An Alternative Future for the North East Mission Industrial Zone

ing corridor.” However, some flexibility is maintained in that other “special
uses” may be permitted in PMDs; the designation is reviewed periodically
to ensure its effectiveness in achieving its stated goals, and it can be rescinded.
(Chicago’s PMDs are discussed further below.)
Community Planning and Input:Vital to Successful
Industrial Protection
The few cities that have implemented protective zoning have first undertaken
comprehensive planning efforts that involve local property owners,
residents, businesses, and other stakeholders. They have considered local
market conditions and analyzed regional economic trends so that they
understand the future need for land for housing, offices, warehouse space,
and other uses. Moreover, the zoning designations these cities have utilized
have remained somewhat flexible to allow the zoning to be overridden in
certain circumstances or to sunset altogether if it proves ineffective. The
City of San Francisco has been conducting workshops for residents and tenants
in the five Eastern Neighborhoods but has neither actively nor sufficiently
consulted with business and property owners. As discussed further in
the Case Studies section, the cities that have had some success with IPZs
have worked closely with property owners, and most of the IPZs were initiated
by property owners rather than by City staff.
In Seattle there is an ongoing debate over the issue of industrial land supply.
“The underlying anxiety is that the region may not have enough industrial
land,” or at least not enough in the right places with the right services to
support growth in manufacturing. The city’s manufacturing interests are
lobbying for tougher protections for industrial districts. Commercial and
residential interests want opportunities to develop land. The Commerce,
Trade and Economic Development Committee of the King County Council
recently asked commercial real estate brokers and government planners to sit
down at the same table to discuss the supply of industrial and commercial
land.
In Chicago, key criteria for establishing a Planned Manufacturing District
or IPZ include a request by the property owners and approval by the majority
of stakeholders. Once adopted by the City, the only way to then build an
incompatible use in a PMD would be to repeal the special PMD designation.
If the Chicago Plan Commission approves the PMD, the plan must
also undergo periodic review of its “effectiveness in achieving its stated
goals.”
In metropolitan Portland, demand for more industrial land has occurred as
“existing industrial sanctuaries are being eroded as demand grows for commercial
and residential space close to the city’s center.” Industrial sanctuaries
have provided a short-term solution, but many fear “high-tech, manufacturing
and other companies won’t locate in the Portland area unless new
industrial land is created.”
Mission Coalition for Economic Justice & Jobs
IPZ Literature Review & Case Studies
III.11
An Alternative Future for the NEMIZ