I lived there as a teenager and served there as an officer with my family. To me this is the ultimate "typical old Army Post". It is not the Presidio, or Riley, of Sill, but in my mind this is what living on an Army Post meant. But change must always come, nothing is static. Things get better or worse, they never stay the same. And someone must be in charge to insure the right things are done. That someone must have decision authority since not everyone can be pleased.
Money is the engine of progress and it is of vital importance that funds can be generated in perpetuity to maintain the land that is not maintained by the government. Their funding is too fickle and limited.
So give up enough land to the commercial developer so that they can have a robust project that will draw a well-paying crowd and make them, and YOU, a good profit every year. At Belvoir we signed a 50-year lease with a renewable option. Then we got out of the way and tried to accommodate our developer. After all, it was in our best interest that he be happy and successful. After almost a decade, things are going very well.
Our portion of the profits goes into an escrow account and cannot be used for "new ideas" somewhere else.
Make sure whoever is chosen to be in charge has at least a 5-year contract. Choose him/her carefully and then be ready to live with what you discover after they have been on a job a year.
Good luck, you have great responsibility....and great opportunity!
Maury Cralle'