About Windmark
Hugging 4 miles of
pristine beach along Florida's
fabled “Forgotten Coast,”
two miles northwest of downtown Port St. Joe and 22 miles west of
Apalachicola,
WindMark Beach
is perhaps the last great beach to be developed in the southeastern United States.
Fitting seamlessly
into the landscape and culture of St.
Joseph Bay,
WindMark
Beach evokes the natural
heritage of Old Florida. Thus, the town plan and architectural
scheme take their cues from the local language of Southern
vernacular construction, in the context of small towns by the sea.
The St. Joe Company,
which is creating the community from 2,020 acres, also sees
stewardship as an important part of its role, and almost half of the
land (more than 1,000 acres) will be dedicated to open space, parks,
nature preserves and conservation, to ensure that the community will
always retain its singular unspoiled beauty.
Along the
Waterfront
At
WindMark
Beach, a three-and-a-half-mile
BeachWalk running along the waterfront will offer views of the Bay,
the St. Joseph Peninsula
and the Gulf of Mexico. A
deceptively simple architectural element, the BeachWalk will enhance
and define the experience of WindMark Beach in multiple ways, including a
hard-surface trail for golf carts, bicycles, and roller blades.
A natural wooden
footpath, to be built on the roadbed of relocated US 98, offers
access to the water and will meander gently through the pristine
dunescape. Every half mile or so, recreational and natural
diversions will offer themselves, such as a spot to get a cool
drink, or a fishing pier to throw a line into the bay. The BeachWalk
will also be open to the public, allowing one and all to relish a
sunset, to contemplate the sounds of the waves and the wind, and to
admire the constellations.
At the Heart of
the Community
WindMark
Beach is anchored by a welcoming
Village Center. There will soon be shops, a courtyard, a small
market, a spa and fitness center, a meeting hall and an ice cream &
coffee shop. The School of Fish restaurant opened over the
summer of 2008, to great reviews. Throughout, natural and
built elements will interweave, each reinforcing appreciation of the
other.
Building an
authentic place from the ground up is no easy task. Renowned
architects, town planners, and landscape architects from around the
country are working to ensure WindMark Beach is just such a place. The town plan
and certain buildings in the Village
Center and along the water were
designed by architects Jaquelin Robertson and John Kirk of Cooper,
Robertson & Partners – based in
New York City but well versed in the Old
Florida aesthetic. Award-winning landscape architects, EDAW – based
in Atlanta, collaborated on the landscape design.
