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Protecting industrial lands
By Plan-it at 2008/04/28 - 4:00pm

I have been doing research on policies and regulations to protect areas that are designated as Industrial on our Future Development Map from non-industrial (residential) incursion. This has the impact of inceasing land values due to speculation and placing future residents and future/existing businesses in a potentially adversarial relationship.

I have noticed San Francisco, Seattle, and Chicago have looked at this issue and have developed policies and programs to remediate the situation. Does anyone else done any research, policies, or programs that address this problem who would not mind sharing? Thanks!

by Mud Princess on Tue, 2008/03/11 - 1:31pm
Try Baltimore, MD. The city apparently looked into this issue a few years ago, and a section of its comprehensive plan suggested an industrial mixed-use zone that would allow for carefully controlled commercial uses to support the industrial. I don't know if this was ever implemented, but it was an interesting concept.

by Cardinal on Wed, 2008/03/12 - 1:39pm
Portland and Los Angeles are other communities that has gone through this exercise.

by Plan-it on Thu, 2008/03/13 - 11:14am
Thanks Cardinal and Mud Princess; I will take a look at those suggestions.

by B'lieve on Fri, 2008/04/11 - 10:45pm
I'm not sure about the mixed-use zoning that Mud Princess mentioned, but there was an article in the Baltimore Sun maybe five weeks ago about an ordinance that protects a long section of the industrial waterfront from incursion, which was recently renewed with amendments. I don't clearly remember, but I believe the old version was stricter in the short term but was set to expire entirely around, I think, 2018. I think the new version loosens up a little now, but still offers partial protection after the current strict provisions expire. You'd have to check the Sun's archives online (www.baltimoresun.com, I think) to be sure, sometime in March. But definitely check out Baltimore's regs and plans, because as the inhabited waterfront neighborhoods (Canton, Locust Point in particular) grow more popular and populated, they're starting to encroach on the very valued Port, and debate and occasional action have gone on for some time.

by Richi on Wed, 2008/04/23 - 1:17pm
I find the tendency to redevelop industrial land with port or rail access to be very short sighted. Fuel costs and congestion are really smacking industry now and some of the new industrial parks created in the hinterlands with only highway access are going to hurt in the coming years. Meanwhile industrial land in/near cities that once had rail access is being gentrified and the rail line pulled up or is now a "problem". Time will tell.

by pcjournal on Fri, 2008/05/02 - 9:09pm
In Burlington, Vermont, we have adopted "symbolic zoning," meaning that our zoning district boundaries correspond to a visual image of the predominant use within the district.

In our Enterprise Zoning District (our principal industrial zone) we have adopted the image of a machine gun (I don't remember the exact make or model) to reflect the historical fact that one of the principal business within the district has long been the manufacturing of guns for military use -- including the historic gatling gun. Currently the largest business within our Enterprise District is General Dynamics Armament Products (click on their Locations link to see the Burlington facility).

The facility is often in the news. See a report, for example, from our local daily newspaper today.

Here are two maps from our comprehensive development ordinance (I added the inset photo as a comparison reference).

As you can tell, we want to send a clear message that we will defend our industrial zone from any change of use!

by sknebel on Mon, 2008/05/05 - 4:17pm
The land use plans in Wichita-Sedgwick County, Kansas identify the area near McConnell Air Force Base as appropriate for industrial uses in order to prevent the encroachment of incompatible, primarily residential, uses around the base. The local governments here selected the process of unilaterally rezoning privately-owned property to an industrial zoning district to implement the land use plans.

by Hadrasaurus on Wed, 2008/05/28 - 11:09pm
"Down zoning" and nuisance complaints are a problem here too. NJ has "Right to Farm" law. It has a formal conflict resolution procedure. It protects working farms from newbie neighbors using odor and other nuisance complaints driving away the existing farm they just planted their McMansion next to. I haven't heard of a "Right to Industry" law in NJ, but I would imagine the two could have some common features. For additional information on the "Right to Farm" program see http://www.nj.gov/agriculture/sadc/rtfprogram/

by urban sprawler on Thu, 2008/07/31 - 2:21am
The City of Toronto, as well as the province of Ontario (in Canada) have passed planning legislation which protects all industrial/employment lands from being rezoned to other uses, including big box retail which some of the larger land owners are trying to include as an employment use. The only way to convert old industrial land is through what is called a comprehensive employment land review which occurs every five years when the subject region or municipality updates its Official Plan. I work in land development and so far all applications have been denied. Only applications submitted before January 2006 when the policy came into force are dealt with. If a comprehensive review shows that there is an excess of designated employment land over a 20 year period than some conversions may be allowed. It is a controversial policy, but it works for Toronto where excessive amounts of old industrial lands have been converted into condominiums and degraded the amount of land for employment uses, as well as eroded the commercial tax base.

by DetroitPlanner on Thu, 2008/07/31 - 5:31pm
wow, I never thought I would hear of this being a problem! We have the exact opposite problem, too much industrial!

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