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Gov. Bob McDonnell approves Fort Monroe master plan
Plan used to develop historic property
By Robert Brauchle, rbrauchle@dailypress.com
Daily Press
8:24 PM EST, December 12, 2013
HAMPTON
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Outgoing Gov. Bob McDonnell on Thursday announced his approval of Fort Monroe's master plan.
The document guides how land and buildings will be used on the decommissioned Army post as the property just west of the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel morphs into a civilian community.
McDonnell's signature grants a number of powers to the Fort Monroe Authority, including the ability to sell homes and portions of the 313 acres it now owns.
"It should be said that the board, staff and citizens have put in a lot of work toward this master plan," Fort Monroe Authority Executive Director Glenn Oder said. "It's been a big undertaking for our organization."
The Army decommissioned the post in September 2011 and has since worked with the authority to sublease apartments to residents; commercial buildings to companies and public agencies; and the beaches and the fishing pier to the city of Hampton.
"The National Trust for Historic Preservation and many others have long envisioned Fort Monroe as an economically self-sufficient and well-preserved historic place that tells an important story about a key chapter in our nation's history," David J. Brown, executive vice president at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, wrote in an emailed statement. "The Fort Monroe Authority and planners, Sasaki & Associates, have produced a thoughtful master plan that strikes a proper balance of historic preservation and compatible growth."
The authority's ability to sell land will prompt discussion about how privately owned land will be served and taxed by the city. The governor's approval opens the opportunity to sell homes and to solicit bids from contractors to rehabilitate unused buildings.
Separate lobbyists from the authority and city will head to Richmond in 2014 to lobby the General Assembly for funds to help pay for Fort Monroe.
City officials contend the city is subsidizing services on Fort Monroe because the state is not willing to pay the full cost of those services. In the current fiscal year, the state will pay $983,164 for city services — about 60 percent of the total bill, according to City Manager Mary Bunting.
"... the General Assembly should recognize that it is not appropriate for residents and businesses at Fort Monroe to be subsidized by non-Fort Monroe residents and businesses in Hampton, especially as they all receive and have access to the same city services," Hampton Mayor George Wallace wrote in a news release.
"It is important that those residents and businesses at Fort Monroe — who receive the exact same city services as other residents — contribute to the city operations at the same rate as our other residents," state Sen. Mamie Locke, a member of the Fort Monroe Authority, said in the city's news release.
The authority will continue talks with the city about services and payments, said authority board of trustees chairman John Lawson.
"We're joined at the hip on this, and we always will be," Lawson said.
In the coming year, the authority's lawyers will continue to work with the Virginia STEAM Academy on a lease for the school, which will focus on teaching high school students science, technology, engineering and applied mathematics. School officials have said they would like to open the school in 2015.
The authority continues to address maintenance issues, including leaky roofs, road repairs and broken underground pipes.
"Broken lines are the surprise of the day," Oder said.
"We don't have a lot of building renovations going on, but broken water lines give Josh (Fort Monroe Historic Preservation Officer John Gillespie) an opportunity to see what was in the ground around them because there are always excavations," Oder said.
On Dec. 6, the governor announced he was recommending that the state fund the authority through fiscal year 2016. That funding includes $22 million to pay for capital projects.
"We'll work with the General Assembly in the next few months to hold onto as much of that as possible," Fort Monroe Authority Deputy Executive Director John Hutcheson said. "This is all good news for the authority."
In 2014, Oder said he expects the authority to move its headquarters from inside the moat to the former post office on Ingalls Road.
Plan used to develop historic property
By Robert Brauchle, rbrauchle@dailypress.com
Daily Press
8:24 PM EST, December 12, 2013
HAMPTON
advertisement
Outgoing Gov. Bob McDonnell on Thursday announced his approval of Fort Monroe's master plan.
The document guides how land and buildings will be used on the decommissioned Army post as the property just west of the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel morphs into a civilian community.
McDonnell's signature grants a number of powers to the Fort Monroe Authority, including the ability to sell homes and portions of the 313 acres it now owns.
"It should be said that the board, staff and citizens have put in a lot of work toward this master plan," Fort Monroe Authority Executive Director Glenn Oder said. "It's been a big undertaking for our organization."
The Army decommissioned the post in September 2011 and has since worked with the authority to sublease apartments to residents; commercial buildings to companies and public agencies; and the beaches and the fishing pier to the city of Hampton.
"The National Trust for Historic Preservation and many others have long envisioned Fort Monroe as an economically self-sufficient and well-preserved historic place that tells an important story about a key chapter in our nation's history," David J. Brown, executive vice president at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, wrote in an emailed statement. "The Fort Monroe Authority and planners, Sasaki & Associates, have produced a thoughtful master plan that strikes a proper balance of historic preservation and compatible growth."
The authority's ability to sell land will prompt discussion about how privately owned land will be served and taxed by the city. The governor's approval opens the opportunity to sell homes and to solicit bids from contractors to rehabilitate unused buildings.
Separate lobbyists from the authority and city will head to Richmond in 2014 to lobby the General Assembly for funds to help pay for Fort Monroe.
City officials contend the city is subsidizing services on Fort Monroe because the state is not willing to pay the full cost of those services. In the current fiscal year, the state will pay $983,164 for city services — about 60 percent of the total bill, according to City Manager Mary Bunting.
"... the General Assembly should recognize that it is not appropriate for residents and businesses at Fort Monroe to be subsidized by non-Fort Monroe residents and businesses in Hampton, especially as they all receive and have access to the same city services," Hampton Mayor George Wallace wrote in a news release.
"It is important that those residents and businesses at Fort Monroe — who receive the exact same city services as other residents — contribute to the city operations at the same rate as our other residents," state Sen. Mamie Locke, a member of the Fort Monroe Authority, said in the city's news release.
The authority will continue talks with the city about services and payments, said authority board of trustees chairman John Lawson.
"We're joined at the hip on this, and we always will be," Lawson said.
In the coming year, the authority's lawyers will continue to work with the Virginia STEAM Academy on a lease for the school, which will focus on teaching high school students science, technology, engineering and applied mathematics. School officials have said they would like to open the school in 2015.
The authority continues to address maintenance issues, including leaky roofs, road repairs and broken underground pipes.
"Broken lines are the surprise of the day," Oder said.
"We don't have a lot of building renovations going on, but broken water lines give Josh (Fort Monroe Historic Preservation Officer John Gillespie) an opportunity to see what was in the ground around them because there are always excavations," Oder said.
On Dec. 6, the governor announced he was recommending that the state fund the authority through fiscal year 2016. That funding includes $22 million to pay for capital projects.
"We'll work with the General Assembly in the next few months to hold onto as much of that as possible," Fort Monroe Authority Deputy Executive Director John Hutcheson said. "This is all good news for the authority."
In 2014, Oder said he expects the authority to move its headquarters from inside the moat to the former post office on Ingalls Road.
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