Housing for seniors planned in Marion

MARION — Construction of two housing projects will add nearly 130 units of affordable rental housing for people 55 and older in Marion.

Building is expected to begin this winter or spring for the Blairs Ferry Senior Project, 830 Blairs Ferry Rd. NE, and The Arbor at Lindale Trail Project, 1362 Blairs Ferry Rd.

Both projects received tax credits from the state — $780,000 for the Blairs Ferry project and $800,000 for the Arbor project.

In addition, the Arbor project received a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

With the aging of the baby boomer generation, the need for affordable housing has grown.

'There's going to be a larger group of them than there currently is housing to accommodate them,' Marion City Manager Lon Pluckhahn said.

The number of people ages 65 to 74 grew by 25 percent in Marion from 2010 to 2015, and the number of those 55 to 64 grew by 14 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The market for affordable senior housing in Marion and Cedar Rapids is expected to grow by 275 households per year through 2020. according to a market study by the Iowa Finance Authority.

A 2014 study released by the Housing Assistance Council shows that seniors living in rural areas such as Iowa are less likely to have access to affordable rental housing. And because a quarter of the nation's seniors live in rural areas and small towns, those areas are in the greatest need.

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, affordable housing is needed for those who pay more than 30 percent of their income for housing. Six percent of Iowans spend that much of their income on housing, according to the website spotlightonpoverty.org.

'I think it's something a lot of communities are looking at,' Pluckhahn said.