Redevelopment Plan for the City of Kissimmee, Florida Community

Transcription

Redevelopment Plan
for the
City of Kissimmee, Florida
Community Redevelopment Agency
March 2003
Prepared for
The City of Kissimmee CRA
March, 2003
by
B
Table of Contents
PART I INTRODUCTION .........................................................................1
PART II INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS ...................................................5
INVENTORY SUMMARY ............................................................................................5
ANALYSIS ...............................................................................................................6
Sub-Area Descriptions .......................................................................................................................6
SUB-AREA ANALYSES ............................................................................................8
Sub-Area 1 - Residential Enclaves.....................................................................................................8
Sub-Area 2 - Main Street Gateway.................................................................................................11
Sub-Area 3 - Downtown..................................................................................................................13
Sub-Area 4 - Hospital/Beaumont Site ............................................................................................16
Sub-Area 5 - Peripheral Corridors...................................................................................................19
Sub-Area 6 - Lake Tohopekaliga Restoration Area ........................................................................21
PART III GOALS AND OBJECTIVES .................................................. 23
REDEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION .................................................................... 23
Goal.................................................................................................................................................23
REDEVELOPMENT POLICY................................................................................... 24
Goal I ..............................................................................................................................................24
Goal II.............................................................................................................................................25
Goal III ...........................................................................................................................................25
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT................................................................................. 26
Goal I ..............................................................................................................................................26
Goal II.............................................................................................................................................27
PUBLIC FACILITIES AND SERVICES ...................................................................... 28
Goal I ..............................................................................................................................................28
Goal II.............................................................................................................................................28
Goal III ...........................................................................................................................................29
Goal IV...........................................................................................................................................30
LAND USE .......................................................................................................... 30
Goal I ..............................................................................................................................................30
Goal II.............................................................................................................................................31
HOUSING ............................................................................................................ 32
Goal I ..............................................................................................................................................32
Goal II.............................................................................................................................................33
HISTORIC PRESERVATION ................................................................................... 33
Goal.................................................................................................................................................33
PART IV CONCEPT PLAN ................................................................... 35
CONCEPT PLAN ELEMENTS ............................................................................... 38
PART V CAPITAL PROJECTS ............................................................ 46
PHASE ONE: YEARS 1 THROUGH 5 .................................................................... 48
Capital Improvements.......................................................................................................................48
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Public/Private Projects .....................................................................................................................48
Private Sector....................................................................................................................................48
On-Going Projects & Programs .......................................................................................................48
Phase I Capital Budget.....................................................................................................................49
PHASE TWO: YEARS 6 THROUGH 10 .................................................................. 51
Private Sector....................................................................................................................................51
Phase II Capital Budget ...................................................................................................................52
PHASE THREE: YEARS 11 THROUGH 20............................................................. 54
Private Sector....................................................................................................................................54
Phase III Capital Budget..................................................................................................................55
PART VI TAX INCREMENT FINANCING ............................................ 56
History of Tax Increment Financing................................................................................................56
Type of Expenses Allowed...............................................................................................................57
PART VII IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES ...................................... 60
Leadership .......................................................................................................................................60
Organizational Roles and Relationships ...........................................................................................61
Neighborhood Preservation and Development ....................................................................................64
