Master Plan
A community-driven vision for long-term revitalization
Our Vision
Redeveloping North Port St. Joe's Large-Scale Projects
The Master Plan for North Port St. Joe is designed to redevelop, for once and for all, the community's set of large-scale projects. Our current focus involves four areas: Battles Street, Avenue A, George Washington High School, and the heart of the community, Martin Luther King Boulevard.
The Master Plan involves partners, including The Nature Conservancy, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the University of Florida. These partnerships were initiated in response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Michael. Our organization was one of the first to assist the community after the disaster.
As a result, two federal agencies, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and the EDA (Economic Development Administration) praised the 2016 Master Plan as a crucial component in the redevelopment of North Port St. Joe.
How the Plan Came Together
From the 2009 Plan to the 2016 Update
Residents revived a shelved plan and rewrote it around what the community needed next.
2006
Joining the redevelopment area
A Finding of Necessity makes North Port St. Joe part of the Port St. Joe Redevelopment Expansion Area, and Florida State University prepares a strategic plan for the neighborhood.
2009
The first North Port St. Joe Master Plan
Prepared by WIM Associates for the Port St. Joe Redevelopment Agency, the plan focuses on seven areas, including Martin Luther King Boulevard, Avenue A, the Washington High School campus, and vacant land. It calls for preserving the Washington High School building. The national recession soon stalls the St. Joe Company's development plans, and the plan is shelved.
February 2016
Residents restart the work
Frustrated that nothing had changed since the neighborhood joined the redevelopment area, residents and property owners form a project area group to revisit the 2009 plan and carry it out. The Jessie Ball duPont Fund and the Port St. Joe Redevelopment Agency fund technical support from WIM Associates and PacificXanh.
July–October 2016
Three community workshops
Each workshop draws 30 to 60 people, including neighborhood residents and at least two city elected officials. Residents ask for room for young people returning home, housing in any mixed-use project, help for local start-ups, ways to share the community's history with visitors, and a community pool.
December 2016
The illustrated 2016 Conceptual Master Plan
The updated plan sets implementation strategies, makes revitalizing the Washington High School campus a top priority, including reuse of the gym, and goes to the Redevelopment Agency and City Commission as the basis for rezoning and Comprehensive Plan changes.
2016 Community Themes
What Residents Asked For
Seven themes from the 2016 workshops guide every part of the plan.
Jobs
Make sure residents can reach the jobs and business openings created by the revitalized port and growing tourism.
Mixed-use development
Bring shops, offices, and homes back to Martin Luther King Boulevard, and to open land along Avenue A.
Housing for everyone
Add choices for seniors, young families, and the local workforce so people can stay and return.
Land assemblies
Help neighboring owners combine lots for larger projects without displacing anyone.
Smart streets
Manage stormwater as part of a full infrastructure plan for a neighborhood between two wetland systems.
Open spaces
Connect North Port St. Joe to the city's trails and bike paths, and create places to gather.
Local heritage
Let the neighborhood's history, culture, and families shape its identity and the way visitors experience it.
The 2016 Proposals
Key Ideas in the Conceptual Master Plan
Martin Luther King Boulevard
Revive the three blocks from Avenue A to Avenue D as a mixed-use main street anchored by Campus Corner, with covered sidewalks, apartments above shops, and a quieter residential stretch north of Avenue D with room for senior housing and a day care center.
A new town center
Create a town green and civic heart on Highway 98 that finally links Martin Luther King Boulevard with Reid Avenue, with a possible new City Hall overlooking a Martin Luther King Plaza.
George Washington High School campus
Turn the region's largest publicly owned developable site into a hub for job training, start-up businesses, local food, a community pool, a museum, and visitors, reusing the gym and existing buildings.
Gateways and heritage
Mark the entrances on Avenues A through D, buffer the neighborhood from port and rail activity, and consider street names that honor the community's history.
Paths, trails, and the Lake
Extend Port St. Joe's bike and trail network into the neighborhood and use smart water management to create a lake and new amenities near Avenue A.
A pocket park to start
Turn two vacant lots near the Boulevard into a shaded pocket park as a fast, visible first project that removes blight and gives families a place to gather.
In the Community
Planning Sessions and Community Vision
The Master Plan connects Battles Street, Avenue A, George Washington High School, and Martin Luther King Boulevard.
The Plan
Community Map & Vision
North Port St. Joe Community Master Plan rendering
Key Elements
What the Plan Envisions
The current focus includes Battles Street, Avenue A, George Washington High School, and Martin Luther King Boulevard.
Battles Street
A key redevelopment area connected to The Sock and its surrounding blocks.
Avenue A
A focus corridor for community reinvestment, services, and neighborhood activity.
George Washington High School
A major community asset envisioned for significant improvements and reuse.
Martin Luther King Boulevard
The heart of the community and a central part of the long-term plan.
Water Systems
Improved water systems and nature-based solutions for areas built over filled streams.
The Sock
A crucial redevelopment area encompassing Battles Street and its surroundings.
Community-Led
The Sock and Nature-Based Solutions
Central to this effort is “The Sock,” a crucial redevelopment area encompassing Battles Street and its surroundings. This area, built over an important stream that was filled in, will benefit from improved water systems and nature-based solutions.
With support from The Nature Conservancy and other partners, this area represents a critical component of our larger vision, which includes significant improvements like a reimagined George Washington High School. Our ongoing work demonstrates the community's dedication to creating a thriving and sustainable North Port St. Joe.