Industrial lands are essential to the region's economy and support many of its biggest industries. With advancements in technology, changes in demographics, and the impacts of climate change, proactively planning for the region's industrial lands is key to ensuring that they continue to serve the needs of the region's residents and businesses.
VISION 2050 and the 2022 Regional Economic Strategy both call to update the Regional Industrial Lands Analysis to evaluate the supply and demand for industrial land across all industry sectors and research trends for industrial uses as technology and markets evolve.
PSRC has released a draft update to the Industrial Lands Analysis originally published in 2015. Findings from the analysis fell into the following categories:
- Supply of Industrial Lands: Concerns regarding the availability of industrial lands to meet the current and future needs of industry.
- Positive Drivers of Demand: Historic industries continue to drive demand on industrial lands, as well as the emergence of newer sectors.
- Incompatible and Undesired Uses: Continued pressure for incompatible and less desirable uses on industrial lands.
- Impacts to Communities: Activities on industrial lands have impacts on adjacent communities, Tribes and the environment that require mitigation.
- Maintenance Costs: Challenges that jurisdictions face related to the costs of maintenance of industrial lands.
- Workforce: Current and projected shortages of workers for industrial activities and demographic representation in this workforce.
- Transit Investments: Potential benefits and challenges of new high-capacity transit investments.
- Goods Movement: The impact of increasing traffic on the region’s industrial supply chains.
PSRC encourages jurisdictions to use the regional and manufacturing center industrial lands to complete their comprehensive plan updates and plan for employment growth in their communities. PSRC’s Industrial Lands Analysis is projected to be finalized this summer.