FORT WALTON BEACH - After nearly two years of planning, designing and financing, construction on the Landmark Center is expected to begin soon.
    
The Fort Walton Beach City Council recently approved the ground lease with developer Emerald Coast Partners where part of the 343-space parking garage will be built.
    
Emerald Coast Partners also submitted its permit application to the Northwest Florida Water Management District this week and will submit its building permit application to the city in the next few weeks.
    
Bruce Houle of Emerald Coast Partners said he hopes construction on the parking garage can begin in October but that it would likely start in November.
    
"We're excited. We've been working on this for two years," Houle said. "It's going to be great for the city and it's going to be a great visual coming into the city over the Brooks Bridge."
    
Landmark Center is a four-story, mixed-use development to be built near the intersection of U.S. Highway 98 and Perry Avenue. The roughly $27-million project will feature restaurants, shops and condominiums.

Emerald Coast Partners and the city are partnering on the parking garage. The city will purchase 107 parking spaces in the garage for the public. The five-story parking garage is expected to take six to seven months to complete. As the garage nears completion, construction crews will slowly start work on the actual Landmark building. Houle expects construction of the Landmark building to take about a year.