Destin CRA board directs staff to realign harbor master-plan priorities with city strategic plan

City of Destin Community Redevelopment Agency board members on May 19 voted to direct staff to re-prioritize the Harbor CRA Master Plan so the list of projects matches the city’s current Strategic Plan.

The board’s motion, made by CRA board member Mr. Bagby and seconded by Mr. Destin, asked staff to revise the chart on page 24 of the harbor plan. The board then approved the adjusted priority order and instructed staff to bring the revised list to the City Council for adoption. No opposition was voiced during the vote.

Why it matters: The change rearranges which harbor-area projects will receive planning and implementation focus and could affect when — or whether — large expenditures such as parking structures are pursued. The board’s discussion focused on whether a proposed 350-space Marler Street parking garage should be a top priority given current surface-lot usage and other projects the city lists as higher priority in its Strategic Plan.

CRA board member Mr. Bagby, arguing the parking structure should not be first, said, “I would never vote to spend a penny to build a 350 parking spot structure that isn't even used with the surface parking.” Several board members and speakers said the Crosstown Connector, Stallman/US‑98 intersection improvements and extensions of the Harbor boardwalk under the bridge should be advanced ahead of the Marler Street parking proposal.

A consultant who worked with the CRA advisory committee, identified in the meeting as Steve, said the prioritization in the draft plan reflected votes taken at earlier workshops and committee sessions: “This prioritization came through the workshops that we had with the CRA advisory committee and then also through the… the mobility plan committee themselves, prioritizing the projects that were available.”

Doreen Trammell, a CRA board member who said she had served on the advisory council, told the board the sheet that elevated the Marler parking item had not been presented to the advisory council earlier: “Having been on the CRA advisory council when all of this came up, this particular sheet was not introduced.” Board member Rodney raised both historical commitments to provide parking to harbor property owners and concerns about how permitted Business Tax Receipts (BTRs) have been counted, saying the city has allowed many harbor businesses to open with inadequate parking and that has complicated planners’ ability to rely on applicants’ parking plans.

Board members discussed a revised order read aloud by Mr. Bagby that elevated the Crosstown Connector and intersection improvements and moved the Marler Street parking item down the list; the board approved that order and asked staff to prepare the adjusted priority list for City Council consideration. A staff speaker said the board could recommend priorities to council for adoption without returning the list to the CRA advisory committee.

The board’s motion and subsequent discussion did not set a specific timetable for when the revised list will go to City Council. The meeting record notes the harbor planning effort has been ongoing for multiple years and that portions of the plan reflect input gathered since 2022.

For now, staff are to update the Harbor CRA Master Plan priorities (chart on page 24) to align with the Strategic Plan and forward the revised priority list to City Council for adoption.