Plans & Studies

17 Result(s) Found

The Orlando Naval Training Center plan is a large, mixed-use development that was integrated into the city’s landscape and urban pattern and respects the development traditions of Orlando. The landscape of round lakes, wetland plantings, extensive park systems, and well designed streets creates a framework for guiding new residential, office, and retail development. Read a complete history of the site.

Specific urban design objectives have been based upon principles related to: the environment, transportation, and the development pattern as well as earlier goals set by the City of Orlando during their Vision Plan process.

This volume describes the Orlando Naval Training Center plan, its program, character, specific land uses, the elements of the plan and recommends revisions to some of the design guidelines. It begins with a summary of the land use and development program. The urban design framework, upon which the overall plan is based, is then described.

Baldwin Park Planned Development (PD)

Cleaning up and reinvesting in Brownfield properties facilitates job growth, utilizes existing infrastructure, increases local tax bases, removes development pressures on undeveloped open land as well as both improving and protecting the environment. The Orlando Economic Enhancement District Program (OEED) is a State of Florida economic development tool encouraging redevelopment of properties by businesses and property owners. OEED is a brownfield designation and includes sites that have the perception of contamination or blight.

In 2012, the City of Orlando was selected to receive $400,000 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Brownfields Assessment Grants program to assist the City of Orlando’s Brownfields Program. In 2013, the City received a $200,000 Cleanup Grant to further assist the City with achieving its Brownfield redevelopment vision.

EPA's Brownfield Program

EPA’s Brownfields Program empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. In 2002, the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act was passed to help states and communities around the country cleanup and revitalize brownfields sites. Under this law, EPA provides financial assistance to eligible applicants through four competitive grant programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants. Additionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal response programs through a separate mechanism.

Brownfield Sites

  • Former Spellman Engineering
  • Steel House Brownfield Site
  • Creative Digital Village
  • 400 North Orange, LLC / Central Station Site
  • Soccer Stadium
  • Orlando Events Center
  • Future Dr. Phillips Orlando Performance Arts Center
  • Rio Grande Acquisition Property
  • Southside Shoppes
  • Circle C Cars
  • Orlando Drum Co.
  • Former Chevron Brownfield Site

Brownfields Information

What are brownfields?

Brownfields are real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Often the potential liability associated with contamination complicates business development, property transactions, or expansion on these properties.

Almost every city and county, in both rural and urban areas, has brownfields properties. Cleaning up and redeveloping brownfields properties is necessary to preserve neighborhoods, reduce urban sprawl, and stop the continued development of new industrial and commercial facilities. By investigating and cleaning up a brownfields property and taking care of the site’s potential health or environmental risks, communities can use local land again – producing jobs, increasing the tax base, or adding other benefits such as creating a park or residential area.

The Orlando Economic Enhancement District Program (OEED) is a State of Florida economic development tool encouraging redevelopment of properties by businesses and property owners. OEED is a brownfield designation and includes sites that have the perception of contamination or blight. View/download map of Downtown Economic Enhancement District (OEED).

Incentives

  • Tax credit of 35 percent on voluntary cleanup costs (10 percent additional credit during the final year of cleanup)
  • Low-interest loans for the purchase of liens, tax certificates or other claims
  • Risk-Based Corrective Action principles
  • Sales tax credit on building materials used for the construction of a residential or mixed use redevelopment project
  • Up to five years of state loan guarantees of loan loss reserves
  • Grants/loans available for cleanup

Criteria

  • The applicant must be located within the Orlando Economic Enhancement District boundary area
  • The applicant must not be responsible for the contamination or blight
  • The applicant must be expanding or redeveloping property 

Resources

Helpful information about redevelopment of Brownfield sites in your community.

Federal Level resources:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

State Level Resources

Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Florida Brownfields Association (FBA)

Contact

For more information, call Mary Stewart Droege at 407.246.3276.

Documents

Orlando’s comprehensive plan is called the Growth Management Plan. It describes the city’s vision for the future and translates that vision into policies, programs and public investments.

The policy document is adopted by City Council. Changes to the document must be submitted to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity for approval. The support document provides data and analysis for reference purposes.

