Military installations are critical to local economies, generating
thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in economic activity and
tax revenue annually. The growth of incompatible development
around military installations, often referred to as encroachment,
has been a leading factor in the loss of training operations at
military sites across the country and has resulted in realignment
of mission-critical components between installations. 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. The
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). Figure 1-1 shows the regional location of Pinal
County within the State of Arizona.
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Introduction