South Downtown Orlando: Turning Industrial Tracts into a Residential Urban Core

South Downtown is a 550-acre area generally bound by the East-West Expressway, S. Orange Avenue, Michigan Street, and I-4.  

Given the area’s proximity to Downtown Orlando, South Downtown is envisioned as the next logical frontier for expanding and supporting the City core. 

A document called the South Downtown Vision Plan was created by the City of Orlando, Economic Development, Department City Planning Division and the Community Planning Studio. Also, a Task Force is currently studying the S. Orange Avenue and Michigan Street corridors and will be responsible for the creation of the Orange/Michigan Vision Plan.
Together, these plans address many topics including:
  1. Turning Industrial Areas into a Residential Urban Core
  2. Transportation
  3. Setback and Streetscape Requirements
  4. Transect Planning
Part of the South Downtown Vision Plan addresses underutilized industrial land. The plan recommends allowing residential uses within Industrial areas along I-4. This recommendation is intended to encourage new housing opportunities west of Orange Avenue. This means the warehouses and empty lots will go away and in their place will be multi-family housing. 

 Below are sketches of proposed ideas and visions. 


Source: South Downtown Vision Plan support document, 2008







Grant Street (Map)

Grant Street (Map) Potential Redevelopment Scenario with added sidewalks (that are separated from the road), trees, streetscaping and residential construction



Where exactly is South Downtown?

South Downtown is in orange above


Existing Zoning: Industrial and Fairly Intense

  • Grey areas are currently zoned for industrial uses. 
  • Red areas allow for fairly intense development.


More Grid Will be Added



New Sub-Area Policies

The South Downtown Vision Plan identifies three target areas where increased densities and intensities and a wider range of uses will be allowed through the adoption of one or more zoning overlay districts sometime in the future. 




Extra Reading:

The vision plan represents the next 20 to 50 years of future growth and is based on market projections, recommended changes to the type, density and intensity of development allowed at various locations within the district and infrastructure improvements needed to accommodate new development.

Goals of the South Downtown Vision Plan: 
  • Accommodate future development within the Orlando Health campus
  • Accommodate new medical office, retail and residential development outside the Orlando Health campus
  • Encourage mixed-use development in proximity to the commuter rail station
  • Support redevelopment and intensification of industrial areas along I-4
  • Improve infrastructure within the study area
  • Protect existing property rights 

The Eight Principles 
  1. Comprehensive 
  2. Incremental 
  3. Self-Help 
  4. Partnerships 
  5. Existing Assets 
  6. Quality 
  7. Changing Attitudes 
  8. Implementation


Vision Plans 
  1. Long-term vision 
  2. Infrastructure possibilities to address future growth 
  3. Focus on Policy tools: growth management plan amendments, zoning changes, design guidelines, overlay districts
  4. Focus on building mass, articulation, intensity, unified streetscapes and street sections 

Main Street 
  1. Short-term projects, planning for now, soon, and in the future 
  2. Business development and assistance 
  3. Works within existing assets, conditions, and local rules
  4. Branding the district 
  5. Events and promotions 
  6. Economic Restructuring, highest and best use, adaptive re-use, and infill development 
  7. Daily management of district 

DSNID 
  1. Plan for a better future 
  2. Funding mechanisms for short-term and long-term improvements 
  3. Focus on physical design characteristics and public improvements 
  4. Balance the needs of many stakeholders: residents, businesses, and property owners