses
and open space and parking adequate to facilitate those uses; encourage
the location and design of transportation routes which will promote
the free flow of traffic while discouraging the location of such facilities
and routes which result in congestion or blight; promote a desirable
visual environment; promote the conservation of open space and valuable
natural resources, specifically the ocean and bay areas, to encourage
access to those areas and insure preservation of the same, and prevent
urban sprawl and degradation of the environment through improper use
of land; encourage coordination of various public and private procedures
and activities shaping land development with a view of lessening the
cost of such development and to the more efficient use of land; and
promote the conservation of energy and provide for maximum utilization
of renewable energy resources.