Private Redevelopment Strategies ....................................................................................................65
PART VIII APPENDIX ........................................................................... 66
APPENDIX A - RERC REPORT: CRA DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES ............... 67
Introduction to the Analysis..............................................................................................................70
Next Steps .......................................................................................................................................71
Summary of Osceola County Economic and Market Trends ............................................................73
Typical Development Modules for Downtown Area Markets ............................................................81
Absorption Potential ........................................................................................................................86
Kissimmee Redevelopment Program ...................................................................................................89
Waterfront Hospitality Center Site/Lakefront Park ........................................................................95
Lakeshore and Beaumont Neighborhoods .........................................................................................98
APPENDIX B INVENTORY ...................................................................................100
Population and Demographics.........................................................................................................100
Land Use.......................................................................................................................................100
Site Inventory Conditions................................................................................................................103
Utilities ..........................................................................................................................................105
Environmental Issues......................................................................................................................108
Transportation................................................................................................................................109
Parking ..........................................................................................................................................110
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Regulatory Framework ...................................................................................................................111
APPENDIX C PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT PROGRAM .................................................126
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................126
Economic Development Committee – August 13, 2002 .................................................................126
CRA/Neighborhood Residents – August 13, 2002 ......................................................................128
City/County/State Agencies – August 14, 2002..........................................................................131
Businesses – August 14, 2002.......................................................................................................134
APPENDIX D STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS ........................................................138
Relocation Assistance ....................................................................................................................138
Element of Residential Use ..........................................................................................................138
Plan Approval ..............................................................................................................................138
Duration of Plan ..........................................................................................................................139
Amendment of Plan .....................................................................................................................139
Safeguards and Retention of Control .............................................................................................139
Reporting Requirements .................................................................................................................140
Severability ....................................................................................................................................140
List of Figures
FIGURE 1 - TAX INCREMENT FINANCE PROJECTIONS .......................................... 49
FIGURE 2 - SHORT-TERM PROJECTS (1 - 5 YEARS) ............................................ 50
FIGURE 3 - MID-TERM PROJECTS (5 - 10 YEARS) ............................................... 52
FIGURE 4 - LONG-TERM PROJECTS (10 - 20 YEARS) ......................................... 54
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Part I
Introduction
The City of Kissimmee established their Community Redevelopment Agency
(CRA) and prepared the original CRA Plan in 1992 to address deteriorating physical
and economic conditions then prevailing in the historic downtown. Much has been
accom-plished since the CRA’s inception, but timely updates and adjust-ments to
the plan ensure that appropriate strategies are employed to address relevant issues
and concerns expressed by local residents and businesses within the context of current market conditions. It is with this in mind that the Redevelopment Agency hired
the RMPK Group and RERC consultant team to update the ten year old CRA master plan.
Kissimmee is located in the northwest portion of Osceola County,
about five miles east of Disney
World and just south of the
Orlando metropolitan area. The
City is approximately 18.64 square
miles in size. According to 2001
data Kissimmee has a population
of nearly 50,000, which is about
27.7% of the population in all of
City of Kissimmee - Community Redevelopment Plan
1
Osceola County.
The RMPK Group and RERC consultant team was hired by the City of Kissimmee
CRA to update the ten year old CRA master plan. Much has been accomplished since
the CRA’s inception, but timely updates and adjustments to the plan ensure the best
The Railroad Comes to Kissimmee, Circa 1890
City Dock, Circa 1900
results. This document contains the results of this study.
Originally known as Allendale, a small trading post on the northern shore of Lake
Tohopekaliga, the City was part of the Disston Purchase in 1881. Kissimmee was
incorporated in 1883 and became the seat of Osceola County government in 1887.
The area served as the northern boundary of the Everglades drainage plan, which
connected central Florida with the Gulf of Mexico via waterway. The Kissimmee
Chain of Lakes became a common shipping route for boats carrying lumber and
sugar cane.
By 1890 the population had grown to 1,086, due in part to the arrival of the South
Cattle Enroute to the Tampa Market, 1904
Broadway, Circa 1910
Florida Railroad and its attendant development. Freezes in the mid 1890s and the
cessation of Everglades drainage efforts in 1896 slowed development. Later, in the
early 1900s, fires destroyed many of the earliest buildings.
2
After the first decade of the Twentieth
Century, citrus and cattle emerged as the
predominant industries, spurring another
period of growth. Many commercial and
residential buildings were constructed during this time and the existing infrastructure
was improved, including the introduction
of electricity, brick-paved roads, and water
mains. The commercial/downtown area
was well established along Broadway by
1915.
