Colorado Springs Regional Joint Land Use Study

Pikes Peak Region, CO

In October 2015, the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments (PPACG) was awarded a grant from the Department of Defense to conduct a Joint Land Use Study (JLUS). This study examines impacts of existing and future land uses and missions of five military installations: US Air Force Academy, Fort Carson, Peterson Air Force Base (including Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station), and Schriever Air Force Base. The study area includes El Paso, Fremont, Pueblo, and Teller Counties, and is a community-driven, cooperative, strategic planning process among the five installations, the surrounding local governments, and other local, state, and federal stakeholders. The goal of the study is to encourage land uses that are compatible with military operations in order to preserve their missions and address community impacts. A key study component is identifying shared community interests and methods for supporting partnerships that help the military and communities.

HB&A performed the following tasks:

  • Identifying stakeholders throughout the project region and analyzing engagement alternatives to ensure robust participation.

  • Publicizing and coordinating JLUS efforts, including online surveys and local speaker’s bureau presentations throughout the project area.

  • Organizing public workshops to engage stakeholders directly. Specific functions included handling meeting logistics, creating informational boards (including infographics), as well as, designing feedback processes to channel constructive stakeholder input.

  • Providing administrative support and subject matter expertise at various committee and working group meetings.

The public meeting topics include, but are not limited to, ambient noise, air and ground operations, transportation, stormwater/wastewater, wildfire mitigation, ongoing military training, security, communication, growth trends surrounding the military installations, and how partnerships could assist with creating open space buffers around installations.