Land Use Policies

ADEQUATE LAND SUPPLY. Marion should designate enough land for new development to meet its year 2020 population target of 33,000. New development in Marion should be focused in those areas designated by the Land Use Plan. The plan recommends four major development zones:

• An Urban Development Zone. This area corresponds to the projected land needs for the city between 1998 and 2020.
• An Urban Reserve Zone. This corresponds to areas likely to fall within Marion's future urban jurisdiction, and will be needed for urban development following the year 2020. The Urban Reserve zone should be preserved in current agricultural and open space use during this planning period.
• An Agricultural Zone. These areas include excellent farmlands which will not be required for urban development in the foreseeable future and should continue in agricultural use.
• A Conservation Development Zone. These areas include land with difficult topography that cannot accommodate conventional urban development.

COMPACT DEVELOPMENT PATTERN. Marion should encourage compact development that channels growth into development areas contiguous to or served by existing infrastructure and developments.

DEVELOPMENT CENTERS. Marion should establish a framework of development centers, connected to one another by transportation and greenway connections, designed to create better neighborhoods and improved linkages.

CONSERVATION RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT. Residential development should conserve the quality of the local landscape by designing subdivisions around important natural features and resources.

GREENWAY SYSTEM. A continuous greenway system should be created in Marion to link development areas and the established city together. Major park space should be developed along with each growth center and related to the greenway network.

CONTINUOUS TRANSPORTATION. New growth areas in Marion should be served by continuous street networks that are linked to established parts of the city.

EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF FACILITIES. Marion's public facilities should serve its growth areas equitably to support community growth objectives.

COMMERCIAL NODES. Marion's new commercial development should be located within well-defined nodes or districts.

INDUSTRIAL GROWTH AREAS. Marion should use its favorable transportation situation to generate new sites for industrial development.

HIGHWAY 100 MIXED USE CORRIDOR. Highway 100 should be a major mixed use corridor with a combination of commercial, office and some residential uses.

CENTRAL CORRIDOR. If abandoned, the Illinois Central Railroad alignment should be studied for development of a local collector and greenway corridor, encouraging the gradual, private upgrading of the corridor into an urban mixed use district.