Fort Walton Beach Resolution — 2025-10 Approving the Community Redevelopment Area Plan Update — reading text

by the northwest CRA border, Robinwood demand and need. Incorporating these areas Drive NW, the rear property lines on Industrial within the CRA could also allow for more Street NW, Beal Parkway NE, and Hughes Street consistent land use and public realm transitions NE. The existing land uses are primarily industrial between the CRA and the surrounding area. and commercial, with a small amount of low Employment/economic development – All three density residential situated on the western side of Areas of Concern have significant existing Carson Drive NE. This area also includes Jet employment, which provides an opportunity for Stadium and surrounding parkland. The future land the Redevelopment Agency to continue to focus use designations include mostly Mixed Business/ on building business and increasing economic Industrial, Commercial, Mixed Use, andRecreation. development. Area of Concern 2 (19.28 acres) – This is the smallest area geographically and is defined by Staff 1.4 The CRA in 2018 Drive NE to the north, Iowa Drive NE, Hospital Drive NE, and Vine Avenue NE to the east, and the The CRA is located within the most historic section of the Fort Walton Beach CRA Plan  city and includes portions of two of the city’s waterfronts – Santa Rosa Sound and Choctawhatchee Bay. The CRA serves as the city’s social and economic core. The area thrives today and is characterized by: A vibrant waterfront offering entertainment, dining, and recreation to seasonal visitors and permanent residents. Residences ranging from single family detached to duplexes, townhouses, condominiums, and apartments, available for all ages, incomes and lifestyles. Retail and service businesses. Unique cultural opportunities, including theater, dance, Figure 1 8: Miracle Strip Parkway/ US 98 art galleries, and museums highlighting the City's rich historical background. Public parks, plazas and open spaces. There are several unique design elements and character areas that influence the visual and aesthetic appearance within the CRA. These general land use character areas are as follows: Downtown Core Commercial Corridors Heavy Commercial/ Industrial Areas Residential Neighborhoods Figure 1 9: Miracle Strip Parkway/ US 98 Downtown Core Today, the CRA has a vibrant Downtown Core as defined by the Downtown Business & Entertainment District (Map 1 3). The main Downtown thoroughfare is along Miracle Strip Parkway/ US 98 and Brooks Street SE, with low rise eclectic buildings abutting the sidewalk and comprising streetscape elements such as pedestrian lights, street trees, brick pavers, and decorative site furnishings, creating a quaint, pedestrian friendly environment, mostly concentrated between Eglin Parkway SE and Perry Avenue SE. On street parking is available along most streets, providing a buffer between Figure 1 10: Miracle Strip Parkway/ US 98 pedestrian and vehicular traffic. The remainder of the Downtown Core is more suburban in nature, with large surface parking lots in front/along the side of buildings, no streetscape elements, and limited on street parking, which are characteristics not supportive of a pedestrian friendly environment. The City’s desire is to have higher density mixed use and commercial developments within the Downtown Core to bring more residents and, therefore, create a more cohesive and pedestrian friendly environment for shopping, dining, and entertaining. Figure 1 11: Perry Avenue SE 10 Fort Walton Beach CRA Plan  Figure 1 12: Downtown, Miracle Strip Parkway/US 98 Figure 1 14: Downtown, Miracle Strip Parkway/US 98 Figure 1 16: Perry Avenue SE Figure 1 13: Brooks Street SE Figure 1 15: Chestnut Avenue SE Map 1 3: Downtown Business & Entertainment District Fort Walton Beach CRA Plan 11  Commercial Corridors The primary commercial corridors within the CRA are along Eglin Parkway, Miracle Strip Parkway/ US 98, and Beal Parkway NE. The majority of the commercial buildings along these corridors date from 1960 through the 1980s, and the quality of improvements tends to be far below the standards