The Southeast
Orlando Sector Plan is one of the largest urban planning and
development projects ever undertaken by the City of Orlando. The
area covered by the Plan consists of more than 19,300 acres and is
within a 10 to 20 minute driving distance of Downtown Orlando, many
of the region's entertainment attractions, as well as other regional
job and education centers. The Plan area is located directly
adjacent to the ever-expanding Orlando International Airport, which
is already the 16th busiest airport in the United States and the
25th busiest airport in the world. In addition, the State of Florida
has authorized the construction of a high speed rail system linking
Tampa, Orlando, and Miami, with the hub of the system being the
Orlando International Airport. With the Southeast Orlando Sector
Plan, the City is proactively formulating a sustainable development
strategy that builds and strengthens the livability of the entire
community.
The City of Orlando has identified the Southeast Orlando Sector Plan
area as a Future Growth Center with the Orlando International
Airport as the primary economic and employment generator. In the
near future, the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority plans to
construct a fourth runway, expand terminal facilities, build new
on-site roadways, pursue regional rail transit linkages, and
actively market airport-related office and industrial development on
the airport property. In addition, this growth will generate a
significant need for convenient housing to serve airport employees.
The City's projections indicate a potential for over 13,300
residential units, 2.1 million square feet of retail space, 3.3
million square feet of office space, 1,950 hotel rooms, 4.7 million
square feet of industrial space, and 600,000 square feet of
civic/government space within the Southeast Plan area by the year
2020. Again, by 2020, the Plan area could house more than 28,000
residents.
In order to build and sustain a viable community, development must
feature a mixture of land uses which allow for increased
accessibility, diversity, and opportunities for social interaction
within the context of an integrated amenity framework. Utilizing the
neighborhood as the basic community building unit, the center of
residential neighborhoods will be defined by public space and
activated by locally-oriented civic and commercial facilities.
Employment, shopping and services will be concentrated in town,
village, and neighborhood centers that are compact and walkable. The
City will also be utilizing design concepts that provide a strong
connection between nature and the built environment.
In order to accomplish this vision, the City of Orlando has entered
into a unique partnership with the southeast area property owners,
the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, Orlando Utilities
Commission, representatives of other local, regional, and state
agencies affected by or having permitting jurisdiction of aspects of
the project, and representatives of interest groups concerned with
building successful communities. The partnership is responsible for
master planning and the technical design of infrastructure,
developing and implementing a financing strategy for the early
provision of public facilities such as schools, the preparation of
the urban design/land use plan, along with development standards and
an administrative process to implement the Plan.
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