JLUS Overview

What Is a Joint Land Use Study?

A Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) is a cooperative planning effort conducted as a joint venture between an active military installation, surrounding cities and counties, state and federal agencies, and other affected stakeholders. The Seymour Johnson AFB and Dare County Range JLUS is an 18-month study funded through a grant from the Department of Defense (DOD) Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA) with contributions by the local sponsor, the State of North Carolina.

What Are the JLUS Objectives?

The primary objective of a JLUS is to reduce potential conflicts between a military installation and surrounding areas while accommodating new growth and economic development, sustaining economic vitality, and protecting the general public’s health and safety, without compromising the operational missions of the installation. JLUS programs have three core objectives:

UNDERSTANDING. Increase communication between the military, local jurisdictions, and stakeholders to promote an understanding of the strong economic and physical relationship between the installation and its neighbors.

COLLABORATION. Encourage cooperative land use and resource planning between Seymour Johnson AFB, Dare County Range and area stakeholders so that future development is compatible with the training and operational missions at the installation, while at the same time seeking ways to reduce operational impacts on adjacent public and private lands.

ACTIONS. Develop and implement strategies and tools designed to address the compatibility issues identified during the JLUS process.

How Will the JLUS Be Developed?

The project will include Eight Tasks that built upon each other:

Task 1: Overall Project Initiation
Task 2: Stakeholder Engagement
Task 3: Public Meetings
Task 4: Data Collection, Inventory, and Mapping
Task 5: Analysis of Land Use, Air, and Environmental Conflicts
Task 6: Conflict Resolution and Compatibility Strategies
Task 7: Prepare Study Report
Task 8: Prepare Advisory Handbook for Rural Community Development

What Will the Seymour Johnson JLUS Address?

The Seymour Johnson AFB and Dare County Range JLUS will:

• • Promote community and economic development that is compatible with the military training, testing, and operational missions.
  • Seek ways to reduce operational impacts on adjacent lands.
  • Encourage local governments, together with the State, to work closely with the military installation to implement measures to prevent the introduction of incompatible civilian development that may impair the continued operational utility of the military installation.
  • Seek ways to preserve and protect the public health, safety, and welfare of those living near the active military installation; Dare County Range; and under associated special use airspace, military training routes, and military operation areas.
  • Provide a plan to assist surrounding communities with decision-making.
  • Recommend strategies to promote compatible land use planning around Seymour Johnson AFB, the Dare County Range, and areas of overflight.

What Is Compatibility?

Compatibility, in relationship to military readiness, can be defined as the balance and/or compromise between community and military needs and interests. The goal of compatibility planning is to promote an environment where both entities can coexist successfully. Study Area data on existing conditions obtained through field work and from the Policy Committee, Technical Working Group, and public workshops will be analyzed to identify current and future compatibility issues. This analysis will also identify the influence of regulatory measures on land use decisions and consider existing and projected development trends within the Study Area. A set of 25 compatibility factors will be considered to evaluate the range of issues that influence land use compatibility. Though all factors will be initially assessed, not all factors may be relevant to the JLUS and not all factors may be compatibility issues throughout the Study Area.

What Are the Compatibility Factors?

The compatibility factors identified below represent a holistic approach to addressing land use compatibility proximate to Seymour Johnson AFB, Dare County Range, and areas of overflight.

What Are JLUS Recommendations?

JLUS recommendations are a set of actions to remedy both current and potential incompatibilities that may involve enhanced communications and information sharing; legislative actions; policy changes such as revisions to community comprehensive plans; and regulatory reforms to traditional land use and development controls, such as zoning, subdivision regulations, and building codes, etc. Recommended actions may include land exchanges, transfer of development rights, development clustering, and real estate disclosures.

Have Past JLUS's Been Successful?

Previous JLUS’s have demonstrated a high success rate. The JLUS effort can directly benefit both the jurisdiction and the installation by:

• Protecting the health and safety of residents living or working near military installations.
• Preserving long-term land use compatibility between the installation and the surrounding community.
• Promoting comprehensive community planning.
• Encouraging a cooperative spirit between the local base command and local community officials.
• Aligning local jurisdictions’ comprehensive plans with installation plans.