A clip from a 1927 Rand McNally Road Atlas
During the Great Florida Land Boom that
began in the early 1920s, the population increased to about 2,700. State Highway
92 was constructed linking Kissimmee to Orlando and points north. Highway 17
completed the route from Haines City through Lakeland and on to Tampa. These
highways brought visitors and potential investors to central Florida’s towns and also
Street Scene, 1885
Osceola County Courthouse
facilitated the export of local products to market, strengthening the economy. Many
lots were platted during this time, but there followed a slowdown in construction
due in part to the Great Depression, but beginning nearly a year earlier. This was
the Florida land bust. The Florida economy crashed in 1926, well before the stock
market crash of 1929. Growth and development did not significantly resume until
after WWII.
Construction of the Kissimmee Airport in the 1940s and the Country’s subsequent
involvement in WWII increased Kissimmee’s population by 37% to about 3,700.
During the 1950s, many retirees were attracted to the City for its pleasant climate
and affordable land, which resulted in an almost 60% growth rate. In 1971, the opening of Disney World transformed the area, doubling the population in the following
decade.
By the 1990’s, Kissimmee was struggling to keep pace with nearby cities. It found
it’s downtown deteriorating and so formed a CRA to encourage redevelopment and
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civic improvements. Now, ten years after that initial redevelopment plan, it is time to
re-examine Kissimmee’s assets and ailments, and to once again envision and devise
strategies for what the downtown should become during the upcoming decade.
4
Part II
Inventory and Analysis
Inventory Summary
Information for the project was collected from several sources, including previous
planning studies, site visits for the physical inventory, public workshops, interviews
with City staff, technical documents, and interviews with citizens and property owners in the CRA. The intent of this summary is to provide a general understanding of
the existing conditions in the redevelopment area to establish a foundation for the
recommendations. The detailed inventory report is contained in Appendix B.
The City of Kissimmee contains over one quarter of the population in Osceola
County, and as the County Seat, is home to several major County government facilities. There are fourteen different land use designations in the City, however most
properties fall withing four larger percentages: Single-Family (22%), Multi-Family
(22%), Institutional (18%), and Undeveloped (13%).
Although there has been recent investment of public and private monies into the
downtown area, and housing rehabilitation in the residential areas, there are still a
number of dilapidated or deteriorating structures in the CRA. There are also a number of historic properties on the National Register.
5
During the inventory, it was determined that the City is adequately meeting all infrastructure demands. As development and redevelopment continue the City should
monitor the capacity of their infrastructure to determine if improvements and
expansions to the sewer, water, stormwater drainage, and solid waste systems will
be necessary to meet future demands. Improvements to the transportation system
will also be necessary to correct level of service (LOS) deficiencies. on some of the
major arterials. Some improvements have already been completeed along Main and
Broadway, and several are planned for the near future. Parking, although currently
sufficient except during peak season special events, will need to be improved to meet
future demand.
Analysis
For planning purposes the Kissimmee CRA was divided into six sub-areas, which
are described below and identified on the Sub-Area Analysis Map. The sub-areas
were determined on the basis of similar land use composition, physical characteristics, and function. The different areas also present similar opportunities that will be
addressed through proposed action strategies in the redevelopment plan. Analysis of
the existing conditions in each of the sub-areas was considered within the context of
the overall economic positioning strategy for the downtown. The analysis also takes
into consideration the community objectives expressed during the public involvement process. Overall, the intent of the analysis is to identify and explore issues and
opportunities that will become the foundation for the concept plan.
Each sub-area analysis includes a general overview of the land use, traffic circulation
patterns, and physical characteristics. Each area’s assets are identified— those characteristics that the community should strengthen and build upon. Issues that need
to be addressed through program recommendations and implementation strategies
are listed. Additionally, brief descriptions of key opportunities that will be expanded
upon in the concept plan are shown.
Sub-Area Descriptions
Sub-Area 1 – Residential Enclaves
The residential enclaves are located in five key areas of the CRA. These are: east
of John Young Parkway between Clay and Emmett, east of John Young Parkway
between Emmett and June, west of Main Street between Vine and Drury, east of
Main Street between Vine and Drury, and the enclave southeast of the railway
between Neptune Road and Lakeshore Drive.
Sub-Area 2 – Main Street Gateway
The Main Street Gateway sub-area includes the portion of Main Street that stretches
between Vine Street (US Hwy. 192) and Drury, before it becomes Broadway.
