An Alternative Future for the North East Mission Industrial Zone

An Alternative Future for the NEMIZ
Mission Coalition for Economic Justice & Jobs
V.4 Policy & Planning Recommendations
cannot be covered by existing rents. PDR incubator buildings in the Central
Waterfront and Bayview/Hunter’s Point neighborhoods could be developed with
financial assistance of such an EDC, and support the maintenance and creation of
PDR space that is appropriate to each of the Eastern Neighborhoods and the Central
Waterfront. According to local brokers, the private sector market will not generate
this product, because rents do not support the cost of subdividing existing larger
buildings or constructing new buildings for these uses, which tend to want small
spaces ranging from about 3,000 to 6,000 square feet, on average. Other financing
mechanisms could be considered, including business improvement districts and/or
neighborhood improvement districts.
E. Any IPZ Program Needs to Be Flexible and Include
Monitoring
If the City establishes permanent IPZs, the program needs to allow for flexibility and
monitoring and evaluation with the option that an IPZ can be removed if it proves
to be unsuccessful and/or unnecessary.
IPZs can be more effective when they allow for flexibility and include mechanisms
for removal based on set criteria, which include the majority of property owners petitioning
for removal. The Chicago program and process seem to be well-planned and
logical in this regard. Of the cities reviewed, Chicago's program has been in effect
over the longest period of time, and it has established a number of districts. The IPZ
use requirements should be strong enough to support continued industrial / ‘Core’
PDR uses, while being reasonable enough to allow owners to prove that there is no
viable industrial use for their property. Such a flexible program could be tied to other
economic development tools and programs as recommended above to exhaust all
possible means of creating a viable industrial building or site before allowing for conversion
to other uses. Should an IPZ prove unsuccessful for an area, a simple and
clear process should be outlined for its removal, and replacement zoning should be
developed in a reasonable period of time.
Flexibility and monitoring can help to ensure that industrial land is always well-utilized and continues
to generate employment (new FedEx facility in the Bayshore).