of more modern (often greenfield) development, which puts them at a competitive disadvantage. Most of these commercial corridors have sidewalks; however, they are not pedestrian friendly, with a lack of safe crossings adjacent to parking lots/driveways and intersections (with the exception of portions of Miracle Strip Parkway/ US 98 within the Downtown Core). PlanINTRODUCIN Figure 1 17: Miracle Strip Parkway/US 98 Figure 1 18: Eglin Parkway NE Figure 1 19: Beal Parkway NE Heavy Commercial/Industrial Areas There are some heavy commercial uses within the CRA (Map 1 4) such as big box retailers, shopping plazas, mixed use, wholesalers, boat retailers, etc. The majority of the heavy commercial uses, particularly newer developments, contain architectural elements (i.e. façade articulations, colonnades, and roof variations) to reduce the big box appearance. The primary industrial area of the CRA is located to the northwest, adjacent to Industrial Street NW, Robinwood Drive NW, and Beal Parkway NW. Although there are a few scattered industrial sites, this area represents a higher concentration of heavy industrial uses. The design of the industrial buildings is utilitarian and generally lacks any unique aesthetic appearance. Several of the industrial sites are deteriorating and need upkeep. Figure 1 20: Nicholson Street NE Figure 1 21: Miracle Strip Parkway/ US 98 Figure 1 22: Eglin Parkway NE 12 Fort Walton Beach CRA Figure 1 23: Tupelo Avenue SE Figure 1 24: Tupelo Avenue SE Map 1-4: Commercial and Industrial Areas  Residential Neighborhoods The single family residential neighborhoods are located mainly outside of the Downtown Core and away from the central commercial corridors. The majority of the single family neighborhoods are single story, constructed from 1970 to the early 2000s. There are some two story homes northeast of the CRA. Multi family residences are scattered within the CRA, and newer multi family developments are three stories comprising Florida Vernacular and Mediterranean architectural styles Map 1 5). As Figure 1 25: Methodist Avenue SE Figure 1 27: Alconese Ave SE Figure 1 26: Alconese Ave SE Figure 1 28: Brooks Street SE noted previously, there are several issues that may be inhibiting the development of cohesive character areas, as well as opportunities to reinforce both public investment and private development as part of this CRA Plan update. The following sections provide context of the newly expanded CRA with a focus on the existing land uses, zoning designations, future land uses, development trends, and taxable values. Existing Land Uses The existing land uses within the CRA consist primarily of commercial uses along the major roadways (Miracle Strip Parkway, Eglin Parkway, Beal Parkway, and Hollywood Boulevard) and single family residential mostly concentrated in the center of the CRA. Approximately 64.52 acres (8% of the CRA) remain vacant and provide opportunity for development or redevelopment. In comparison to citywide, the majority of the multi family residential uses are located in the CRA, while single family residential and recreation are mostly located elsewhere in the city (Table 1 1 and Map 1 6). Table 1 2 breaks down the 64.52 acres of vacant land within the CRA to provide insight on the type of vacant land currently available. Of the vacant land, the majority can be categorized as commercial, at 91%. 14 Fort Walton Beach CRA Plan 19% Map 1- 5: Residential CRA Citywide Use CRA INTRODUCTION Existing Land Acres of CRA Acres of Citywide Citywide Acres %of CRA Acres %of Citywide Commercial 225. 83 35% 373. 73 60% Educational 10. 19 2% 227. 50 4% Industrial 40. 98 6% 267. 87 15% Low Density Residential 71. 3 11%1, 794. 56 4% Low Medium Density Residential 40. 09 6% 128. 72 31% Medium Density Residential 39. 57 6% 67. 47 59% Mixed Use 11. 71 2% 20. 10 58%N/ A 0 0%0. 95 0% Office 23. 83 4% 49. 73 48% Public Land and Buildings 44. 29 7% 238. 44 19% Parking 8. 18 1% 10. 12 81% Recreational 34. 62 5% 506. 58 7% Religious 28. 37 4% 68. 25 42% Transient Lodging 31. 15 5% 23. 52 132% Util ties 3. 98 1% 25. 25 16% Vacant 34. 97 5% 181. 93 Total 649.07 3,984.71