HAMPTON, Va. — Fort Monroe could have a lot more visitors in the near future. That’s one goal of a new landscape action plan for the fort.
At the August 13 Hampton City Council work session, the new Fort Monroe Authority Director, Scott Martin, gave council members a presentation about the plan.
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He said over 130 landscape design firms from around the world participated in a site visit at the fort to get a better understanding of the fort’s potential.
“I’m looking forward to working with you all because I think we have a remarkable opportunity here to do something special," Martin told council.
When News 3 talked with him about the landscape design firms' reaction, he said they were pleasantly surprised by what they saw.
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During the presentation, Martin referenced well-known places like Central Park in New York and the Sydney Opera House in Australia as examples of what he believes Fort Monroe can become.
How people will move through the fort, the fort’s history, symbolism, and the ecology of the landscape just to name a few will all be considerations in the plan.
“What would it look like to have buskers all along the boardwalk at Fort Monroe, sidewalk artists curated nationally. Contemporary art. Thinking about that possibly floating in the moat as a temporal exhibit that comes and goes," Martin said, referencing pictures in his presentation.
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All of that could help increase the impact the fort is already having.
Marlo Blount owns Native Soul Bar & Market in Phoebus, a few minutes from the fort.
“I’ve noticed a big pickup in traffic. A lot of people have stopped through here either on the way to Fort Monroe or leaving Fort Monroe," Blount explained.
Part of the goal of the landscape action plan is also to spur new business development. Talking with News 3, Martin said an art studio, coffee shop, or architecture firm are all businesses he could envision opening as a result of development at the fort.
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Blount would love to see new businesses, especially in Phoebus.
“I think it would be great. I think it would make it like a little, quaint town. A lot of people say they like the small mom and pop shops and we get really good traction and reviews that they like this little area," said Blount.
As of August, the Fort Monroe Authority planned to have three landscape design firm finalists selected by October and then hold an event for people to meet them and ask questions.
The winning firm was expected to be chosen shortly after, with the goal of having a draft landscape action plan ready by July 2026.
