City of Lemoore City of Lemoore City of Lemoore
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JOINT LAND USE STUDY (JLUS)

What is JLUS?

A Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) is a process in which communities and military installations work together to develop common growth management strategies. Experiences from these studies have shown 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;
  • Integrating the local jurisdiction's comprehensive plans with the installation's plans.

Why is a JLUS needed in the Lemoore area?

The San Joaquin Valley is the fastest growing region in California. The population is expected to almost triple from 3.3 million to 9.5 million. As a desirable and relatively affordable place to live, the San Joaquin Valley is under tremendous population growth pressure. From 2000 to 2008, the San Joaquin Valley region experienced an 18.9% population increase, the largest increase in the state (California Regional Progress Report). Once a largely rural region, the eight counties of the Valley are now home to large metropolitan areas (Stockton, Fresno, and Bakersfield) with growing cities and towns. According to the 2009 California Department of Finance, Fresno is now the fifth largest city in California. Of the total 480 Californiia, Bakersfield ranks as the eleventh largest followed by Stockton as the thirteenth largest.

While NAS Lemoore has historically enjoyed an encroachment free relationship with the surrounding jurisdictions, this is unlikely to continue with the anticipated future population growth. This is the underlying primary reason why it is important to conduct a JLUS study for NAS Lemoore in coordination with the local jurisdictions.

In addition, there are several planning efforts currently underway ranging from the local level to the state level, which lend themselves to a collaborative JLUS effort. From a local perspective, each of the three neighboring jurisdictions are either currently in the process of updating or have recently adopted their updated General Plan documents. The San Joaquin Valley has been involved in a comprehensive planning effort since 2006 and new state planning directives from California regulating greenhouse emissions from transportation and land use continue to be signed into law.

Are other jurisdictions involved?

The parties involved in this JLUS include; City of Lemoore, Kings County, Fresno County, and NAS Lemoore. On July 17, 2008 Commanding Officer of Naval Air Station Lemoore, in collaboration with the City of Lemoore and the Kings County Community Development Agency submitted a Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) nomination, through the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Installations & Facilities to the Department of Defense Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA). Post request submission, Fresno County Department of Public Works and Planning requested to collaborate in the study. In March of 2009 an initial planning meeting was held, where the Kings County Association of Governments (KCAG) was appointed by participating jurisdictions as the grantee for the study. KCAG is a joint powers agency consisting of the County of Kings and the cities of Avenal, Corcoran, Hanford, and Lemoore and is responsible for addressing inter-jurisdictional public policy matters.

What are the objectives/goals for the JLUS?

The overall goals of this JLUS are:

  • Identify land use issues that may impact the operational utility of NAS Lemoore;
  • Identify actions the City of Lemoore, Kings County, and Fresno County can pursue to ensure that incompatible development does not impact the operational utility of NAS Lemoore;
  • Create an action plan to guide future planning that all involved parties will benefit from.

The overall objectives of this study are:

  • Involve the public in all stages of the planning process.
  • Map recent and planned development activity.
  • Identify areas where present land use conflicts are occurring.
  • Identify areas where future land use conflicts could occur.
  • Identify new land use compatibility measures.
  • Draft potential changes to the local government land use regulations.
  • Develop a final action plan and narrative report with specific recommendations and implementation strategies.
  • Integrate the NAS Lemoore 2009 AICUZ study.
  • Development of long-term regional planning contours for high noise areas (65+Ldn) surrounding NAS Lemoore with consideration of possible future aircraft and mission scenarios.

How does a citizen get involved in the JLUS process?

Two committees will be developed to provide support and guidance during this proposed JLUS study: 1) a Policy Committee consisting of elected officials and 2) a Working Group of professional planners from each of the jurisdictions and other key stakeholders. The Policy Committee will consist of two Board of Supervisors Members from Kings County, two City Council Members from the City of Lemoore, one Board of Supervisors Member from Fresno County, and one (non-voting) exofficio representative from NAS Lemoore. The Policy Committee is responsible for the overall direction of the JLUS, approval of the budget, preparation and approval of the study design, approval of the draft and final written reports, approval of policy recommendations, and monitoring implementation of the adopted policies. The Working Group will most likely include local jurisdiction and military base planners, and representatives from agriculture, business, natural resource protection organizations, and concerned residents. Several public workshops will be held in the vicinity of the project area at key milestone points in the study for the public to provide input.

What are the expected benefits of this study?

The JLUS planning process will benefit the community by identifying locations where land use conflicts between the civilian population and NAS Lemoore are presently occurring or are likely to occur in the future. Once these locations have been identified, land use and other relevant regulations that are developed during the JLUS planning process will be proposed to the local governing bodies. The overall outcome will ensure that NAS Lemoore can continue and/or modify its missions in the future with as little hindrance as possible, while also ensuring that civilian interests are protected to the greatest possible degree. The JLUS will identify potential modifications to zoning and other development regulations that are more likely to result in compatible land uses, thus ensuring the long-term viability of NAS Lemoore. The Department of Defense (DoD) will also benefit as enhanced coordination of surrounding land uses will increase the long term operational effectiveness and serve as an important component in the protection of our Homeland from unforeseen and anticipated threats.

When will the JLUS final report be available?

Work on the project will be completed by the December 2010, although the degree of coordination and complexity may require more or less time.