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Sub-Areas Map
0
1000
2000
Scale in Feet
5
5
Cherry
Central Ave.
pi
ta
l
Ho
s
Oak St.
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Lake
Bass
1
Ri
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e
r
4
Royal
Brack
Magnolia
2
Oak Street
Lake
Orange
Palmway
Robinson
Magnolia
Main Street
Cherry
Orange
U.S. Hwy. 17/92 - John Young Pkwy.
Smith
U.S. Hwy. 192 - Vine St.
Bay
North
Orange Blossom Trail
Community Redevelopment Plan
for the City of Kissimmee, Florida.
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CRA Boundary
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Sub-Area #1 - Residential Enclaves
Sub-Area #2 - Main Street Gateway
Sub-Area #3 - Downtown Kissimmee
Sub-Area #4 - Hospital/Beaumont Site
Sub-Area #5 - Peripheral Corridors
Sub-Area #6 - Lake Tohopekaliga
Restoration Area
7
Sub-Area 3 – Downtown
The Downtown sub-area consists of the primary commercial and civic corridors in
the heart of the CRA. This includes Broadway and Emmett Streets, Central Avenue
and other cross streets, the railroad corridor, and the non-residential lakefront area.
Sub-Area 4 – Hospital/Beaumont Site
The Osceola Regional Medical Center, the Beaumont property at Central Avenue and
Oak Street, and the Rinker concrete plant with adjacent light industrial uses comprise
Sub-Area 4.
Sub-Area 5 – Peripheral Corridors
John Young Parkway between Clay and the northern CRA boundary, Vine Street (U.S.
192) between Central and Clay/rail corridor, and Orange Blossom Trail (U.S. 17-92)
from the northern City limits to Vine Street north of the CRA, constitute Sub-Area
5.
Sub-Area 6 – Lake Tohopekaliga Restoration Area:
Sub-Area 6 includes the Neptune Road properties and adjacent wetlands along the
eastern edgeof the CRA.
Sub-Area Analyses
Sub-Area 1 - Residential Enclaves
Housing in the residential enclaves consists primarily of single-family older homes, with some
larger historic properties converted to multifamily apartment dwellings. Additional multifamily housing units are scattered throughout
the residential enclaves. These are traditional,
historic neighborhoods that have considerable
significance to the downtown; it is imperative to
preserve and enhance their physical conditions so
A scene on Dillingham Street
they can be restored to their former vibrancy. The
population residing in the neighborhoods surrounding the downtown represents the
primary market for local business. The residential enclaves are currently jeopardized
by a combination of conflicting land use problems and traffic circulation patterns,
which are negatively affecting the pedestrian environment, which is critical to the
overall success of Kissimmee’s downtown and waterfront areas.
8
Sub-Area #1 Analysis:
Residential Enclaves
Area-Wide Assets:
North
0
1000
- Proximity to Downtown & Lakefront
- CRA Sponsored Rehab Grants
- Neighborhood Planning Efforts
2000
Area-Wide Issues:
-
Scale in Feet
Area-Wide Opportunities:
Smith
Brick Streets
Neighborhood Gateway
Features & Signage
Central Ave.
Narrow, Pedestrian-Oriented
Streets
Bass
Unpaved Streets
Park
Neighborhood Gateway
Features & Signage
Physical Barriers to
Pedestrian Circulation
Dr
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Rehabilitation of Historic
Homes
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Encroachment by Office
and Commercial Uses
La
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Patrick
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Emmett Street
Dr
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Mo Caused by
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Single- to MultiFamily
Conversions
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Infill Housing
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Appropriate Building Scale
and Dimensions
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Legend
CRA Boundary
Sub-Area #1 - Residential Enclaves
Historic Architecture
La
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To
ho
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ka
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a
Billingham
Verona
Cut-Through Traffic
Ch
ur
ch
Ha
ll
Ci
ty
Parking Problems Caused
by Infill Office Uses
Rose
Mabbette
Incomplete Network of
Sidewalks
Orlando
Clyde
Vernon
Sumner
Beaumont
Be
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Sc um
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Mi
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Historic Housing Stock
King
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June
Penfield St.
