§ 68.202. Town Center Guidelines.

The following guidelines and standards apply to the Town Center:

(a)

Primary Activity Center. Second only to Downtown Orlando, the Southeast Town Center shall act as an important destination for living working, shopping, and entertainment. The mix of uses within the Town Center, the urban fabric of streets and blocks, and the architectural character of individual buildings shall all be coordinated and contribute to a coherent identity and sense of place.

(b)

Pattern of Streets and Buildings. A pattern of streets and blocks, scaled to the needs of the pedestrian, shall be required. Blocks greater than 600 feet in length, dead end streets and cul-de-sacs should be avoided. All buildings should contribute to a cohesive city "fabric" and reinforce the overall goal of creating a walkable district. Buildings shall offer attractive pedestrian scale features and spaces. Building placement and massing shall relate to nearby buildings in the Town Center and to the urban context. Use-segregated or parking-driven developments shall be discouraged.

(c)

Mid-Block Connections. Pedestrian and/or auto connections shall be provided at mid-block locations for mixed use and commercial blocks to increase the permeability of the site and encourage walking for some daily trips. Mid-block connections should be provided every 200 to 400 feet.

(d)

Land Use Transitions. Land use boundaries and density changes in Town Centers should occur at mid-block locations whenever possible, rather than along streets so that buildings facing each other are compatible and transitions between uses are gradual.

(e)

Housing. Medium and high intensity housing, located within the Town Center, should surround the core commercial area and be integrated with its design. Appropriate housing types include: apartments/condominiums, elderly housing, residential over commercial, townhouses, duplexes, bungalows, and small-lot single family. Owner-occupied homes are specifically encouraged.

(f)

Placement of Commercial Activity. The configuration of everyday shops in the Town Center shall balance pedestrian and auto comfort, visibility, and accessibility. Building setbacks from public streets should be minimized. Primary ground-floor commercial building entrances shall orient to plazas, parks, or pedestrian-oriented streets, not to interior blocks or parking lots. Anchor tenant retail buildings may have their entries from off-street parking lots or structured parking but are also required to have direct pedestrian connections to surrounding streets. On-street entries are strongly encouraged.

(g)

Relationship of Building to Public Spaces. Buildings should reinforce and revitalize streets and public spaces, by providing an ordered variety of entries, windows, bays, and balconies along public ways. Buildings should have human scale in details and massing. Free-standing or "monument" buildings should be reserved for public uses.

(h)

Public Spaces. Greens and plazas may be used to create a prominent civic component to core commercial areas. Greens should be between 1 and 3 acres in size; plazas may be smaller. They should be placed at the juncture between the core commercial area and surrounding residential or office uses.

(i)

Civic Uses. Civic services, such as community buildings, government offices, recreation centers, post offices, libraries, and daycare, shall be placed in central locations as highly visible focal points. Where feasible, they should be close to transit stops.

(j)

Pedestrian and Multi-Modal Design. Streets and other public outdoor spaces within the Town Center should be functional, attractive, and designed to enhance the pedestrian life of the community. Seek to create a balanced transportation system that invites pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders, as well as motor vehicles. Provide a fine grain system of connections to maximize choices for all modes of travel.

(k)

Direct Pedestrian Connections. Direct local street access from surrounding neighborhoods shall be provided so visitors do not need to use arterial streets to access the Town Center. When existing developed areas are redeveloped or retrofitted, ensure that pedestrian and/or auto access from surrounding neighborhoods is provided.

(l)

Arterial Streets as Edges. Arterials streets should be considered edges of the Town Center, unless they are designed as a one-way couplet or substantial pedestrian improvements are made and traffic through the Town Center is slowed. The Primary Conservation Network may also be used as an edge for the Town Center.

(m)

Transit. The Town Center shall be the primary stop on the regional transit system. Transit stops should, whenever, possible, be centrally located and adjacent to the core commercial area. Commercial uses should be directly visible and accessible from the transit stop. Transfers to feeder buses (local bus network) should be provided for in the design and location of these stops.

(Ord. of 5-10-1999, § 10, Doc. #32070)