Project Overview

What is a Joint Land Use Study?

A Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) is a collaborative study between active military installations, local communities and other stakeholders.  The JLUS program, administered by the Department of Defense (DOD), has two objectives:

• To encourage collaborative planning between military installations and local jurisdictions so that future community land uses and the operational missions of the installation are compatible.

• To develop strategies for reducing the impact of existing community and military activities on each other.

What is the objective of the State of California’s JLUS project?

The Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) is managing a JLUS project with the objective of sustaining the military mission and community economic development, safety, and health.  The project is intended to develop the commitment of participating local governments, the Department of Defense, and other public and private stakeholders to implement study recommendations which will avoid or mitigate conflicting land uses.

What areas will be the focus of the State’s JLUS project?

The State’s project is broken into two geographic study areas:

• The Beale Study Area includes all lands near Beale Air Force Base with an actual or potential impact on military operations at the base, and lands upon which military operations at the base have an actual or potential impact.  Given the central location of the base within Yuba County, it is expected that the study area will encompass most of the County.

• The R-2508 Study Area includes Edwards Air Force Base, Fort Irwin, Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, and the land beneath the Joint Service R-2508 Special Use Airspace Complex and associated military airspace.  This 20,000-square-mile area encompasses portions of Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Mono, San Bernardino, and Tulare Counties.

How will other organizations be involved in the studies?

An Advisory Committee for each study area will provide guidance and input on policy issues.  Each Advisory Committee consists of OPR representatives, elected officials from participating counties and cities, military leaders, and representatives from other stakeholder groups.  The committees will provide overall direction to the process and will review study findings.

In addition, OPR is convening a committee for each study area to provide technical expertise to the OPR Project Team.  The Technical Committees consist of city and county planners, military planners, state agency representatives, and other specialists.  These committees will review technical issues, give feedback on report development, and evaluate implementation options for the Advisory Committees.

The Advisory Committees and Technical Committees will also serve as liaisons to their respective stakeholder groups.  These committees will be important in sharing information between the Project Team and key stakeholders and building support for the JLUS outcomes.

How will the project be undertaken?

The project has three phases:

Phase 1:  OPR has already begun the JLUS for Beale Air Force Base, in partnership with Yuba County and other local jurisdictions.  The project involves stakeholder identification and outreach, data gathering, development of draft recommendations, public review of a draft JLUS, and publication of a final JLUS.

Phase 2:  OPR, in partnership with Kern County and other stakeholders, will conduct a data survey in the R-2508 Complex with a twofold purpose:

• To identify current land uses within the study area; and,

• To identify processes and strategies already implemented for encouraging compatibility between communities and military installations.

The data survey will provide essential information for the execution of the R-2508 JLUS, and will help identify issues that need to be addressed in the course of the study.

Phase 3:  Once the data survey has been completed, the R-2508 JLUS process begins.  It will follow the same steps as the Beale JLUS, with stakeholder identification and outreach, data gathering, development of draft recommendations, public review of a draft JLUS, and publication of a final JLUS.

How long will the project take?

OPR plans to complete the JLUS for the Beale Study Area by January 2007, and the JLUS for the R-2508 Study Area by September 2007.

What is the status of the project?

OPR received a grant from DOD’s Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA) in August 2005 to facilitate five Joint Land Use Studies.  Since that time, OPR has worked with OEA, DOD’s Land Use Interservice Working Group, and key stakeholders to draft a Scope of Work.  In February 2006, OPR signed a contract with the consultant Matrix Design Group to produce the studies.  On April 12, 2006, OPR convened the first meeting of the Advisory Committee for the Beale JLUS.  The next meeting is scheduled for May 24, 2006.  OPR plans to disseminate the data survey for the R-2508 JLUS on June 6, 2006, and to assemble the Advisory Committee this summer.

Additional Information

Additional information about the State of California’s JLUS project can be found on the OPR website: http://www.opr.ca.gov.

For more information, please contact OPR’s JLUS Project Manager:

Ned McKinley

(916) 324-6665

ned.mckinley@opr.ca.gov.