Policy Documents

Support Documents

GMP Amendment Process

All new development must be consistent with the goals, objectives, policies and maps in the GMP policy document. If a development proposal is not consistent, a GMP amendment may be required. Applicants wishing to request a GMP amendment should contact the Planning Division at 407.246.2269 or cityplanning@orlando.gov to schedule a pre-application meeting.

Most GMP amendments for projects less than 50 acres in size are small scale amendments. All other projects are large scale amendments. Please check with staff to determine if a project is large scale or small scale. A general schedule of the review process is provided below.

GMP Growth Projections

In order to estimate demand for services, the City projects population, employment, and land-use growth through the year 2050.

GMP Indicators

Each year, the city evaluates progress toward reaching the goals of the GMP by preparing an indicators report.

The City of Orlando has undergone a visioning process for Curry Ford Road from Cloverlawn Avenue to Dixie Belle Drive, examining transportation, development, infrastructure and the character of the surrounding neighborhoods and commercial district.

The Curry Ford Road area has become a popular destination for new small businesses, who have joined the neighborhood's cornerstone establishments to form a designated Market Street, “Curry Ford West”. In addition to this commercial growth and redevelopment, Curry Ford is also attracting more residential development as more people want to live in this neighborhood with its proximity to unique retail options and downtown Orlando.

With this added growth comes the need to ensure the foundation of this healthy, vibrant area in our city remains a strong neighborhood and great place to live. To further that, the city has developed a long-term vision and plan to guide future growth in the area to ensure it is strategic, protects the existing character and provides for long-term stability for residents, visitors and businesses.

The Municipal Planning Board accepted the vision plan during its November 2019 meeting. City staff have since begun investigating which plan recommendations might be feasible to implement. Any proposals will be presented to the Municipal Planning Board and City Council for approval, and will be open to public comment.

Project Summary

The East Colonial Drive corridor between Bumby Avenue and Semoran Boulevard today consists of a patchwork of various sized strip commercial uses which create difficulty in assembly for
redevelopment. The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) controls a large number of City-owned properties along the corridor, and relies on the lease income from these properties
to support the Executive Airport’s operations.

The corridor is experiencing a decrease of business and economic activity related to the recession, coupled with a building stock that is nearing the end of its life cycle. At the same
time, the amount of land zoned for commercial development is much more than can be supported by the population it serves. The result has been a succession of commercial redevelopments that cannibalize existing building sites without expanding the economic base of either the airport or the larger corridor.

However, this downward trend can be reversed by refocusing development towards a diversity of options that have been previously overlooked. These new options include housing, lodging,
office and other uses that would expand the market for commercial activities, while lessening the oversupply of retail uses on the corridor. A long-term strategy for creating a more
customer-friendly “town center” supported by a more inter-connected street network and transit system will go hand-in-hand with this new vision.

As new development occurs, short-range and long-range infrastructure improvements must be coordinated so as not to preclude future investment. A more attractive Colonial Drive street
right-of-way, a new roadway along the Fairgreen corridor to increase traffic capacity, a definable block system, and future transit readiness are all important considerations to allowing
a diversity of development and increased densities and intensities in the long-term.

Colonial Town Center is strategically located between Downtown Orlando, Winter Park and the University of Central Florida. The redevelopment that has already occurred at Baldwin Park
during the past decade shows the viability of refocusing redevelopment towards a diversity of options. The Colonial Drive corridor can be positioned to support a greater mix of uses that
place residents closer to the wide variety of services that this area already offers.

This vision plan engages major property owners, including GOAA, and the community on fulfilling a coordinated strategy that ultimately will add to the economic vibrancy of the
corridor.

Issues

As a result of economic stress related to the recent economic recession, and an aging building stock, some businesses have either moved to new locations in the corridor or
are considering doing so, leaving behind vacant, difficult-to-lease structures and parcels.

Many older outmoded building sites may only be suitable for a limited range of (often marginal) uses. Redesigning or assembling these sites for redevelopment may be even
more difficult than re-using the buildings themselves – except on the GOAA property(see below). Some of these outmoded building sites are in the unincorporated county,
but within the study area boundary.

The GOAA parcels represent a major opportunity, because it may be possible to change their shapes, sizes and depths to set the stage for redevelopment, consistent with the
OEA Airport Layout Plan (ALP) and FAA regulations.

What are the most constrained privately-owned parcels? Is there anything that can be done to reduce these constraints to encourage redevelopment – rezoning, ROW
abandonments, strategic purchases for consolidation, etc.?

