Arizona is home to several United States military airports and installations including Luke Air Force Base, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Yuma Proving Grounds and Yuma Marine Air Corps Station, Fort Huachuca, and the Barry M. Goldwater Range Complex in southwestern Arizona as well as several auxiliary fields. As issues of growth and development have moved to the forefront in many parts of Arizona, the bases and jurisdictions in which they are located are playing key roles in the dialogue.  Each military facility in Arizona has a mission to carry out in support of the nation’s defense. However, the sustainability of the installation to carry out its mission depends not only on the ability to maintain its own capabilities, but also on its linkages with a network of other facilities and installations in the state. Arizona has endeavored to provide the tools to address land use conflicts that might impact the ability of each base to conduct its mission.

The Arizona Military Regional Compatibility Project was conceived as a proactive endeavor to convene the stakeholders around each installation – the relevant jurisdictions, base personnel, landowners, and other interested parties – to address land use compatibility issues. The Compatibility Project is the result of legislation passed in 2001 (Senate Bill 1120) that appropriated funds to develop comprehensive land use plans in the noise and accident potential zones surrounding active military airports.  The project has grown now to include support and funding from the United States Department of Defense, Office of Economic Adjustment.

The Arizona Military Regional Compatibility Project Policy Guidebook can be downloaded here.

Completed Joint Land Use Studies:

• Luke Air Force Base/Western Maricopa County Joint Land Use Study – 2003
• Luke Air Force Base – Luke Auxiliary Field #1 Joint Land Use Study – 2004
• Luke Air Force Base – Barry M. Goldwater Range / Gila Bend Auxiliary Field Joint Land Use Study – 2005
• Davis-Monthan Air Force Base Joint Land Use Study – 2004
• Marine Corps Air Station – Yuma Joint Land Use Plan – 2005
• Fort Huachuca Joint Land Use Study – 2007

Current Joint Land Use Study regions:

• Pinal County (incorporating four Arizona Army National Guard locations: Florence Military Reservation, Rittenhouse Training Site, Silverbell Army Heliport, and Picacho Peak Stagefield)
• Coconino County (incorporating the U.S. Naval Observatory – Flagstaff Station and Arizona Army National Guard’s Camp Navajo)

Military and Restricted Airspace Maps

Information on territory located within the vicinity of a military airport can be found at the Arizona Department of Real Estate.

Other initiatives related to Arizona military facilities:

Senate Bill 1525 – This legislation was passed in 2001 to provide for open and effective communication between military bases, jurisdictions, developers, and the public so that safe and responsible planning could occur on lands in the vicinity of active military airports. Key provisions of the bill include enhanced notification and disclosure requirements for rezonings or new development proposals; noise attenuation requirements within noise contours; and definitions of High Noise and Accident Potential Zones. For more information on the bill and to view Arizona’s Revised Statutes visit www.azleg.gov.

Economic Impact of Arizona’s Principal Military Operations – This study was commissioned by the communities of Glendale, Avondale, Goodyear, Litchfield Park, Peoria, Phoenix, Surprise, Tucson, Wickenburg, and Yuma to document the economic impact of Arizona’s active military facilities, and was completed by The Maguire Company in collaboration with ESI Corporation. Released in May 2002, the study concluded that the military industry’s economic and fiscal impacts are substantial and represent a key component of the state’s economy. The State of Arizona sponsored the updating of the report in 2008 and 2017. Click here to download the latest Military Economic Impact Study.

Senate Bill 1393 – This bill was signed by Governor Jane Dee Hull in May 2002. This bill requires school districts in certain areas to adopt and enforce school district development plans for property that is located in High Noise or Accident Potential Zones of a military airport. For more information on the bill and to view Arizona’s Revised Statutes visit www.azleg.gov.