CITY OF ORLANDO:
A Case Study in the Coordination of Land Use and Transportation
Ruth L. Steiner
University of Florida

Outline of Presentation
- The Planning Context of Orlando
- New Urbanism/Neo-traditional Development 
- New Urbanism in the City of Orlando
- Background on Orlando
- Transportation Investments in Downtown Orlando
- New Development in Downtown
- Final Observations


Lessons from Redevelopment of Downtown Orlando 
- Redevelopment Effort has been 
	- Continuous, Consistent and Evolving
– Based Upon a Common Vision 
– Developed through Major Public Participation Plan
– With Realistic Financing Plan; and
– Defined Roles for Public and Private Sector
- City Uses Transportation Investments to Support Development
– Connectivity/Lymmo System 
– Pedestrian Improvements

Planning Context of Orlando
- Florida Growth Management Acts (1972 - )
- Developments of Regional Impact
- Local Comprehensive Planning (1975, 1985)
- Coordination of Public Facilities and Services with 
Development  (Concurrency (1985, 1992, 1993, 1999))
- Sustainable Communities Initiative (1996)

Planning Context of Orlando
- Local Redevelopment Plans for Downtown
- 1970s:  Citizens Pass a Referendum Creating Special Tax District; Downtown Development Board (DDB) created; Central City Plan  
- 1980s: Community Redevelopment Plan; Community Redevelopment Agency; Tax Increment District created; Meter Eater; Bob Carr Performing Arts Center; O-rena; Church Street Market; Farmer’s Market at Lake Eola
- 1990s: Downtown Redevelopment Plan; Neighborhood Revitalization begins; Mixed use center in Thornton Park; City Hall, Courthouse, SunTrust; Nations Bank; First Union; CNL, and Capital Plaza 
- 2000s: Downtown Outlook Plan 

Planning Context of Orlando
- 2000s: Downtown Outlook Plan: “A place for families and individuals to live, work and enjoy”
- Community Participation:	
- Horizon 2000 Downtown Summit (3-day event with 2,000 invitees)
- Quarterly Newsletter
- Internet website
- Neighborhood Meetings
- Community Meeting
- Themes: Community Character; Family Connections; Getting Around; Market Potential

The New Urbanism In Orlando
- Downtown Orlando is the Perfect Context for New Urbanism because it has Many Traditional City Characteristics (Connectivity, Diversity, Community)
AND
- The Old Downtown Was Not Destroyed by Modernist Planning Projects


The New Urbanism – Connectivity
- To the Regional Transit Network 
- Connected Traditional or Modified Grid Street Pattern
- Integration of Social, Economic and Ecological Principles


URBAN CONNECTIVITY
Neo-Traditional Street Layout vs. Suburban-Style Street Layout
Neo-Traditional Layout Provides:
- Adjacency of Land Uses
- Connectivity for All Modes
- Transportation Choices

The New Urbanism – Diversity
- Mix of Uses(Residential, Retail, Commercial, Office)
- High Density Core Surrounded By Lower Density Housing
- Mix of Housing Types for Mix of Household Types and Income Levels 

The New Urbanism – Community
- Bounded Neighborhoods with Strong Centers
- Pedestrian Oriented Environments (fine grain of development detail - porches, street trees, etc.)
- Public Open Spaces that are “Formative” Rather than Residual

Development Context – The City of Orlando
Location…History…A Condition of Urban Decay
TODAY: A Cultural and Entertainment Center
TODAY: A Government Center

Vital Characteristics of Downtown Orlando
- Interconnected Streets
- Mix of Land Uses
- Strong Neighborhoods
- Public and Open Spaces
- Pedestrian Environments
- Transit Infrastructure
- Interconnected Streets


Mix of Land Uses,
Strong Neighborhoods,
Historic Neighborhoods,
Downtown Historic Districts,
Public and Open Spaces,
Good Pedestrian Environments,
Investments in Transportation,
Pedestrian Improvements,
Planning for Pedestrian Connectivity,
Planning for Bicycle Connectivity,
Transit Investments – Lymmo,
Lymmo Service and Downtown Parking,
Existing and Proposed Lymmo Service,

New Development in Downtown Orlando
A Redeveloping Downtown
Office Development
Hotel Developments
New Construction	417 units
Renovation
Four Points Sheraton   290 units    $9 million
Residential Development
Renovation/Adaptive Re-Use   144 units  $20 million
Civic Facilities Completed
Mixed Use Developments
What’s on the Horizon
- Parramore Area Development
- More Downtown Office Development
- Church Street Market Improvements
- Florida Center for Arts and Education
- Centroplex Revisited
- Marketing Downtown		


Prospects for the City of Orlando 
- Public Funding Is Used to Leverage Private Investment
- Light Rail System is Still Being Considered
- Conflicts between Downtown and Neighborhoods
- Disparity between Historically Black and White Neighborhoods 
- City Has Plans for Baldwin Park (Naval Training Center) and South East Sector 

Baldwin Park
- 1,093 acres
- 263 Buildings
- 40 miles of roads
- 2 lakes


Orlando NTC Partners 
(Baldwin Park) Redevelopment
- 3228 Residential
- 926 Detached
- 2302 Attached
- 350,000 sq ft Commercial in a Village Center
- 1,500,000 sq ft Office
- Typical 90 - 150,000 sq. ft.
- New Schools
- Elementary
- Middle School
- 200 acres of parks


Southeast Orlando Master Plan
Plan Incentives – Key Elements
- Participating property owners/developers/builders may receive Fee Waivers and Expedited Local Permitting.
- Where Traditional Neighborhood Design Standards are used, incentives include
- Utilization of Smaller Street Widths
- Increased Densities 
- Greater Opportunities for Mixed Use
- Revised Transportation Impact Fee
- Administrative Review
- Incentive Based
- Creation of Southeast Town Design Review Committee 
- Expedited Review 


Prospects for Downtown Orlando
- Downtown is Centrally Located in the Metropolitan Region (Many Downtown Residents Commute to Other Parts of the Region)
- Suburban Areas are Growing at More Rapid Rate Than Downtown (24.9% vs. 12.1%)
- Orlando is Centrally Located in State 
- Orlando International Airport can Double its Capacity from 32 Million to > 70 Million