AIL Altamonte city officials have established a “catalyst site”—adding the infrastructure necessary to accommodate future growth.
around the station and carefully considered how to create a place that has connectivity to the transit station and a place where people would want to live, shop and have fun, and a place that would attract office development and urban retail development. The vision was to create a nexus of people and economic activity.
PHOTOS: THOMAS J. AQUILINA
providing that palette, if you will, for its vision to evolve. This will be a dramatic centerpiece for Altamonte Springs.
SO, WHILE THERE IS NO DEVELOPMENT NOW AT THE ALTAMONTE STATION, WHAT CAN PEOPLE EXPECT IN THAT QUARTERMILE RADIUS? HALL: Today, there are 400 parking spaces
and a concrete platform with a trellis roof and a bus station. The interesting thing is that area is the absolute best land for redevelopment—it’s right next to the SunRail station. Additionally, in the case of Altamonte Springs, to the east of the rail line is a fair amount of lower-valued vacant land. So the east side of the rail line offers a great opportunity for development. ... The city has stepped in as master developer and is adding urban streets, a park and a master stormwater system to accommodate future development. This sets up what is called a “catalyst site.” Now, there will be vacant affordable land that is ready for development. Developers will come in and think this makes all the sense in the world. We have finished the studies that identified the development standards, and the city has adopted them. This is a dramatic change. This is about employment; this is about offices with a minimum of six to eight stories. This is about being truly urban. CARRAGHER: What can people expect?
Just imagine if I get off at the Altamonte SunRail station and I’m on the platform scanning the area. I might see a streetside cafe in front of a six- to eight-story medical office building. If I walked three
HOW MUCH OF A CONCERN IS ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY WITH THIS KIND OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT? HALL: TOD is inherently sustainable
or four minutes, I would be in a park with a half-shell for concerts and fairs. And there’s a beautiful water feature. On the other side of the park, there are townhomes and a few more small retail shops. All of these things make me want to spend time in the area of the station. So, it’s no longer just a drop-off and pick-up site. It’s the nexus of activity mentioned earlier. WHAT IS THE TIMEFRAME FOR SUCH DEVELOPMENT? HALL : The VHB planning team is
designing the first phase of the infrastructure today. You could have development occur there probably not this year but certainly next year. CARRAGHER: The city staff is now revising
the comprehensive plan, which will likely be done in the summer. Also in the summer, the VHB planning team will refine the building code in this “downtown.” That should be complete near the end of the year. So, when developers come in, the comprehensive plan will be refined, and the codes will be updated. There will be roads plus a stormwater system and utilities will be in the ground. The local government is
because it’s not just predicated on the car and the suburban style of development. And as you go vertical, you’re incentivizing density and the outcome is more sustainable . ... It weaves together very nicely in that if you have TOD, sustainability just is part of the fabric. SIMILARLY, WHAT ABOUT THE IDEA OF HEALTHY COMMUNITIES IN TOD? CARRAGHER: One example of healthy
community planning, away from Altamonte Springs, is VHB’s work with the City of Orlando’s Parramore neighborhood comprehensive plan. The planning is predicated on addressing key issues and questions. We are asking residents to help answer this question: How do I live in an environment that has human social networks, is a pleasant place to be, and offers the opportunity to walk and bike to my transit station or place of business? Essentially, the redesign of the community will change life patterns for the residents and create a healthier setting. There is a whole social, cultural change. Working with residents and the city, the idea is to create connectivity into the urban core, into SunRail, into more recreational activities, into more shopping and into more healthy food opportunities. This creates a whole new vision for what a community can be.
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