Since 1828 Fort Monroe has stood in Hampton at the mouth of Hampton Roads harbor and remained an active military base. Today, that will all change after almost 200 years after the Army departs Fort Monroe. The 565-acre fort will no longer serve as an active military base and its future uses and development are still not fully resolved. It seems destined to remain home to hundreds of residents and, potentially, to businesses and nonprofit and academic institutions such as the Casemate Museum.
The Fort Monroe Authority, a state agency, will oversee leasing 300 residential units and 1.5 million square feet of commercial space. Officials also are working to designate much of the land a national park. To date Barack Obama has not acted to designate the Fort as a National Monument and Congress has yet to act as well. If handled properly, Fort Monroe could be a huge tourist draw and a wonderful asset to the region. Much of the control over the fort's future rests with the Commonwealth of Virginia - I truly hope this jewel doesn't get squandered and/or misused. More on Fort Monroe can be found here.
Interestingly enough, the City of Hampton has asked HRBOR to hold its December, 2011, business networking event at Fort Monroe. Information on the effort to secure national park status is here.
The Fort Monroe Authority, a state agency, will oversee leasing 300 residential units and 1.5 million square feet of commercial space. Officials also are working to designate much of the land a national park. To date Barack Obama has not acted to designate the Fort as a National Monument and Congress has yet to act as well. If handled properly, Fort Monroe could be a huge tourist draw and a wonderful asset to the region. Much of the control over the fort's future rests with the Commonwealth of Virginia - I truly hope this jewel doesn't get squandered and/or misused. More on Fort Monroe can be found here.
Interestingly enough, the City of Hampton has asked HRBOR to hold its December, 2011, business networking event at Fort Monroe. Information on the effort to secure national park status is here.
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