Fort Monroe Fact Sheet

• A political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Virginia charged with reuse planning and management in perpetuity of Fort Monroe, Old Point Comfort, Virginia, a state enclave, open to all on September 15, 2011
• Created by Act of the Virginia General Assembly in 2010
• Led by an 12-member appointed Board of Trustees
  • Fort Monroe, Old Point Comfort includes the 1819 fortress, the largest ever built in America, 170 historic buildings, and nearly 200 acres of natural resources.
  • Barrier spit of land with water on three sides, totaling 565 acres
  • 8 miles of waterfront, 3.2 miles of beaches on the Chesapeake Bay and a 332 slip marina
  • Mill Creek shallow water inlet suitable for small watercraft
  • 110 acres of submerged lands and 85 acres of wetlands
  • National Historic Landmark District since 1960
  • National Register of Historic Places
  • Numerous recreational facilities: fitness center, community activity center, bowling center, tennis and basketball courts, gymnasium, theater, former officer's club, and numerous outdoor fields for organized sports
• Five key essentials for reuse:
  1. Respect the site's historic assets
  2. Open the site to the public
  3. Achieve economic sustainability
  4. Create an open space park
  5. Allow new development within strict limits
• Implemented by a small permanent staff, supplemented by professional consultants
• Compliance agency for BRAC law; activities include:
  • Overall BRAC compliance
  • Community planning
  • Environmental engineering
  • Civil engineering
  • Historic preservation planning
  • Commercial and retail economics
  • Tourism and public relations/marketing
  • Interpretive and educational programs for the public
  • Organizational governance and management
• Party to the US Army's Programmatic Agreement (PA) under the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) to be implemented in partnership with the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) and designated Fort Monroe Historic Preservation Officer
• Promoting Fort Monroe and planning the responsible stewardship of the land and landmarks through a management structure unique in Virginia