Marion’s AbouAssaly promotes city’s growing population, services in annual address

CEDAR RAPIDS — Marion Mayor Nick AbouAssaly this week celebrated a “decade of progress” in his annual State of the City address outlining recent and upcoming developments in the city’s public and private sectors.

AbouAssaly spoke Tuesday for a crowd of more than 600 people gathered at the DoubleTree by Hilton Convention Center in Cedar Rapids. He highlighted Marion’s growth over the last 10 years, as well as some of the significant projects on the horizon.

“Today, we have a different outlook from 10 years ago,” he said. “The seemingly impossible has become possible, and the positive energy has become contagious. Our momentum has become an unstoppable force.”

Much of AbouAssaly’s speech focused on the recent growth Marion has experienced and how that momentum provides a solid base for future development.

Over the past decade, AbouAssaly cited Census figures stating the city’s population has grown roughly 16 percent from 37,000 residents to the current estimate of nearly 43,000. In 2024 alone, an estimated 677 new families moved to Marion from 35 different states and six countries.

To meet the growing demand for housing, the city has added 1,537 single-family homes and 1,014 multifamily units to its housing stock in the last 10 years. Additionally, four living communities were built specifically for older adults in that same time frame.

Simultaneously, the city has implemented widespread improvements to its streets, parks and other public services.

Last year, for example, the city completed the Seventh Avenue pedestrian bridge and launched a new automated trash collection system. Other improvements in the past decade have included the revitalization of Uptown Marion and the construction of a new Marion Public Library.

“We’re closer than ever before to delivering on our promise to be the best place in Iowa to raise a family and grow a business,” he said. “... We are working to become one of the best small cities in America so that we can fully contribute to what makes our entire region attractive.”

Turning his focus forward, AbouAssaly highlighted some of Marion’s current and upcoming projects and the ongoing process to update the city’s comprehensive plan.

The city this spring will launch its new Central Plaza near City Square Park. The flexible space aims to offer a variety of outdoor activities and special events through the addition of a pavilion, live performance space, public art and more.

AbouAssaly further estimated a 2025 completion for Draper Park, a pocket park along the Grant Wood Trail, as well as the beginning of phase-one improvements to Indian Creek that include trail improvements and canoe/kayak access.

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Several private-sector projects also will make substantial progress this year, AbouAssaly noted, including the construction of a new office building for ESCO Electric Company off Highway 151. Once complete, the project is expected to create an additional 18 jobs.

Construction also is kicking into gear for several residential projects such as the 55-unit Bell Tower Lofts apartment project at the former First Methodist Episcopal Church and the 24-unit Hoth Flats planned at 801 10th St. Both projects are slated for completion in 2026.

“We’re not slowing down. In fact, I’m certain that we’re just beginning,” AbouAssaly said. “... We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to shape a truly outstanding place.”

Miller honored for community impact

Also at the State of the City address, local literacy advocate Nancy A. Miller received the 2025 Morris F. Neighbor Community Impact Award. The annual award honors an individual or organization whose volunteerism and outstanding service have made a significant impact on the Marion community.

Miller is an ex officio member of the Marion Public Library Board and a significant supporter of the now-closed Nancy A. Miller Marion Public Library, which opened in 1996 and was named in honor of Miller’s role as a primary donor.

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That building closed in 2020 and has since been replaced with a new library facility at 1101 Sixth Ave., which last year welcomed nearly 180,000 visitors. Miller continues to volunteer at the new facility and promotes local literacy efforts.

“A library is one of the most democratic institutions left in the United States,” Miller said Tuesday in her acceptance speech. “A public library entertains and inspires, and it does so much more than even books. … It’s a true community center.”

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