Shaping the Next Century: Fort Monroe’s Landscape Action Plan
Fort Monroe stands at a rare crossroads: a historic site of immense national significance that is simultaneously evolving to meet the needs of the 21st century. To guide that evolution thoughtfully and strategically, the Fort Monroe Authority has launched a comprehensive Landscape Action Plan, an unprecedented initiative to chart the future of this 565-acre landscape in a way that honors its rich past, strengthens its role in the present, and unlocks new opportunities for decades to come.
At its core, the Landscape Action Plan will serve as a unifying framework for how the site’s historic, natural, cultural, and built environments can be sustained and enhanced in tandem. It will help answer big questions: Where should new housing, commercial, and public spaces be located? How can ecological resilience and shoreline health be improved? How should restoration and preservation priorities be sequenced? And how can Fort Monroe’s narrative — from Indigenous history to Freedom’s Fortress to contemporary community life — be reflected in the way the landscape functions and feels for residents and visitors alike?
A World-Class Team Guided by Rigor
What sets this initiative apart is not just its ambition, but the caliber of expertise brought to the task. After an international, juried selection process involving design leaders from universities and preservation institutions, the Fort Monroe Authority selected Hargreaves Jones Landscape Architecture, a firm with a global reputation for reimagining major public landscapes, to lead the effort. Their portfolio includes work on world-renowned destinations and adaptive reuse projects that balance culture, ecology, and community from the Presidio in California to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in the United Kingdom.
Supporting this effort are specialists in economic strategy and community engagement: James Lima Planning + Development provides economic vitality and place-making expertise, while Mitchell Silver, former City Parks Commissioner for the city of New York and a national leader in public realm design and community outreach, will help ensure that resident voices shape the plan’s direction. Together with other partners in engineering, historic preservation, and conservation, this team reflects the interdisciplinary thought leadership required to tackle Fort Monroe’s unique challenges and opportunities.
A Vision for the Future
Fort Monroe’s Landscape Action Plan will guide the site’s planning and growth, imagining an enduring legacy that honors history while embracing a future of dynamic community life, ecological stewardship, and economic vitality. In the years ahead, this work will shape how people experience Fort Monroe as a place to live, work, learn, and connect and ensure that this iconic landscape continues to serve its community meaningfully for generations.