As parcels are assembled for redevelopment, can a logical block structure be established to define the town center?
Colonial Drive is a constrained 6-lane arterial roadway that cannot be widened (nor is widening particularly desirable even if it were possible). Options to improve the
functioning of the network include new roadway connections such as a potential Andes Avenue extension and a re-alignment and extension of Fairgreen Street.

Transit alternatives such as Bus Rapid Transit or Streetcars may also be considered. Increasing the transit capacity of Colonial Drive may require exclusive transit lanes.
Fairgreen Street is important to think about in this context – should Fairgreen be a 4-lane road (Bumby to Andes) in order to make Colonial a transit-ready corridor?

While a higher intensity mixed-use “town center” is the long-term goal, a more achievable objective for the next decade will be a greater horizontal mixture of uses within the corridor. Parcel assembly requirements for transit-supportive land uses need to be looked at carefully – i.e. to target redevelopment opportunities.

City Objectives

  • To reach consensus with GOAA and other major property owners on an overall economic development, planning and transportation strategy for the Colonial Drive corridor, with particular emphasis on the area between Bumby Avenue and Semoran Boulevard.
  • To expand revenue opportunities for property owners and create a synergy that will increase property values within the corridor.
  • To envision how future redevelopment of and new uses for major parcels such as Fashion Square, Koger Center, Colonial Plaza, Best Buy etc. can transform the Colonial Drive corridor – its urban form, land use, transportation, and regional economic role.
  • With these major parcels in mind, how do the smaller parcels along the corridor fit in and how does the corridor itself fit into its surroundings?
  • To update Orlando Executive Airport’s commercial development planning, with particular attention to properties fronting on Colonial Drive and Maguire Boulevard, and
    secondarily the southeast quadrant of the airport.
  • To identify and reach consensus on near-term, mid-range, and long-range transportation improvements including:
    • Intersection design for Colonial Drive/Old Cheney Highway and Andes/Fairgreen.
    • Fairgreen Street alignment and extension via Concord & Amelia.
    • Re-alignment of Rickenbacher Drive and Concord Street.
    • Andes Avenue extension, and coordination with OOCEA.
    • Transit alternatives (BRT, Light Rail, Streetcars, etc.).
    • Herndon / McCullough Ave. & Lawton Ave. realignments
    • Relocation of the Colonial Dr. main mall entrance to Fashion Square.
    • Bike paths – Cady Way extension via Area “C”, & loop around the Town Center.
    • Expansion of Calvin Street R-O-W as part of imminent redevelopment projects.
  • One or more agreements between the City and GOAA regarding transportation improvements (to be negotiated based on results/findings of the planning study).
  • By accomplishing these objectives, the City and GOAA will be able to make informed decisions pertaining to leasing and re-development opportunities for their properties
    along the corridor. Other major property owners would also benefit from such an area-wide planning effort.

The City of Orlando’s Community Planning Studio has teamed with the Edgewater Drive Vision Task Force to shape a vision for the Edgewater Drive corridor in Downtown College Park. The Task Force was appointed by Mayor Buddy Dyer in consultation with District 3 Commissioner Robert Stuart. The Task Force held meetings twice a month open to the public and sponsored several workshops, including a “walkabout” in early December 2007.

The work of the Task Force is an outgrowth of the Neighborhood Horizon 2000 Plan for College Park. The Horizon Plan identified the need to prepare an urban design plan for the Edgewater Drive corridor and set in motion incremental changes and policies to improve the area. The focus of the Task Force has been to develop appropriate guidelines for private development and public improvements in the corridor. The guidelines are meant to promote better decisions regarding master plans, conditional use permits, planned developments, re-zonings, and density/intensity bonuses. These guidelines will also help minimize commercial intrusion into surrounding neighborhoods.

In addition to the guidelines in this document, Growth Management Plan subarea policy changes and Land Development Code amendments are proposed. It is hoped that this work will result in greater predictability for both residents and future developers alike by establishing regulatory authority over all future development proposals.

The City of Orlando teamed with Canin Associates and community stakeholders to shape a vision for the Mercy Drive corridor. The vision plan encompasses the non-residential uses and the neighborhoods surrounding the Mercy Drive corridor, including the multi-family properties along Mercy Drive and the Lake Lawne and Parkview single family residential neighborhoods.

