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VIENNA -- The Youngstown Air Reserve Station and nearby communities are figuring out how to stay good neighbors for the long term -- with regulations that won't hurt its missions or burden local governments with excessive new rules.
A public meeting Tuesday evening at Mathews High School allowed participants to discuss how communities near the station can create zoning regulations and comprehensive plans. Such planning could help secure the longevity of the station and its missions.
A joint land use study for the station was completed in 2019, and now the YARS Military Installation Sustainability Project is in the first stage of implementation. The project is being coordinated by the Matrix Design Group, with the Trumbull County Planning Commission, the Eastern Ohio Military Affairs Commission, Vienna, Fowler, Howland, members of the public and other nearby communities with varying degrees of impact.
Vienna stands to be the most affected community in the project -- the township where the station is based, and most affected by the concerns raised in the study.
Matrix gave a presentation about what types of zoning regulations and additions to comprehensive plans would help secure the future of the air station.
Its future could be dependent on preserving current missions and making sure it is ready to accept other missions down the road, Celeste Werner, project director for Matrix, said. That means making sure the communities around it don't make decisions that could jeopardize military readiness.
The areas of concern, known as military compatibility areas (MCA), are: noise, airfield safety, vertical obstruction and birds / wildlife.
The right amount of zoning regulations could help ensure the base remains valuable, without overwhelming local governments with excessive new regulations, said Pat Small, deputy project manager for Matrix.
The MCAs would have different impacts on communities, depending on where they lay in relation to the base. Communities would be asked to create regulations such as limiting new projects within certain areas with height restrictions, and keeping certain developments outside of an airfield safety zone.
Mathews High School is within the airfield safety zone -- meaning it could be impacted in potential catastrophic incidents, and a "noise contour" zone -- meaning the station's activities could be considered too loud to be near.
Werner said a new site is recommended for the school, but other schools in the township are far enough away to avoid the two zones.
Members of the public voiced the most concern about the high school and who would be responsible for paying for a new school.
Utility projects, renewable energy projects, lighting projects and other development projects could be impacted if communities decide to implement some or all of the recommendations Matrix is making in zoning regulations.
Julie Green, executive director of the planning commission, said Matrix is not implementing the changes, or making any community follow the advice. It is providing recommendations only, she said.
rfox@tribtoday.com