RALEIGH, (SGRToday.com) - Matrix Design Group has been selected to prepare a Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) for the communities surrounding Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, including the Dare County Range.  The North Carolina Rural Economic Development Division made the selection for the job, which is funded by a nearly $300,000 Department of Defense grant.

Counties included in the study are Dare, Beaufort, Bertie, Hyde, Tyrrell, Washington, and Wayne.

"The study will look to promote community and economic development that is compatible with military training, test and operational missions as well as seek ways to reduce the operational impacts on adjacent lands," according to the state Commerce Department news release. "The goal of the study is to encourage local governments and the state to work closely with Seymour Johnson AFB to implement measures that promote compatible community development in support of continued operation of the base and range."

The study will take about a year and a half, according to the agency.