Hampton Achieves Milestones In
Fort Monroe Planning Efforts

December 16, 2005

The City of Hampton today announced two significant milestones in its continuing efforts to establish and implement a reuse plan for Fort Monroe.

"With these actions, we are in the strongest position we can be in at this stage of the planning for Fort Monroe," said Mayor Ross A. Kearney, II. "Our state and federal legislators, and the Governor's office, have been very supportive throughout this process."

The city announced that the Department of Defense has recognized Hampton's Federal Area Development Authority (FADA) as the entity that will manage the redevelopment of Fort Monroe. The FADA, whose members are all Hampton residents, was established earlier this year to help create a seamless process as the city works with the federal government on development issues.

Now, with DoD's recognition of the Hampton FADA as the Fort Monroe Local Redevelopment Authority (LRA), the FADA becomes the focal point that DoD will deal with on all Fort Monroe redevelopment matters under BRAC law.

"While some properties at Fort Monroe are federally owned, there are others that will revert to the state," said Kearney. "Therefore, we are committed to work with both the state and federal governments as we develop the reuse plan."

Having a Local Redevelopment Authority established and recognized in these early stages of the planning process is critical, he said.

"Had we just started to put together an LRA now we would, frankly, be playing 'catch-up'," said Kearney. "Instead, some experts have said we are two years ahead of this lengthy process. City Council and staff worked very long hours to accomplish the position we are in now.

"We are now in step with the Army's planning processes. We are looking forward to working with our state and federal partners to make Fort Monroe a BRAC success story."

Other benefits of the FADA include the fact that it can work closely with City Council to ensure that the redevelopment plan is coordinated with Council's exercise of its zoning authority.

The FADA also will be best positioned to identify and respond to the community stakeholders who may have comments on the redevelopment plan.

Mayor Kearney noted that the Fort Monroe redevelopment effort will continue to be the open and inclusive process. "We started in September with public meetings and the opportunity for citizens to provide comments on the city's web site," he said. "That process will continue."

In other actions announced today, the federal Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA) has approved an initial grant of $540,000 in Community Adjustment Assistance to the city, in response to the closure of Fort Monroe.

OEA is the Department of Defense's office that assists cities that have been impacted by the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process.

The funds primarily will be used by the city in its hiring of a consultant to help develop a Fort Monroe Master Plan. The city will also use a consultant to study its key economic clusters and develop a roadmap on how to stimulate further economic growth. This is in response to the fact that Fort Monroe's closing could have up to a 7 percent negative impact on the city's economy.

Hampton is among the first cities impacted by this BRAC process to receive such a grant, as well as to have a Local Redevelopment Authority recognized.

The city's conceptual reuse plan for Fort Monroe is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2006. The more detailed Master Plan is scheduled for completion at the end of 2006.

As part of the BRAC process, Fort Monroe is slated for closure sometime between the next two to six years.