Residential Land. Forecasts of future land needs in Marion are based on population and development projections for the planning period up to the year 2020. Population forecasts for Marion project a year 2020 population of about 33,000 for Marion. These projections indicate a cumulative demand of 6,880 units for Marion between 1990 and 2020, an annual average of 229 units. A demand for 5,054 units is projected between 1998 and 2020. Future housing trends suggest that:

• Higher-density housing forms that maintain single-family characteristics will grow in popularity.
• Affordable housing development will generally take the form of townhouse, multi-family, and mobile home development.
• New development between 1997 and 2020 is projected to be:
  • 65% single-family detached
  • 10% single-family attached, duplex, and townhouse housing, including condominiums
  • 20% multiple-family housing
  • 5% mobile homes

Annual actual absorption of residential land will be about 50 acres annually. This suggests a total reservation of land for residential use of about 2,298 acres to the year 2020.

Commercial Land. Marion has a relatively small proportion of total land being used for commercial purposes. Development needs created by increasing population, the Highway 100 corridor, and a policy of encouraging balanced development suggest that Marion will require substantial new commercial space during the next twenty years. About 284 acres of land should be designated for future commercial development. Development of an entirely new project type, such as a regional research or business park, would require additional land.

Industrial Land. The need for industrial land is less related to population growth than commercial use, making it much more difficult to predict. Marion should provide for an absorption of between 130 and 180 acres of industrial land over a 20-year period and a designation of about 465 acres. The character of this industrial land should be related to Marion's overall community and economic development objectives. Industrial development may be increasingly related to major transportation facilities, including the Highway 100 and 13 corridors, and Marion Airport. Older industrial areas within Marion's central corridor should gradually redevelop for other uses.