South Carolina military bases are not only having to ready themselves against the threat of base closure that occurs every ten years, but they must also deal with a lesser known issue–encroachment by local development. It’s also true that encroachment and base closure are connected. Bases aren’t worried about new housing and businesses coming onto their property, but just coming near it creates a problem.
Retired General George Patrick co-chairs the Military Bask Task Force, formerly known as the Base Realignment and Closure(or BRAC) Task Force, which was established as an advisory committee to the governor on military matters.Patrick says for the last three and a half years, encroachment has been his group’s primary focus, and the state of South Carolina, the governor’s office and local communities are crucial in mitigating property development issues. “For example, having high-density housing developments below flight paths of high-performance aircraft creates a safety and noise issue and can even hamper the ability of an installation to effectively carry out its mission.” [click to continue…]
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