Wednesday, the North Carolina Department of Commerce will be conducting a workshop with regard to its Joint Land Use Study (JLUS).

The purpose of the JLUS is to address compatibility planning between Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, the Dare County Range and impacted communities in the northeast N.C. region. The workshop will give information about the compatibility issues that have been identified in the region, as well as provide input on prioritizing the issues. Issues that have not yet been considered will also considered through public input.

The Department is currently assessing 24 compatibility factors. It identified approximately 48 issues within 16 of those 25 compatibility factors. For example, one of the issues is related to vertical obstructions and energy development. Other factors include: coordination and communication; land use; noise from over-flight; safety zones; environmental impacts; and roadway capacity, among others.

According to Will Best, project coordinator for the N.C. Commerce JLUS, in Beaufort County, being a heavily agricultural area, the study will look at land use related to sustaining economic growth, while at the same time, hashing out viability of military operations related to air space in various communities.

The study won’t necessarily apply any restrictions on land use, but it does provide planning tools and allow a discussion of land use with military operations. A policy committee has been formed, made up of representatives of the counties involved in the process. Among them are: Wayne County and Goldsboro, as well as Bertie, Washington, Beaufort, Dare, Hyde and Tyrrell counties.

The important thing about the workshop is the people of the community have the opportunity to have their voices heard. Public input is invaluable to the process. Local residents are stakeholders in the study area, and their input is important in identifying possible issues in the region related to the environment and economic sustainability, among others.

The time to offer input in this process is now. Having one’s voice heard in the process will, ultimately, provide a better outcome.

The workshop is set for Wednesday, from 5-7 p.m. at the Washington Civic Center, located at 110 Gladden St. in downtown Washington.