Developers of the massive Parkmerced apartment complex, on the verge of a huge overhaul and expansion, want to wean residents from their cars by providing a financial incentive to get them to use Uber and public transportation instead.

The move reflects an evolution in the city’s approach to large-scale development away from a focus on accommodating cars to strategies that encourage residents to rely on public transportation, ride services, bicycling and other ways of getting around.

Maximus, a real estate developer that owns Parkmerced, and Uber, the smartphone-based ride-hailing service, say they will announce a plan Wednesday to give new residents of the complex near Lake Merced and San Francisco State University a $100-a-month credit to ride Uber or Bay Area public transit. Maximus has entered into an exclusive partnership with Uber to accept the monthly payments and will work with Clipper, the regional transportation fare card, to cover rides on Muni, BART and Caltrain.

“This is a first-of-its-kind partnership to bridge people to car-free living,” said Rob Rosania, Maximus founder and managing general partner of Parkmerced, one of the largest apartment developments in the West. “Frankly, I think it’s going to be transformational.”

The transit- and ride-service subsidies not only mark changes in the way new urban communities are developing, they also show how online-enabled ride services like Uber and Lyft are beginning to work with, instead of compete against, public transportation.

“This is definitely cutting edge,” said Dan Sperling, a UC Davis professor and director of the university’s Institute for Transportation Studies.

The monthly $100 subsidy will come with codes and directions on how to apply them to Uber and Clipper. Uber has also agreed to charge a maximum $5 fare on one-way shared Uber rides between Parkmerced and nearby BART and Muni stations.

“We believe that when city residents have the option of pushing a button and getting a ride, they are more likely to use public transit, own fewer cars and spend less on transportation overall,” said Andrew Salzberg, Uber’s head of mobility.

Built in the early 1940s, Parkmerced brought suburban-style development, with an emphasis on driving, to the western edge of the city. But plans to modernize and expand the complex call for reducing parking and increasing access to transit.

Parkmerced plans to provide only a single parking space per housing unit, half of what traditionally has been mandated for that type of development on the city’s west side. They also call for rerouting the M-Ocean View Muni Metro line through the complex. The line currently travels on 19th Avenue.

“The long-term goal is to de-emphasize car use, bring Muni into the neighborhood and use 21st century solutions to transportation,” said P.J. Johnston, a Parkmerced spokesman.

The 20-year development plan at Parkmerced will add 5,700 rental housing units, along with retail and office construction, at the 152-acre complex. Parkmerced now contains more than 3,000 rental apartments in 11 massive residential towers and block after block of two-story garden town houses.

The arrangement with Uber and Clipper will benefit the redeveloped Parkmerced as well as its residents, Sperling said, since building and maintaining parking is costly. Fewer parking spaces will mean fewer cars but also more room to build housing.

“For developers, land is precious. They have a huge incentive to constrain parking demand,” he said. “This is a case where they’re getting creative in a way that makes sense.”

Parkmerced is not the only San Francisco development emphasizing less car-focused development. Plans to redevelop Treasure Island go even further. When the island is developed, drivers will be charged tolls to enter and exit the island, residents of the island’s market-rate housing will have to buy transit passes, and ferries will run between the island and the Ferry Building.

Paul Rose, a spokesman for the Municipal Transportation Agency, said providing alternatives to private car ownership is a key part of the city’s Transit First commitment.

“We are actively playing a role to do everything we can to encourage people to use public transportation and other sustainable alternatives,” he said.

Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: ctuan