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Fyijcju!D! preservation requirements for smaller sites located below 900 feet in elevation, sites with fewer than 5 trees, and sites zoned for higher density residential development. By creating the exemptions and thresholds, the proposed amendments avoid impacting small sites where it may not be as feasible to meet the standards, which could ultimately reduce the buildable area of smaller lots. By scaling the degree to which a project must consider trees, the updated standards maintain consistency with Statewide Planning Goal 10. The updated tree standards require preservation based on the Diameter Breast Height (d.b.h.) of existing trees on a given site and the location of the site. Higher minimum preservation is required in areas where adopted City plans and polices, such as the South Hills Study, recognize the significance of natural views. Previously, EC 9.8325(12) (now EC 9.8325(10)) included a requirement to cluster buildings to retain 40% of a given development site as common open space for developments within the South Hills Study area. As discussed above, the 40% open space requirement is being removed, which results in additional land available for the development of housing. To balance the potential impacts of allowing development on larger portions of sites within the South Hills Study area, the requirements for tree preservation are higher within the area. The new tree standards provide two pathways to approval, the first requires a complete inventory of existing significant trees on a site and allows for removal, preservation or mitigation (replanting) of trees based on the location of the site. The second pathway allows an applicant to preserve 50 percent of the total existing d.b.h. within specified tree preservation areas. In the event an applicant has a site with a particularly dense stand of trees and neither option is workable based on their proposal, the new tree standards also allow for adjustment. Although individual sites or development plans may be constrained by the new clear and objective tree preservation and removal standards, the standards themselves are flexible Because the new transition standards and tree preservation and removal standards are clear -size-fits-all interests in public health and safety, as applied to many different properties, each of which may have topographic or other challenges to development. Consequently, in order to gain approval of a particular development proposal on a particular property under clear and objective standards, a developer may be left with less developable property on that site. However, that maximize density of a particular development, a developer may need to modify their development proposal to take advantage of the flexibility inherent in the transition and tree preservation and removal standards, or instead, choose to proceed under the General/Discretionary track. The new transition and tree preservation and removal standards both provide various pathways to approval to allow a housing developer to prioritize density of housing on a site. Further, the transition and tree preservation and removal standards do not preclude a developer from choosing to proceed under the even more flexible discretionary development standards. Therefore, the new transition standards and new tree preservation and removal standards are consistent with Goal 10. Qbhf!8!pg!32!