Integrated Planning Aligns Base
and Community Development
Despite their independence from each other, military bases and their surrounding civilian communities are closely entwined socially and economically. Today, the Air Force’s Air Combat Command (ACC) is facilitating understanding and cooperation with its community partners through integrated land-use planning and zoning techniques.
Established in 1941, Nellis Air Force Base is an integral part of the Las Vegas Valley and encompasses 13,500 acres in Clark County, Nevada. Within the last decade, Clark County has become one of the fastest growing areas of the nation. More than 5,000 new residents arrive here each month, resulting in significant development and growth pressures that could impact and be impacted by development at the military installation.
With this in mind, Air Force’s Air Combat Command (ACC) Civil Engineer, Brigadier General Patrick Burns, P.E., decided that a new approach to military land-use planning was needed. The approach must not only address how new development would impact the operation of the base and the surrounding community, but also would establish guidelines for development in the future.
“Typically, commanders change out every two years, each coming in with a different mindset and difference experience from the other,” said Burns. “As a result, keeping continuity in base development was very difficult. We didn’t have the right kind of plans in place to facilitate that continuity. Now we do.”
The ACC assigned an integrated planning team, which combined disciplines from all aspects of planning, proposed zoning at Nellis AFB using criteria compatible with Clark County zoning. The team looked up to five miles outside the base to determine issues such as housing growth and planned industrial activities that may be incompatible with the base underneath the flight line. Conversely, planning officials for Clark County were allowed onto the base for similar assessments.
“Our task was to help transform the land-use descriptions at Nellis,” explained Ken Kost, Federal Planning Manager at PBS&J. “Through integrated planning, we established a common planning language with Clark County that gave us the means to prevent potential issues such as encroachments or environmental concerns.”
These guidelines have improved planning on and off of the base and have established controls for future development on and outside the base. New commanders will adhere to zoning guidelines, which will help to maintain development and planning continuity. Similarly, county officials will be able to make zoning decisions near Nellis AFB supported by an integrated planning report.
Despite their independence from each other, military bases and their surrounding civilian communities are closely entwined socially and economically. Today, the Air Force’s Air Combat Command (ACC) is facilitating understanding and cooperation with its community partners through integrated land-use planning and zoning techniques.