What is Zoning? 
Zoning regulates the use of land and the physical characteristics for new development. It establishes what uses are allowed on a property (e.g. residential, commercial, industrial) as well as density, building heights, access to parking and loading, and required open space, among a variety of other matters. Zoning also addresses the balance of uses in an area by allowing certain uses and prohibiting others. In the neighborhood commercial districts, for example, a broad range of neighborhood-serving uses (e.g. restaurants, cafes, grocery stores ) are allowed and uses that aren't appropriate to a neighborhood (e.g. heavy industrial uses) are prohibited.

What types of changes in Zoning could be proposed through the Invest in Neighborhoods Project?
Minor zoning changes, such as changes in the specific commercial uses allowed or prohibited in a neighborhood or allowing a five-foot building height increase to enhance the sidewalk-level retail environment could be proposed. Any type of proposed change to the code would be developed with the community to determine if there is a desire to make such changes.

The "public realm" refers to all streets, plazas and parks accessible to the public. The Planning Department works in a number of ways to make improvements to the public realm. One way is coordinating with the Department of Public Works on implementing the improvements passed in the 2011 streetscape bond, which was passed by San Francisco voters. The bond proposes to repave streets; repair deteriorating bridges, overpasses and stairways; and make traffic, pedestrian, and bicycle and safety improvements. The Planning Department will be working to design a number of these improvements, many of which overlap with the Invest in Neighborhoods corridors. The Department can also provide specialized public realm design services, such as concept plans for improvements, including temporary measures (such as parklets or plazas) that help calm traffic and improve public space.

There are often underutilized pieces of property in neighborhoods that could be developed, re-designed or more intensively used to improve the neighborhood and provide community amenities. The Planning Department can provide technical and design skills to assess these sites and, where appropriate, generate interest in the future development of the site. Are there vacant or underutilized sites, that if developed, would activate and revitalize the neighborhood? Could the community imagine what those sites could become? Planning staff can work with the community to define the objectives and goals relating to the development of these key sites. A few examples from recent plans include design and public space guidelines for development of the former-freeway parcels in the Market and Octavia Neighborhood and for the Phelan Loop site on Ocean Avenue. In Market and Octavia, when the freeway off-ramp was removed, vacant sites were available for development. The sites provided and opportunity for needs in the community to be met and for the community to shape the development.