The planning process included extensive community outreach and the identification and inclusion of multiple stakeholders that represent the broad interests of the community (resident, business, education, health, faith, cultural, and community services, etc.). There were public outreach meetings at the beginning, middle and end of the process.

The City of Orlando recognizes the importance of strong neighborhoods and local business districts in enhancing the quality of life for the citizens of Orlando. Neighborhood commercial districts can provide services to residents close to their homes, create jobs, bolster the sense of place in a community, and promote green initiatives and sustainability goals by reducing the amount of time residents need to spend in their cars.

Mayor Buddy Dyer’s Strengthen Orlando initiative and the City’s Main Street programs have helped enhance neighborhood commercial districts like South Orange Avenue and Michigan Street. However, bolstering neighborhood commercial districts has made these areas even more attractive to developers looking to build infill projects.

While investment in the local business districts of Orlando is desirable, existing zoning rules are often more applicable to greenfield development and lack the special considerations for appropriate transitions and urban form necessary to sustain the desirable characteristics of traditional Main Street areas. With this understanding, Mayor Buddy Dyer in consultation with District 1 Commissioner Phil Diamond and District 4 Commissioner Patty Sheehan appointed a citizen task force to partner with the City of Orlando’s Community Planning Studio to shape a vision for the South Orange Avenue and Michigan Street corridors in the Downtown South Main Street area. The Task Force held public meetings once a month and sponsored several workshops, including a “walkabout” activity in early November 2009 to evaluate existing conditions in the study area.

The work of the Task Force considered the need for compatible infill development standards along the corridor as well as the continued expansion of the Orlando Health campus, the future implementation of a Commuter Rail stop on Sligh Boulevard, and the designation of South Orange Avenue and Michigan Street as a Main Street district. The focus of the Task Force has been to develop appropriate guidelines for private development along the corridor. The guidelines are meant to promote better decisions regarding master plans, conditional use permits, planned developments, re-zonings, and density/intensity bonuses. These guidelines will also help minimize commercial intrusion into surrounding neighborhoods, while promoting creative site planning and redevelopment.

In addition to the guidelines in this document, Growth Management Plan and Land Development Code amendments are also proposed. It is hoped that this work will result in greater predictability for both residents and future developers alike by establishing regulatory authority over all future development proposals.

In 2021, the City of Orlando was the recipient of an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional Wetlands Program Development Grant (WPDG) to conduct a wetland and open space study. The goal of this grant is to assist local governments, and other entities, in building programs to protect, manage and restore wetlands. The city subsequently selected VHB, consulting firm, to embark on obtaining the status of existing wetlands within its boundaries; review and update current city wetland assessment processes; and provide recommendations for new policies. The final report is available below.

The study process included various forms of community outreach from February to October 2023 and the identification and inclusion of multiple stakeholders that represent the broad interests of the community. City staff is currently investigating the feasibility of the plan recommendations for implementation. Any proposals will be presented to the Municipal Planning Board and City Council for approval, and will be open to public comment.

The Parramore Comprehensive Neighborhood Plan was developed as part of a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant. The East Central Florida Regional Planning Council (ECFRPC), on behalf of 26 partners that comprise the East Central Florida Sustainable Communities Consortium, was awarded $2.4 million from HUD to plan for sustainable, transit-oriented development around SunRail station locations. The majority of the grant funds were passed directly to local governments with special emphasis on promoting sustainable and inclusive growth, particularly in minority and/or low-income neighborhoods adjacent to several of the SunRail stations. The overall process has been branded “Enhance Central Florida”.

The Parramore Comprehensive Neighborhood Plan (the Plan) focuses on creating a healthy, sustainable and vibrant community that prepares for the future while preserving, enhancing, and celebrating the culture and heritage of Parramore.  The Plan is an integral component of the Project DTO – Advancing Downtown Orlando initiative, and is also an important continuation and further refinement of the Pathways for Parramore initiative.

