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