Lake
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Unpaved Streets
Mound St.
Mature Tree Canopy
Royal
Magnolia
Oak St.
Lake
y
Cla
Bay
Lack of Buffering Between
Different Land Uses
- Comprehensive Plan & Code Revisions
- Neighborhood Parks & Open Space
Systems
Orange
Brack
Infill Housing
Palmway
Orange
Cherry
Main Street
Deteriorating Physical Conditions
Robinson
Cherry
Oak Street
Randolph
Magnolia
Insufficient Street Lighting
Insufficient Code Enforcement
Proliferation of "Absentee Landlords"
Perceived High Rates of Crime
Assets Description
Callout
Issues Description
Callout
Opportunities Description
Callout
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Assets
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Attractive tree canopy
Appropriate building dimensions and lot configurations
Quality housing stock
Brick streets
Narrow, pedestrian oriented streets
Historic architecture
Proximity to downtown, lakefront, recreational amenities, library
CRA sponsored rehabilitation grants
Neighborhood planning efforts
Issues
Restoration in Progress
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Robinson Street homes in need of repairs.
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High volumes and excessive speeds of cut-through traffic
Physical barriers, such as high-volume traffic streets and the railway,
to the downtown, lakefront, civic center, library, and recreational
assets.
Encroachment by commercial and office land uses
Substandard lot sizes necessary to support commercial activities,
causing overflow parking into the residential areas.
Inadequate lot size to support parking for multifamily use when
single-family transitions to multifamily
Lack of buffering between uses
Insufficient street lighting in some areas
Deteriorating physical conditions
Lack of sidewalks in some areas
Incomplete road network
Lack of active code enforcement
Deteriorating conditions of housing stock
Non-owner occupied dwellings, “absentee landlords”
Inaccurate perception of high crime
10
Opportunities
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Housing infill opportunities
Historic housing stock rehabilitation
Comprehensive plan and code revisions
Neighborhood parks and open space systems
Neighborhood gateway features
Identity signage
Sub-Area 2 - Main Street Gateway
As the primary gateway to the core commercial area, this sub-area plays an important
role in the economic health of the downtown. There has been recent public investment in the Main Street Gateway for streetscape and primary gateway features. Land
uses in this area include small office, cottage boutique, and similar uses.
The Main Street area’s aesthetic quality and
capacity to function effectively as a viable commercial corridor have a significant impact on the
investment image of the balance of the community. Although recent improvements have
upgraded the physical appearance of the roadway, excessive traffic congestion, access limitations, and insufficient lot sizes could impede
future private investment.
Kissimmee’s Gateway Arch
Assets
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Gateway and landscaping are attractive
Appropriate land use mix
Appropriately scaled size for most signage
Increasing investment in property rehabilitation
Façade and signage grant programs
Attractive tree canopy
Vacant land for in-fill development
Capacity for growth in the tax base
Issues
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Traffic congestion
Multiple driveway access points and narrow driveways, which
causes difficult turning movements and traffic conflicts
Limited cross-access
Substandard commercial lot sizes
Limited on-site parking
11
Area-Wide Assets:
- Directional Signage to Points of Interest
- Appropriate Mix of Land Uses
- Facade and Signage Grant Programs
Main Street Gateway
North
0
1000
2000
Area-Wide Issues:
Utility Lines & Visual Clutter
Blocking View of Gateway
Scale in Feet
Obsolete Land Uses
Intrusion of Commercial into
Surrounding Neighborhoods
Royal
Bay
Brack
Magnolia
Secondary Gateway(s)
Oak Street
Expand Gateway to All Four
Corners of Intersection
Orange
Palmway
Robinson
Traffic Conflicts Caused by
Numerous Curb Cuts
Magnolia
Main Street
Cherry
Orange
Attractive Gateway and
Landscaping
Oak St.
Ho
sp
ita
l
Central Ave.
Limited Pedestrian Cross-Access
Lake
Attractive Tree Canopy
Lake
Billboard Advertisements
Appropriate Scale of
Most Business Signage
Ri
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CRA Boundary
Sub-Area #2 - Main Street Gateway
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Mound St.
