© Army Environmental Update via FlickrA group that is planning future development at Fort Monroe voted today to have certain sections of the post designated a unit of the National Park Service.
The Federal Area Development Authority board asked the state to work with Congress to pass legislation giving national park status to the historic fort and other areas. It's not clear whether Congress and the park service will approve the plan.
Authority Chairman L. Preston Bryant Jr. stated this move endorses "an expanded role for the National Park Service at Fort Monroe that also preserves the state's ownership of the property and adheres to Governor Kaine's goals that we respect Fort Monroe's history, keep it open to the public, maintain open space, and make it as economically sustainable as possible."
The Army is scheduled to leave the fort in September 2011 and park status cannot be designated until so.