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Land Developed <br />In next 30 years it is projected, under current <br />patterns, that 2/3 as much land will be developed <br />as has been developed from the time of <br />European settlement to the present day. An <br />estimated 46% of land in the county will be <br />developed by 2030, as compared to an estimated <br />28% in 1998, if current trends continue. Chapel <br />Hill Township will be largely built out, with <br />remaining undeveloped acreage mainly in the <br />Rural Buffer. <br />Loss of Prime Forests <br />If the trend in prime forest loss from 1988 to <br />1996 continues (a reduction of 1,000 acres per <br />year), by 2030 there would be less than 47,000 <br />acres of prime forests left, or about 52% of the <br />90,000 acres existing in 1988. <br />12 <br />Demographic Changes <br />The table below depicts important demographic <br />changes the county is likely to see: <br />These changes are important because they <br />indicate how some service provision needs will <br />change in the future. The steepest increase will <br />be in the Latino population, which will comprise <br />an estimated 8% of the population by 2030. <br />Children and seniors will also increase <br />disproportionately in relation to total population <br />increase. <br />