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.
An influx of development interest in the corridor has led to conflicts between developers and neighborhood groups. Several projects proposed that were controversial due to height and mass. Implementing urban form standards and design guidelines minimizes conflict and encourages appropriate redevelopment.
An influx of development interest in the corridor has led to conflicts between developers and neighborhood groups. Several projects proposed that were controversial due to height and mass. Implementing urban form standards and design guidelines minimizes conflict and encourages appropriate redevelopment.
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:
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:
Orange Ave will go through a major transformation with the institution of transect planning theories to ensure that buildings' heights and mass along Orange Avenue will adjust lower and less dense the further away they are from the urban core.
The street will be divided into transects. The mass and height for each transect is defined.
The Transect Plan forms the basis for all of the recommendations of the Vision Plan and provides City staff, board members, City Commissioners, developers, and residents a rational system to evaluate, understand, and design new development.
The Transects:
- T6: Urban Core
- T5: Urban Center
- T4: General Urban
- T3.5: Live/Work
- T3: Suburban
The T6: Urban Core transect represents the zone designated for the highest intensity development within the study area. As almost all of the T6: Urban Core areas are actually outside of the proposed boundaries of the Special Plan zoning overlay, the following guidelines are intended to provide a context for understanding the other transect zones in the plan rather to create specific standards that must be met for new development.
Typical Building Height:
T5: Urban Center transect zone is highest intensity transect zone commonly found within the Special Plan zoning overlay. The T5 zone is found occasionally on the east side of S. Orange Avenue where existing zoning entitlements around Lake Copeland allow T5 intensities, but is typically concentrated in the three activity center areas:
Typical Building Height:
- 6+ stories for commercial, public benefit, or office uses
- 7+ stories for residential uses
- Taller buildings may be allowed, limited only by underlying zoning or FAA regulations (typical of Orlando Health Campus)
- Concentrated around Orlando Health campus
- Density and intensity bonuses encouraged
- Development should be transit-oriented and support a vibrant pedestrian environment
- Architecture should be articulated every 240 linear feet
T5: Urban Center transect zone is highest intensity transect zone commonly found within the Special Plan zoning overlay. The T5 zone is found occasionally on the east side of S. Orange Avenue where existing zoning entitlements around Lake Copeland allow T5 intensities, but is typically concentrated in the three activity center areas:
- the area surrounding the intense T6 zones near the Commuter Rail station
- SODO and adjacent non-residential properties
- Pineloch/Weingarten sites southeast of the Orange/Michigan intersection
West of Orange Avenue, allowances for additional height when a building is a mixed-use or public benefit use building further encourage development that enhances the Orange/Michigan area as a destination for both residents and visitors.
Maximum Building Height (east of Orange Avenue):
Maximum Building Height (east of Orange Avenue):
T3.5: Live/Work zone is intended to function as an intermediate zone, providing an additional level of transition between the T4: General Urban zones and low density residential neighborhoods.
Maximum Building Height:
T3: Suburban zone is where low density, detached residential uses are found. The majority of development within T3 zones is single-family residential, with occasional duplexes and accessory apartments when allowed by the underlying zoning district.
Maximum Building Height (east of Orange Avenue):
- 4 stories for commercial, public benefit, and office uses
- 5 stories for residential uses, including residential with ground floor commercial uses
- Bonuses should not be awarded unless development can utilize bonus and stay within the prescribed heights. Approvals to allow significantly more height are not allowed.
- 4 stories for commercial, public benefit, and office uses
- 5 stories for residential uses
- 6 stories for mixed-use buildings and public benefit uses (mixed use buildings must incorporate at least two of the following uses: residential, office, or commercial/retail/restaurant)
- Mix of office and residential mid-rise buildings with active commercial uses encouraged on the ground floor.
- A single density or intensity bonus may be utilized to reach the maximum building profile, but not to exceed the profile prescribed by the Transect.
- Architecture must be articulated every 120 linear feet.
Maximum Building Height (east of Orange Avenue):
- 3 stories for commercial, public benefit, office, residential, and mixed use buildings
- Bonuses should not be awarded unless development can utilize bonus and stay within the prescribed heights. Approvals to allow significantly more height are not allowed.
- 3 stories for single-use commercial, office, or residential buildings 4 stories for a mixed-use buildings and public benefit uses (mixed use buildings must incorporate at least two of the following uses: residential, office, or commercial/retail/restaurant)
- A mix of retail, restaurant, personal service, and other active uses on the ground floor with some ground floor office or residential Main Street character, with pedestrian-oriented amenities and details on the ground floor
- Office and residential uses encouraged on second and third floors (and fourth where allowed)
- Surface parking located behind buildings, structured parking atypical but permitted
- Architecture must be articulated every 60 linear feetd
T3.5: Live/Work zone is intended to function as an intermediate zone, providing an additional level of transition between the T4: General Urban zones and low density residential neighborhoods.
Maximum Building Height:
- A maximum building height of two stories is encouraged, an additional 1⁄2-1 story may be allowed by the zoning district. No building may exceed 30 feet in height.
- Two story maximum for office uses in residential zoning districts.
- Intensity bonuses and approvals to allow significantly more height are prohibited.
- Density bonuses may only be approved when the bonuses are used to provide affordable or attainable housing choices within a mixed-income development.
- No density bonus shall be approved if it will increase the building mass beyond what is allowed by the transect zone.
- A mix of attached and semi-detached residential and office buildings, designed to appear residential from adjacent residential streets.
- Front-loading garages must be located a minimum of 5 ft. behind the principal façade.
- Townhomes with garages must be rear-loaded.
- Surface parking must be located to the rear of buildings, or in between the building and a T4 parcel.
- Reduced setbacks are allowed to promote creative site-planning where the rear yards of T3.5 lots are utilized to enhance the redevelopment opportunities of adjacent T4 lots, and are not intended to simply increase the buildable area of lots to allow large, out-of-scale single family homes (referred to colloquially as “McMansions”)
T3: Suburban zone is where low density, detached residential uses are found. The majority of development within T3 zones is single-family residential, with occasional duplexes and accessory apartments when allowed by the underlying zoning district.
The T3 areas are typically found east of S. Orange Avenue (Lake Copeland, Lake Cherokee, Delaney Park, Wadeview Park, Southern Oaks, and residential areas in Unincorporated Orange County), but are also found to the west of Orange Avenue in the South Orange neighborhood (a small enclave of 1-2 family homes located between W. Esther Street and W. Grant Street just north of the SODO) and the Lake Holden neighborhood.
Typical Building Height/Mass:
- 1-2 stories typical, zoning allows a maximum height of 30 feet Variety of roof styles depending on style of home – mid-century homes typically have flat or low-pitched roofs, but hip and gable roof styles are also common
- Large and varied front yard setbacks, landscaped yards, driveways, mature trees, detached buildings
- Typical lot width is 50 feet, with side setbacks of 5-10 feet. This results in most homes being approximately 30-40 feet wide. On-street parking is common on low-traffic side streets
- Many neighborhoods have traffic calming improvements, such as round-a-bouts, speed islands, and speed humps
- Neighborhood parks provide community space