An Alternative Future for the North East Mission Industrial Zone

An Alternative Future for the NEMIZ
Mission Coalition for Economic Justice & Jobs
Above and below: Residential and industrial buildings
commonly co-exist in the NEMIZ
III.10 IPZ Literature Review & Case Studies
Land Use Compatibility:
Residential Development is the
Biggest Problem
Relevant to San Francisco, these protective zoning
districts rarely, if ever, exclude office development
from the industrial zone; instead the focus is on
excluding residential, and to a lesser extent retail,
development because these uses are deemed
incompatible with the industrial character of the
area. In fact, new service-oriented industrial users
often require significant amounts of office space
because many of their activities take place in
“office” space rather than in warehouse or industrial
space. The restriction of office use is often an
interim measure to mitigate extreme fluctuations
in real estate market conditions. For example, the
City of Berkeley instituted interim controls on
office conversions and new construction of 5,000
square feet or more in a portion of the West
Berkeley Plan Area for one year; the controls expire
at the end of 2002. San Francisco adopted similar
controls in the Mission District and renewed them
last summer; these interim controls expire in July
of 2003.
Another example is found in the resurgence of
Chicago’s housing market, which has placed significant
pressure on that city’s industrial base. Rather
than convert old buildings for use by today’s manufacturing
industry, many property owners were
selling to residential developers for the production
of lofts and condominiums near downtown.
Tensions began to mount between conflicting uses
once a few industrial buildings were converted to
residential use. Complaints about noise and truck
traffic began to pressure other manufacturing businesses
to leave the area, and well-paying jobs were
lost to outlying areas. To counteract this trend, the
local government authorized a special zoning designation
known as Planned Manufacturing
Districts (PMDs) in which development is limited
to industrial activity and other compatible uses,
and no residential development is allowed under
any circumstances. The PMD designation “also
establishes stricter requirements for zoning
changes” and is “aimed at preventing piecemeal,
parcel-by-parcel zoning variances, and thus at preserving
the industrial character of the manufactur-