An Alternative Future for the North East Mission Industrial Zone

An Alternative Future for the NEMIZ
Mission Coalition for Economic Justice & Jobs
III.28 IPZ Literature Review & Case Studies
space” (R:121). Funds generated by the TIF can be used to back bonds that
provide below-market loans and grants to remaining manufacturers, maintaining
a balance of uses in mixed-use areas, especially in the face of increasing
property values (R:134). It is also important to gear these programs
toward manufacturers who rent space, and not just to those who own
(R:129).
The study’s recommendations are intended to “identify criteria for determining
which areas presently zoned for manufacturing are suitable for rezoning
to other uses, which should be retained, and which should be considered
for Mixed-use (non-transitional) and Mixed-use (transitional) Zones.
Included is a proposal to create Manufacturing Development Zones in
which manufacturing uses would be given extra protection and support” (R
113).
Exit Interviews
As part of this effort, we attempted to interview industrial business that have
recently left San Francisco or are considering leaving. The 26 firms listed
below were contacted; most of them have already moved out of the City. Of
these firms, four agreed to be interviewed and answered a series of questions
(see Appendix A for questionnaire). A handful of firms chose not to participate
in an interview but provided some general indication of why they left.
Overall, the reason for moving was the cost of doing business in the City.
Particular mention was made of the City’s payroll tax, which is a hardship
for smaller businesses. Some firms moved to be closer to their customers.
Atlas Heating Odwalla Juice
Bebe Clothing O'Keefe Manufacturing
Berkeley Farms O'Neill Wet Suits
BiRight Food Service Petrini Van and Storage
Boland Trucking Pribuss Engineering, Inc.
BR Funston R&R French Brothers
Coca Cola Syrup Plant San Francisco Pipe and Tube
Essential Elements San Pacific Imports
Flynn and Enslow Sidney Davis Fabrics
Info Image Snyder Newall
Just Desserts Super Shuttle
Loomis Fargo Armed Car Swiss American Sausage
McCune Audio Visual Xpedex Paper
Escalating rents were also mentioned as an important reason for leaving the
City. One business mentioned harassment of employees by homeless people.
When asked what the City could have done to keep the business in SF, protective
zoning was not mentioned, but reducing payroll taxes and assisting
landlords with building code compliance were cited. Two businesses mentioned
that their SF building needed repairs and that the landlords would
not make improvements, because of costs and concerns about code compliance
of existing improvements.