Ten Healthy Community Design Principles

Through numerous community forums and extensive public engagement, the following Ten Healthy Community Design Principles were established and endorsed:
  1. Drive Economic Development by Creating a Unique Identity
  2. Improve Access to Job Opportunities
  3. Promote Social & Environmental Justice
  4. Increase Housing Opportunities
  5. Make Education the Cornerstone of Revitalization
  6. Empower Champions for a Healthy Community
  7. Promote Access to Healthy Food
  8. Invest in People, not Cars
  9. Maximize the Opportunity for All Residents to get Physical Activity
  10. Encourage Mixed Use Development

The Plan contains the community’s vision for their neighborhoods based on the above-mentioned Healthy Community Design principles, and provides strategies along with short, mid– and long–term action items for improving economic and job growth, community health, transportation options, housing, education and infill development. These strategies and action items are described in full detail in the Executive Summary and Action Plan.

Parramore Comprehensive Neighborhood Plan – Five Year Anniversary

On January 26, 2015, the Orlando City Council approved the Parramore Comprehensive Neighborhood Plan (PCNP). The PCNP was organized around 10 Healthy Community Design principles, with an emphasis on education, creating a safe/healthy built environment, and business development – all intended to combat generational poverty and the vestiges of social & economic injustice. Here are just some of the implementation highlights:

Education

  • Academic Center for Excellence K-8 school (ACE; including the Rosen Foundation's day care center, a Boys & Girls Club, and Health Clinic) – Opened August 2017.
  • UCF/Valencia College Downtown Campus – Opened August 2019.
  • Parramore Education & Innovation District Initiative (UCF-led; $2 Million grant from the Helios Education Foundation, JPMorgan Chase & Co., & Kresge Foundation to support Pre-K through PhD education ecosystem in Parramore).
  • Workforce Development/Vocational Training Programs, including Valencia College’s Center for Accelerated Training, the Patient Care Training (PCT) program, and the Blueprint 2.0 program developed in partnership with the Central Florida Urban League, CareerSource, and Wells Fargo (announced in October 2019).
  • Continuing the Parramore Kidz Zone program to mentor youth and enhance academic performance, including expansion of the program into Holden Heights – $80,000 grant from Heart of Florida United Way in 2018.

Safe/Healthy Built Environment

  • Creation of UCF Parramore Healthy Community Coalition spearheading initiatives ranging from nutrition education to diabetes screenings – $600,000 grant from Florida Blue Foundation.
  • Creation of the Parramore Community Engagement Council (neighborhood champions).
  • Creation of LYMMO Grapefruit Line (2016), and Lime Line (2018), to provide enhanced connections for Parramore residents to SunRail, jobs and opportunities.
  • Completion of the Westmoreland Bike/Pedestrian Trail (2017).
  • Opening of mixed-income Parramore Oaks Apartments – 120 units (Invictus Development, Phase 1 – 2019).
  • Opening of mixed-income Amelia Court Apartments – 205 units (Atlantic Housing – 2019).
  • Creation of Parramore Asset Stabilization Fund to renovate 83 housing units on 44 properties, to stabilize affordable rental housing options in Parramore.
  • Creation of the Central Florida Regional Housing Trust.
  • New infill single family for-sale homes by the Orlando Housing Department, Downtown CRA, and Orlando Regional Realtor’s Association – Heroes Commons) – 14 homes built so far.
  • Completion of Parramore & Holden Heights Healthy Community Design Measures Report (2020).

Business Development

  • Since 2015, over $525,000 in grants/assistance through the MEBA (Minority/Women Entrepreneur Business Assistance) Program, Downtown Façade & Building Stabilization Fund, Business Assistance Program, and Small Business Façade, Site Improvement & Adaptive Reuse Program.
  • Expansion of the Orlando Main Street business development program into Parramore (2019).

And the work continues.  The future is bright in Parramore.

Awards

The Parramore Comprehensive Neighborhood Plan has won the following prestigious awards:

  • American Planning Association (APA) – Florida Chapter Award of Excellence in the Neighborhood Planning category (presented in September 2015)
  • Florida Redevelopment Association Roy Kenzie Award for “Planning Studies” (presented in October 2015)
  • International Development Association (IDA) Downtown Achievement Awards – Certificate of Merit in the “Planning” category (presented in October 2017)

Disclaimer

The work that provided the basis for this publication was supported by funding under an award with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The substance and findings of the work are dedicated to the public. The author and publisher are solely responsible for the accuracy of the statements and interpretations contained in this publication. Such interpretations do not necessarily reflect the views of the government.

Supporting Documents

Below, find a series of documents showing the details of the Parramore Comprehensive Neighborhood Plan:

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