(a) The primary objective of this Planning and Zoning Code is to encourage the development of compatible and related uses of land and buildings and to prohibit development of those uses which are incompatible or detrimental to adjacent areas. A further objective of this Code is the regulation of any use of land and buildings which may be appropriate within an area to protect and promote the public health, safety, comfort, convenience, prosperity and other aspects of the general welfare, and to insure that such uses will be in keeping with the quality and the character of adjacent or similar uses and that appropriate standards are established and maintained within each area.
(b) It is recognized that at the time of the adoption of this Code, uses of land and buildings may exist which do not conform to the uses permitted by this Code for the particular area, or that buildings may exist which do not comply with the regulations applicable to the development of that particular type of building within the area. While such conditions are generally permitted to continue, the purposes of this Title are to:
(1) Alleviate and gradually eliminate the undesirable consequences resulting from such nonconforming uses and noncomplying buildings which are detrimental to the purposes of this Code;
(2) Set forth specific procedures and requirements controlling the continuation, expansion or alteration of such nonconforming and noncomplying conditions and, in certain cases, to establish specific requirements to eliminate such conditions; and
(3) Encourage the improvement and maintenance of noncomplying residential buildings to maintain the quality and the character of the residential areas insofar as the extent of noncompliance is not increased.