In August 2010, the City of Hampton and Joint Base Langley-Eustis Langley Air Force Base adopted a Joint Land Use Study (JLUS). The purpose of a JLUS is to address potential incompatibility issues that may arise between a locality's development plans and the training and mission operations of a military installation. The Hampton-Langley JLUS established 21 strategies to promote cooperative planning and reduce potential conflicts between the City and base. A number of these have been implemented, and others are underway. For example, the City has established new zoning districts in conjunction JBLE-Langley's established clear zone and accident potential zones (those paths where aircraft accidents are more likely to occur). One thing these zoning districts do is reduce developments that bring high population density to those areas. Noise zones have also been established with requirements for noise attenuation at various levels.
Beginning in 2017, the City of Hampton and JBLE-Langley undertook an update to the 2010 JLUS to focus specifically on resilience and adaptation. Langley is at increased risk from sea level and recurrent flooding, and the Department of Defense is supportive of future JLUS efforts across the country to include resilience as part of the study. This update was funded by the Department of Defense Office of Economic Adjustment for that purpose. The addendum takes a close look at what is required for Langley to remain mission-ready, including the systems, partners, and resources that are necessary to make missions run smoothly. The project team explored the vulnerabilities in those systems, including the physical base itself, and opportunities for enhanced resiliency where needed. This update provides 29 recommendations for further work to undertake to make sure Langley remains an active, resilient base in the City of Hampton.