A group of central Arkansas counties and cities are forming a Little Rock Air Force Base Regional Planning Committee officials say will be the first of its kind in the U.S.
Comprised of Austin, Cabot, Jacksonville, Maumelle, North Little Rock, Sherwood, Ward, Faulkner County, Lonoke County, Pulaski County and White County, the committee will be a formal commitment between the cities and counties with land use and planning authority to work together to ensure development around the LRAFB is consistent with the base’s mission.
This will be the first regional planning committee in the U.S. that local jurisdictions took the initiative to voluntarily form in order to promote local development around a military base, according to Pulaski County.
Pulaski County Attorney Adam Fogleman said the idea for the committee came about during the past four years as the county participated in a U.S. Department of Defense-funded conditional use study of the LRAFB. The study’s recommendation was to ensure consistency in the base’s present mission.
“When it comes to cities and counties working together to solve problems at the local level and to ensure the success — future success and continued success of a military installation, we’re the first to undertake this type of effort,” Fogleman said.
So far, Sherwood, Jacksonville, Cabot, and Austin have joined the agreement. The committee will officially form after the remaining cities and counties approve the agreement.