La Plata, MD – The Charles County Planning Commission forwarded the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren’s Joint Use Land Study to the Charles County Commissioners Monday, May 4, another in a series of JLUS initiatives being coordinated between Southern Maryland counties and the military bases within their borders or, as in the case of Dahlgren, right across the Potomac River in King George County in Virginia.
Amy Blessinger, planner III, told planning commissioner members that the objective of the study is to protect the health, safety and welfare of local communities and manage development and make sure it is compatible with issues of the base as well as military and contractor personnel.
“There should be a focus on areas where impacts are felt or could be felt,” Blessinger said. “We don’t want to overreach. Our goal is to develop simple strategies for mitigating encroachment issues with local, state and fed agencies; a partnership approach,” she added.
Blessinger said that first, data resource assessment is done, where the study looks at comprehensive plans, zoning, etc., and frequency spectrum effects on the area, stating that electromagnetic testing can affect cell phones.
“We ask, how it affects Charles,” she said. “We ask, ‘Does it protect the health, safety and welfare and improve communications between Dahlgren and the public?’ A lot of issues can be taken care of simply through improved communications,” she stressed.
She said JLUS outlines housing needs for base personnel and she said that as part of the study they would be seeking to create a military compatibility overlay district for neighboring jurisdictions.
“This would address different issues, such as designating areas for noise impacts,” she said.
Blessinger added it would be their intention to update zoning maps to be consistent with comprehensive plan updates and JLUS would incorporate these areas onto those maps. She also suggested posting disclosures to homeowners in proximity to the military base.
Such designations on the maps would be enhanced.
“They don’t address specific activities,” she said, adding that such an initiative would involve working with local real estate agents.
She said by far, the biggest area of complaints come from the big booms their guns make while testing ordnance.
“Noise—that’s the big one,” Blessinger said. She added another issue is a bird strike hazard, north and west of Cobb Island.
Dahlgren’s operations actually effect a larger portion of St. Mary’s County in addition to a small segment of Charles County.
Other counties are considering adopting the JLUS report at this time, she noted.
Planning Commissioner Member Nancy Schertler asked Blessinger if by accepting the finished report forces the county to enact the recommended plan.
“Depending on feasible resources, it’s not set in stone how it would be done,” Blessinger said. “We implement what we can do and collaborate on the rest.
Schertler suggested adding noise contours in zoning maps.
“It does affect the county,” she said. “We do get complaints about the noise.”
Scherler made a motion to forward the study to the county for its consideration, a motion commission member Wayne Magoon seconded.
Contact Joseph Norris at joe.norris@thebaynet.com