Fort Monroe authority wants power to sell some land

HAMPTON

Months after President Barack Obama designated parts of Fort Monroe as a national monument, the state authority overseeing the historic former Army base wants the power to sell some of the property it owns there.

On Wednesday, Del. Gordon Helsel, R-Poquoson, submitted legislation to change the requirements for land sales at the 565-acre waterfront fort the Army vacated in September. The National Park Service now manages more than half the property; the state oversees the rest, about 240 acres.

Currently, sale of any state-owned property at Fort Monroe requires approval of both the governor and the General Assembly. Helsel's bill would give the Fort Monroe Authority's 12-member board of trustees power to approve sales in the historicvillage and north gate areas of the property, which together comprise about 137 acres.

The governor and legislature would still have to approve sale of land inside the moated stone fort and in a section known as the Wherry Quarter.

"There is no rush to sell property at Fort Monroe," said Glenn Oder, executive director of the authority. "We're not just selling property here to dispose of it. The sale of property would be to protect the property."

The bill specifies that no land could change hands until after the authority finishes its master plan, which is expected to take at least a year. And any sales would come with easements requiring owners to preserve the historic integrity of the property or meet specific standards for new construction.

Still, some people question the timing of the effort.

"We don't see the need for this change right now," said Mark Perreault, president of Citizens for a Fort Monroe National Park. "We just got the national monument on Nov. 1. What's the hurry?"

Part of the hurry may be the tens of millions of dollars for infrastructure improvements the authority needs.

Oder noted that a working group that studied the idea of long-term leaseholds - in which buyers purchase the right to lease a home for 50 years or longer but don't technically own the property - concluded that model won't work locally.

The group decided that selling property with strict deed restrictions was the best way to preserve historic resources while spurring the economic activity needed to make Fort Monroe self-sustaining.

"The goal here is to create additional historic protections we don't currently feel exist on the property," Oder said.

"I believe that this gives us a tool to allow people to come in and actually love these homes, and invest in them, ensure that the property will be preserved for a long time to come," Oder said. "It's another tool in the toolbox."

For now, officials in the city of Hampton - some of the authority's biggest partners in the future of the fort - are unsure whether to support the legislation.

City Manager Mary Bunting told Hampton City Council members Wednesday that she's still analyzing whether the restrictions are strong enough to protect properties that could be sold under the proposed legislation.

Perreault emphasized the importance of public control over Fort Monroe. Once properties are sold, the state might never be able to get them back - or would have to pay a lot more for them.

"This land is so unique and precious to the public, future generations ought to retain control over it," Perreault said.

He said the citizens group has hired a lobbyist to monitor the legislation during the General Assembly session, which started Wednesday.

"We're not eager to get into a legislative fight," Perreault said, "but we're prepared to do so if we have to."

Kate Wiltrout, (757) 446-2629, kate.wiltrout@pilotonline.com