Conversion of March AFB from an active duty military installation, to an air reserve base, results in the disposal and reuse of approximately 4,400 acres of land. The changes to the base caused significant impacts to the local economy. The impacts are measured in direct loss of military and civilian jobs, loss of contract spending by the base, and loss of indirect economic activity as a result of the changes. However, the opportunity that is created relates to the portions of the base that are not required for use by the Department of Defense (DOD). Planning and implementing new uses for currently vacant lands, reuse of existing facilities, and joint use, in cooperation with the reserves, is the challenge.

The primary function of the March Final Reuse Plan was to identify through the solicitation process property disposition for reuse and generation of a plan to implement the reuse and revitalization opportunity as identified by the local redevelopment agency (LRA). The Plan identified a means of revitalizing or redeveloping the realigned military installation in a beneficial manner, or otherwise revitalizing community and the economies of said communities. In short, to facilitate economic recovery resulting from base realignment.

In accordance with DOD requirements, the March Final Reuse Plan and associated National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation was prepared for the realigned military installation. The March Final Reuse Plan for March includes the following elements; land use, circulation/transportation, homeless assistance, property disposition, environmental impact analysis, joint use aviation, and marketing strategy. The purpose and function of the March Final Reuse Plan Land Use component, is specific to the regulations of the DOD for reuse assessment; inclusive of providing a baseline analysis to satisfy the requirements of NEPA. Pursuant to the Base Closure Community Assistance Action, the primary objective of the land use plan was to develop a land use pattern that would implement the reuse and revitalization opportunities as identified by the local redevelopment agency (LRA). March JPA is the designated LRA for March AFB. In short, the land use plan identified the reuse land use pattern, to facilitate base redevelopment and realize the economic opportunities available from the March's changed military mission.

The creation of a Land Use Plan for the March Final Reuse Plan was a Phase One component, of the three phase Base Reuse Implementation Process. The Land Use Plan delineates the spatial distribution and land use pattern for base property not within the Cantonment Area, of which an analysis was incorporated into the environmental assessment completed for the March Final Reuse Plan comprehensively.

The goals and policies from which the preferred land use plan were derived from are comprehensive, and analogous to base reuse and development. The planning team, with representatives from each member jurisdiction incorporated the following objectives within the land use plan;

The concluding phase of the base reuse planning process was the creation of a Preferred Community Land Use Pattern, which was presented to the Air Force as the preferred land use alternative analyzed within the base reuse documents, including an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that was completed February 1996.

With the realignment to an air reserve facility, the Air Force Reserves (AFRES) retained 2,100 acres as March Air Reserve Base (ARB). The area retained by AFRES became known as the "Cantonment Area." The non-cantonment areas, or areas not retained by AFRES, were determined to be excess to the Air Force, and released for reuse to other interested parties, including military and public / private entities.

Excess property at March was screened in 1994 in accordance with federal law assigning the following priority of consideration:

1. the Department of Defense (retained by DOD - not excess)
2. other Federal government agencies or local government with a federal agency "sponsorship" (Public Benefit Conveyance)
3. homeless assistance groups (Homeless Assistance Plan), and
4. economic development conveyances.

Department of Defense
With first priority in the federal screening process, other DOD departments may request a transfer of ownership based on established need. With March being a base realignment as opposed to a base closure, various DOD departments requested and received property based upon need. Several DOD departments are located at March in numerous existing buildings located in the northeast or "main base" area.

Federal Government Agencies
Properties "excess" to the needs of the Air Force were not declared surplus until other federal agencies / departments had an opportunity to transfer ownership. As with the DOD requests, transfer occurred directly between the DOD and applicable federal agency. Federal agency property requests at March include the acreage for the Veterans Administration to expand the Riverside National Cemetery, and the USDA received property and facilities for FIRESCOPE services.

Public Benefit Conveyances (PBC)
Certain public agencies, such as municipalities, school districts, and qualified non-profit organizations, may apply for the long-term use of excess property through a federal "sponsor." Under this situation, the entity applies for a public benefit transfer through a sponsoring federal agency or department. The PBC properties are summarized below:

Economic Development Conveyance (EDC)
The EDC option is available only to the "local redevelopment agency" (the March JPA). An EDC is being pursued as a negotiated real estate transaction between the March JPA and the United States Air Force. The EDC includes unobligated surplus land and buildings, a portion of the utility systems, the buildings proposed to assist homeless services providers, and the land necessary for right-of-ways and public easements. The EDC permits the conveyance to the March JPA of real property not otherwise disposed of in the reuse planning process. The March JPA and U.S. Air Force will be negotiating the terms of purchase of property included in the EDC, in accordance with an appraisal evaluation and business plan that is based upon the March AFB Master Reuse Plan. The EDC properties total approximately 2100 acres, and can generally be defined into five areas: Green Acres Estates, Northeast Corner ("main base"), Weapons Storage Area, K-Rat Management Area, Arnold Heights, and the Southwest Business Park Area.