The purposes of this chapter are:
(a) To encourage innovations in residential development and renewal so that the growing demand for housing may be met by greater variety in type, design and layout of dwellings and by conservation and more efficient use of open space and conservation of natural features ancillary to said dwellings.
(b) To provide greater opportunities for better housing and recreation for all who are or will be residents of the City.
(c) To encourage a more efficient use of land and public services and to reflect changes in the technology of land development so that economics so secured may be to the benefit of those who need homes.
(d) To encourage more flexible land development which will respect and conserve natural resources such as streams, lakes, floodplains, wetlands, groundwater, wooded areas, steep slopes, and areas of unique beauty or importance to the natural ecosystem.
(e) In aid of these purposes, to provide a procedure which can relate the type, design, and layout of residential development to the particular site and demand for housing, in a manner consistent with the preservation of the property values within existing residential areas, and to assure that the increased flexibility of regulations over land development is carried out pursuant to sound, expeditious, and fair administrative standards and procedures.