CHANGING IMAGE: Emerald Coast’s proposed project would encompass a block in downtown Fort Walton Beach.

Fort Walton Beach city and business leaders are hoping a $27.7-million project the city approved will kick off a downtown makeover.

What’s in Landmark › 38 loft-style condominiums › 49,800 square feet of retail/ commercial space › “Old world’’ design, clock tower, public plaza"

Landmark Center, proposed by Atlanta-based Emerald Coast Partners, would provide a blocklong, 1.4-acre, four-story commercial and residential centerpiece at one of downtown’s busiest intersections, plus 343 parking spaces in an adjacent five-story garage. Construction likely will start early next year, says managing partner Bruce Houle.

The project could help fulfill a strategic “vision plan” for downtown revitalization dating from the mid-1990s, says community development services director Missy McKim. 'The architectural design is what we’ve envisioned. The citizens want a traditional, small-city downtown that’s pedestrian friendly." The public-private partnership is a first for the city.

“We want to make it so that people can live and work, or just live and enjoy, downtown,’’ says Mayor Mike Anderson.

The project would elevate the skyline — currently mostly one and two stories high. City officials say the new look would offer a quick imprint of progress for visitors arriving over Brooks Bridge from the east and could spur additional projects.

A waterfront community of some 21,000, Fort Walton Beach derives most of its economic vitality from tourism and nearby military bases. Growth of downtown, bisected by U.S. 98, has been cyclical and lately sluggish, especially compared to booming Destin to the east. Says Ted Corcoran, president of the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce: 'This is the first sign of a huge turn with a developer of this magnitude."