Pinal County JLUS Final Report | Page 20

  Existing levels and types of encroachment are key factors that are evaluated by the Department of Defense and other federal agencies when considering future missions and the realignment of assets from one installation to another. To protect the missions of military facilities and the health of economies and industries that rely on them, encroachment must be addressed through mutual information sharing and joint planning efforts by installations and local communities. This Pinal County Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) identifies and strives to mitigate existing compatibility issues, as well as prevent future issues, while strengthening coordination between the Arizona Army National Guard (AZARNG) and communities near to AZARNG sites and training areas in Pinal County. Along with Pinal County, four communities participated as stakeholders in this JLUS. These are the four closest communities to the four AZARNG sites that were a part of this JLUS. These communities are:   The Town of Queen Creek (closest to Rittenhouse Training Site; The Town of Florence (closest to Florence Military Reservation);  The City of Eloy (closest to Picacho Peak Stagefield); and  The Town of Marana (closest to Silverbell Army Heliport). The Pinal County JLUS advocates a proactive approach to encourage increased communication about decisions relating to land use regulation and airspace operations, AZARNG activities in Pinal County, conservation, and natural resource management issues affecting both the community and the military. This JLUS seeks to avoid land use and airspace operations conflicts by engaging the military and local decision-makers in a proactive, collaborative and multi-agency planning process. 2 Introduction