JLUS report approved by Moody, surrounding communities Published June 1, 2009 By Airman 1st Class Brigitte Brantley 23rd Wing Public Affairs MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- The Joint Land Use Study Policy Committee met on May 19 and approved the resolution accepting the JLUS report that involves Moody and surrounding communities. The policy committee, which gives overall direction to the process, comprises military leaders, local elected officials from participating cities and counties and an at-large resident representative. "The Joint Land Use Study is a cooperative land use planning effort between local affected communities and Moody," said Robert Jefferson, 23rd Civil Engineer Squadron chief of asset optimization. "It began in February 2008 and is scheduled for completion in August. "The recommendations we develop provide a policy framework that helps to prevent urban encroachment, safeguards the military mission and protects the public's health, safety and welfare." The surrounding communities involved are Berrien, Clinch, Echols, Lanier and Lowndes counties. "The JLUS effort benefits both the local jurisdiction and the installation by protecting the health and safety of residents living or working near Moody and it seeks to reduce the operational impacts of military installations on adjacent land," said Mr. Jefferson. "It promotes comprehensive community planning and preserves long-term land use compatibility while encouraging a cooperating spirit. "Concerned citizens become involved by attending the public hearings, completing surveys or requesting one-on-one interviews. These all give residents an opportunity to understand the existing issues, review draft tools and provide input on implementation strategies." The JLUS was originally implemented by the Department of Defense in 1985 to create a participatory, community-based framework for land use planning around airfields. Scheduled actions to be taken by the surrounding communities to help keep the Moody mission going will focus on not having a negative impact on flight operations. This will mean developing ordinances that control the height of tall structures, marking and lighting structures that might harm the base's nighttime flight operations and adopting a letter of clearance for landfills. Some communities will also require real estate closings affected by Moody to sign disclosure forms alerting the buyer that property near the base may be exposed to significant noise levels. There are also certain restrictions are placed on development. Moody will create and distribute educational material about the importance of the base and any land use planning issues that may arise as well as communicating new missions and construction plans with the local government staff at the earliest opportunity. The JLUS helps foster smart growth that will be balanced and sustainable, stated the resolution. This growth will help to protect one of the region's biggest economic influences, the base. The importance of working with the local community to sustain operations and prevent operational impact cannot be overstated, the resolution added.