What is infill? Infill in Orange County is defined as the development of vacant or underutilized land within the Urban Service Area where restoration and rehabilitation of existing structures or infrastructure maintains the continuity of the original community fabric. Infill development can provide many advantages, including diverse housing stock, accessibility to existing infrastructure and heightened design standards.
Orange County focuses on infill and redevelopment as a strategy to accommodate future growth and provide an alternative to a traditional suburban development on vacant lands. Now, Orange County is seeking to encourage infill and redevelopment within its Urban Service Area to protect precious natural resources and to take advantage of existing infrastructure. Infill and redevelopment is an old issue for some; however, for Orange County, it is a new way of thinking, and a new way to further protect our children's legacy, rural areas and the environment.
Efforts continue to promote compact, mixed-used development in areas with existing infrastructure and access to transportation. Much work remains to be done to increase awareness of the need for infill and redevelopment and the advantages these efforts will bring to the county.
Florida Redevelopment Association Conference The Florida Redevelopment Association held their 2009 annual conference in Orange County from October 28-30, 2009, and Orange County hosted a mobile tour of the International Drive corridor for conference attendees. Please visit the Florida Redevelopment Association website for more information about the conference.
Orange County 2009 Redevelopment Workshop On March 20, 2009, the Orange County Planning Division hosted a Redevelopment Workshop that focused on redevelopment planning. The workshop included presentations on economic conditions and recovery, challenges of residential and non-residential development, issues of financing redevelopment, and local case studies. The workshop was AICP accredited and very well attended. The link to the workshop presentations and materials is provided below.
"Redevelopment: Collaborate 2008" Infill and Redevelopment Conference On March 27, 2008, Orange County hosted it's first Infill and Redevelopment Conference entitled "Redevelopment: Collaborate 2008." The conference took place at the Orange County Convention Center. The event, which was AICP accredited, attracted a diverse audience of over 350 attendees, among them local and regional elected officials and administrators, planners, architects, financiers, developers, investors, realtors, homebuilders, community activists, property owners and others. Within Orange County, the conference gave momentum to the process already begun with the Infill Master Plan. This multi-part event provided 4 Tracks – Redevelopment Density and Design, Marketing, Financing and Incentives, Success Stories, and Developing a Plan for Infill and Redevelopment – with each track highlighting a distinct dimension with an underlying theme related to infill and redevelopment. The link to the conference presentations is provided below.
Infill Master Plan (2007) (PDF – 7 MB) In 2007, the County prepared an Infill Master Plan (IMP). The IMP focuses attention and provides guidelines for infill, redevelopment, and rehabilitation. It illustrates the County's goals of increasing home ownership, promoting good building and urban design, and preserving the environment by protecting rural and environmentally sensitive lands, implementing smart growth approaches, sustainable development, green building and other measures that are gaining popularity and wider acceptance. The IMP helped articulate the County's strategy for infill and redevelopment.
Infill Master Plan Addendum (2009) (PDF - 3 MB) As part of the Phase II of the Infill Master Plan (IMP), the Orange County Planning Division updated a portion of the IMP related to mini analyses to include information of recent foreclosures, available commercial properties and businesses in the area. Five mini analyses encompass parts of the following areas: Pine Hills, Edgewater, Chickasaw, Pine Castle and Americana.
Neighborhood Districts Evaluation: Holden Heights (2009) (PDF - 1 MB) As part of Phase II of the Infill Master Plan (IMP), this study assesses the level and the success of implementation of the "Neighborhood" future land use designations and zoning districts, and suggests parameters for their future assessments. The "Neighborhood" designations and districts are currently implemented only in the Holden Heights area of the County, and monitoring is necessary to ensure their long-tern viability as infill and redevelopment tools in Orange County.
Live/Work Units Evaluation (2009) (PDF – 3.95 MB) The Infill Master Plan (IMP) provided a number of recommendations for implementing the three pronged strategy of smart growth, green building and economic prosperity. One of the important recommendations for bringing to live the green building strategy in Orange County was to provide live/work and multigenerational units within infill areas. This study examines the concept of "live/work" and provides a feasibility analysis of four existing live/work developments in Orange County.
The Economic Return on New Urbanism Study (PDF – 2 MB) Orange County's Economic Return on New Urbanism Study assesses the market factors associated with New Urbanist development, livability, and profitability in Orange County and Central Florida. The ERNU Study utilized two focus groups with developers, builders, planners, and designers, as well as a survey, to feature their insights and recommendations on New Urbanist best practices and projects, including Baldwin Park and other redevelopment projects.
New Urbanist Infill Projects (2009) (PDF - 2 MB) One of many approaches New Urbanism can take is urban infill, which is the practice of developing vacant or underutilized properties within an urban area rather than undeveloped land in more rural areas. The purpose of this analysis is to study infill New Urbanist projects that may serve as models for Orange County in achieving smart growth goals.
F.O.C.U.S. 30 min In this segment, host Steve Triggs features representatives from Orange County's Planning Department, along with special guests, to discuss the benefits of Redevelopment to the citizens of Orange County.
Orange to Green Development Program Recommended in the Infill Master Plan, a green building strategy is being developed through the Orange County's "Orange to Green" Development Program, approved in 2008. Orange to Green encourages sustainable development in the County by offering incentives for building owners who incorporate green building techniques in the design and construction of their projects. Such incentives include a "green carpet service," expedited permitting and development review, and special recognitions.
Brownfields Redevelopment Program A Brownfield is a property which development and redevelopment might be complicated by actual or perceived environmental contamination. The local program, administered by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, helps to clean up sites and reduces the public cost for installing new infrastructure. Brownfield sites and businesses that enter into a Brownfield Site Rehabilitation Agreement are eligible for additional incentives.
Neighborhood Stabilization Program The Program was created by the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 to respond to rising residential foreclosures and property abandonment. The main purpose of the program is to stabilize neighborhoods negatively impacted by foreclosures. Through this program Orange County acquire, renovate and sell foreclosed homes at affordable prices to eligible families.
Orange County Enterprise Zone Program This program facilitates the revitalization of economically distressed communities by providing tax incentives and rebates to businesses that locate and invest in these areas. The program offers a series of incentives to facilitate the relocation and expansion of businesses. These incentives target businesses that invest in Enterprise Zone communities by creating jobs, buying equipment or renovating properties.
ReNew Grant Program The ReNew Grant Program in an initiative to revitalize and beautify Orange County Neighborhoods. The program supports and assists citizens and organizations in improving the physical and social qualities of neighborhoods. Grant awards are available countywide in amounts between $1,000 and $20,000 and require a certain cash match from an applicant.
Qualified Targeted Industry Tax Refund This incentive is available to new and expanding businesses in targeted high value industries, which include manufacturing, finance and insurance, information industries, professional and scientific services and corporate headquarters. Orange County contributes a local match to make up a total award.
Non-Profit Impact Fee Grant Community-based non-profit organizations are eligible for an impact fee grant of up to $15,000 toward the costs of transportation, sheriff, and fire impact fees charged to construction projects in unincorporated Orange County. Examples of eligible construction projects include day care and classroom facilities, family life centers, recreation facilities, dependency treatment centers and youth services centers.
Community Contribution Tax Credit The Tax Credit Program encourages Florida corporations to make donations toward approved community development projects by providing a tax credit of up to 50 percent of the value of the donation. Businesses may take a credit on Florida corporate income tax, franchise tax, or insurance premium tax. Some of the approved projects include Habitats of Humanity of Greater Apopka and Greater Orlando, the FAMU Law School and the Orlando Performing Arts Center.
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