NAS Meridian JLUS public meeting

Lauderdale and Meridian officials will meet July 11 to discuss regional options related to a potential Joint Land Use Study related to Naval Air Station Meridian. The open public meeting will be held Friday at 8:30 a.m. in the Raymond P. Davis County Annex Building. The informational setting is designed to provide technical and financial assistance to governments in advance of a JLUS review and of county zoning ordinances and commercial growth just beyond NASM’s fence line that could impact the base’s overall mission. The objective is to "identify measures needed to ensure that future public and private civilian development adjacent to (NASM) is compatible” with (its) mission, according to a letter from the director of the DOD's Office of Economic Adjustment. NASM Community Plans and Liaisons Officer Jim Copeland told county supervisors Thursday that the meeting is about “things counties and cities do” to protect a military base. Lauderdale County has recently formed a zoning ordinance review committee. JLUS spells out DOD concerns about zoning, and civilian and commercial growth that push into the base’s “crash zone” areas beyond the fence line that could affect the military’s mission; and mission constraints could lead to base closures. (Source: Columbus Dispatch 07/05/14)