JLUS Overview

The Pinal County Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) is a cooperative planning effort conducted as a joint venture between Pinal County; the towns of Florence, Marana, and Queen Creek; the City if Eloy; the Arizona National Guard (AZNG); state and federal agencies; and affected stakeholders. The JLUS is funded through a grant from the Department of Defense (DOD) Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA).

The JLUS will assess compatibility concerns in the regions surrounding four AZNG installations in Pinal County – Florence Military Reservation, Rittenhouse Training Site, Silverbell Army Heliport, and Picacho Peak Stagefield. The JLUS effort can directly benefit both the AZNG and the surrounding region by:

• Protecting the health and safety of proximate residents and workers;
• Preserving long-term land use compatibility between the AZNG and the surrounding communities;
• Promoting comprehensive community planning that addresses compatibility issues;
• Enhancing a cooperative spirit between the AZNG and community officials; and
• Integrating surrounding local jurisdiction growth policy plans with the AZNG’s plans.

The primary objective of the Pinal County JLUS is to reduce potential conflicts between AZNG activities and surrounding areas while accommodating new growth and economic development, sustaining economic vitality, and protecting the public health, safety, and welfare. The JLUS program has three core objectives:

• Increase communication between the military, local jurisdictions, and stakeholders to promote an understanding of the strong economic and physical relationship between the AZNG and its neighbors.
• Encourage cooperative land use and resource planning between the AZNG, local jurisdictions, and stakeholders to cultivate a consistent approach to community growth and development while safeguarding military operations and mission readiness in support of national defense objectives.
• Provide a set of recommended tools, activities, and procedures that local jurisdictions, agencies, and the AZNG can use to implement the recommendations developed during the JLUS process.

The AZNG trains over 5,000 soldiers to prepare for deployment and to respond to state emergencies. Ensuring continued training and protection of training lands not only supports those soldiers but supports the community as a whole.  The Arizona National Guard supports local communities through direct and indirect employment, operations and maintenance contracts, and as active members and residents of local communities. The Impact of Arizona’s Military Operations indicated that state‐wide the economic impact in Arizona approximates to $9 billion annually and continues to be a viable resource in helping meet today's economic uncertainties.

The Pinal County JLUS will provide stakeholders with:

• A land use assessment for surrounding potential growth areas
• A baseline of existing incompatible land uses around the AZNG installations
• A plan to assist surrounding communities to make informed decisions regarding compatibility
• Recommended strategies to promote compatible land use planning around the AZNG installations and within the surrounding communities

Compatibility can be defined as the balance between community and military needs and interests. The goal of compatibility planning is to promote an environment where both entities can coexist successfully. Information obtained from the Policy Committee, Technical Working Group, and the public will be analyzed to identify current and potential compatibility issues. This analysis will consider the effectiveness of community planning tools for land use decisions and existing and projected development trends within the JLUS Study Area. A set of 25 compatibility factors will be considered to evaluate the range of issues that influence land use compatibility. While all factors will be initially assessed, several factors may not exist within the Pinal County JLUS Study Area.

JLUS recommendations can be categorized into six key areas: information, communication, coordination, partnerships, policy, and regulatory. They may be:

• Short- or long-term,
• Temporary or permanent,
• Localized to a particular area or apply throughout the JLUS Study Area, and/or
• Legislative

• JLUS Committees
  Two committees, the Technical Working Group and the Policy Committee, will assist in guiding the development of the Pinal County JLUS.
  
  
• Public
  The public will be invited to participate in the JLUS process by providing their recommendations, comments and feedback. Opportunities for public input may include workshops, meetings, a JLUS website and more.