Urban Design and GMP/Zoning Considerations

Semoran Boulevard is a six lane arterial highway with a center median and narrow five-foot wide sidewalks on either side.  The study area is located outside of Orlando’s "Traditional City" and all of the existing development is typical of a low-scale, auto-oriented suburban commercial strip.  Buildings are isolated and set back from the street with parking fields in front. 

Despite these constraints, this part of Semoran Boulevard enjoys a higher degree of pedestrian activity than many other suburban commercial areas, including other stretches of Semoran Boulevard to the north and south of the study area.  Also, from Curry Ford Road northward the Semoran right-of-way is narrower than elsewhere ("only" 100 feet wide) and therefore more conducive to a pedestrian-oriented future re-development pattern.

It is also important to note that the entire commercial corridor is vastly under-developed as compared to the intensity allowed by the current GMP future land use categories and zoning districts in this area.  The GMP categories along the Semoran Blvd. corridor (north-to-south, see map) are:

Community Activity Center (CAC):
0.7 FAR 40 units per acre

Mixed Use Corridor (MUC):
0.5 FAR 30 units per acre

Urban Activity Center (UAC):
1.0 FAR 100 units per acre

In contrast, nearly all properties within this corridor are currently developed at a Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 0.25 or less, with no residential component.  Clearly, there are ample opportunities to create an improved urban environment through intensification and redevelopment.

Lastly, from Danube Way to Curry Ford Road, nearly all of the retail commercial district is on the east side of Semoran Boulevard.  The west side has some small office uses (mostly house conversions), and in one area a long fence that screens the backs of homes from the highway.  Because of this, major urban design initiatives can focus on the east side-while not forgetting the needs of the west side.