LAND DEMAND & CAPACITY

In order to predict future growth patterns in the Township, it is important to look at the factors affecting development. Demand can be determined by examining population and housing trends and calculating future projections. Capacity is determined by identifying the amount of development the Township could accommodate based upon available infrastructure and zoning classification.

POPULATION

Between the 1990 and 2000 U.S. Census counts, Bloom Township’s population increased from 5,788 to 6,374. These statistics indicate a ten percent population increase over the ten-year period. The farm population in 1990 was 248. The 2000 statistic has not yet been released, but has likely decreased in the past decade as farmland was converted for residential development.

Table 3 shows two possible population projections for Bloom Township. The cohort component projections were conducted as part of the Fairfield County Development Strategy & Land Use Plan. The projections were based upon the 1990 Census data and considered the regional birth, death, and migration rates in the calculations. According to the table, the Township’s population was projected to grow at a much faster rate than it actually has. For example, the projected 2000 population was 7,115 while the actual count was 6,374.

If, instead, the Township were to grow at a constant rate, in this case using the known growth rate between 1990 and 2000, the Township’s 2020 population would be 7,727, rather than the projected 9,487. The constant rate projection is likely a better estimate of Bloom Township’s future growth due to the lack of water and sewer utilities. Should water service become available in some areas of the Township, growth would occur at a more rapid rate.