Wouldn't zoning also prevent housing being built next to a loud factory? A building I work at is very active at night. A hotel was built right across the street and then they started complaining about the noise, even though we were there first. I figured good zoning would have prevented the issue.

With all the empty housing in the city, I feel the answer could be to enforce lowere rents in existing buildings. If, for example, your building has half of its apartments empty, you should have to lower your rent. Just a thought so please don't downvote me for suggesting a different way of doing things.