BUNKER HILL – Officials from four counties, including Miami and Howard counties, have partnered with Grissom Air Reserve Base to launch a new joint land-use study that could impact future development around the military installation.
The undertaking marks the first time land use around Grissom has been studied to determine if it is compatible with operations conducted at the base, including training, testing and operational missions.
Jim Tidd, executive director of the Miami County Economic Development Authority, which is administering the study, said local leaders will use the findings to determine how best to pursue economic development around the base without interfering in its operations.
“We’re trying to position ourselves for the future security of the wing here and Grissom Reserve Base, and plus make us more attractive for possible future expansion of military operations here,” he said. “At the same time, though, we want to know where we can have growth and development outside the base to further the local and regional economy that doesn’t interfere with base operations.”
The study is being conducted by White & Smith LLC, a planning and law group based in Charleston, South Carolina. Funding for the study comes from a grant through the U.S. Department of Defense’s Office of Economic Adjustment, which provided $210,000 for the project. The grant required a 10 percent local match from Miami, Howard, Cass and Wabash counties.
Company spokesperson E. Tyson Smith said planning experts will spend the next year creating recommendations for what kinds of developments would be incompatible with operations at the base. That will be done by looking at areas where there has been a documented impact from the base.
He said the study will ultimately result in a planning document that examines areas where there could be potential impacts from noise and accidents from the refueling planes taking off and landing at Grissom.
“A lot of land uses are absolutely allowed in these areas, but it could be limited in the intensity of development,” Smith said.
Once the study is complete, counties can accept all the land-use recommendations or pick and choose the ones they want to adopt into their zoning ordinances.
“It’s really up to this community to decide if they want to implement the recommendations,” Smith said. “We’re just providing information about impact and about tools they could use.”
Tidd said the ultimate goal of the study is to give counties authority to stop any developments around the base that could impact its operations and hinder any expansion at the military installation, which is one of the largest employers in the region.
“We want to allow the community to grow, but we want to do it smartly so it doesn’t impact the base,” he said.