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Rose
Verona
Emmett Street
Redevelopment Opportunity
Ch
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Orlando
Mabbette
Beaumont
Clyde
Vernon
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Vacant Gas Station
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Increased Investment in
Property Rehabilitation
Park
Infill Office and Cottage
Commercial Land Uses
Randolph
Cherry
Smith
- Traffic Congestion
- Traffic Conflicts Caused by Numerous
Curb Cuts and Narrow Driveways
- Limited Cross-Access
- Poor Investment Image
- Limited Parking
- Sub-Standard Lot Sizes for Commercial
Land Uses
Assets Description
Callout
Issues Description
Callout
Callout
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§
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Commercial intrusion into surrounding residential areas
Obsolete land use (hotel)
Vacant gas station at NW corner
of Drury and Main
Billboards at the north end near
the gateway
Limited cross-access for pedestrians
Visual clutter, with overhead lines
and signs, and traffic congestion
detract from the gateway feature
Poor investment image
A vacant gas station on Main Street
Opportunities
§
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Infill office and cottage commercial development
A vacant parcel along Main Street
Work with FDOT to remove
clutter of overhead wires and
improve the gateway feature at Vine Street to include all corners
during future 192 road widening
Secondary gateway and directional signage to other areas in the
CRA
Redevelopment opportunity site (gas station)
Sub-Area 3 - Downtown
Kissimmee’s historic downtown is in the
heart of the redevelopment area and includes
a traditional commercial area augmented by
access to many government facilities, such
as the County administrative offices and
courthouse, Civic Center, Library, and City
Hall. The downtown’s proximity to Lake
Tohopekaliga offers scenic vistas and lakefront recreational amenities.
Kissimmee’s historic downtown
Assets
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§
§
Historic character and charm
Architectural integrity
Quality urban environment:
appropriate mass, scale, and form
of buildings
Darlington Street shopping area.
13
North
0
1000
Area-Wide Assets:
- Extend Streetscape Improvements to
Link Urban Nodes
- Extend the Urban Edge from Downtown
Along Streets Leading to the Lakefront
- Architectural Integrity
- Historic Character and Charm
- Potential for Growth of Tax Base
- Appropriate Mass, Scale and Form
of most Buildings
-Traditional Street Layout and Building
Setbacks
- Proximity to Lakefront and other
Recreational Amenities
Downtown Kissimmee
2000
Scale in Feet
Area-Wide Issues:
- Downtown Retail Mix
- Need for Ongoing Special Events and
Activities Downtown
- Need for Nighttime Entertainment
- Need for more Restaurants
- Perceived High Rate of Vagrancy
- A Low Over-All Tax Base
- Lack of Quality Lodging
- Preponderance of Non-Taxable Property
- Deterioration of Urban Infrastructure at
the Periphery of the Downtown
- Lack of Easy Pedestrian Connections
Between Major Focal Points
Magnolia
Oak Street
Royal
Brack
Bay
Orange
Palmway
Robinson
Magnolia
Main Street
Cherry
Orange
Ho
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ita
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Central Ave.
Oak St.
Lake
Proximity to Residential
Neighborhoods
Bass
Ri
nk
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Lake
Concentration of Government
Facilities
Park
lig
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Insufficient Nighttime Safety
Lighting Along Lakefront
y
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High Volume of Cut-Through
Traffic on Lakeshore Dr.
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Quality Viewsheds
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Waterfront Development
Opportunity
Sub-Area #3 - Downtown Kissimmee
ar
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Mound St.
ru
ry
CRA Boundary
Penfield St.
ay
Cl
D
Legend
La
Portage
Ru
by
ke
fr
on
t
Hughey Waterfront
Underutilized
Vernon
Deteriorating
Structure
Patrick
Co
u
Sq rth
ua ou
re se
Bryan
Jo
hn
st
on
Po
lic
e
HQ
M
on
um
en
t
Li
br
ar
Verona
Amtrak Rail Station with
Multi-Modal Potential
O
le
an
de
r
To
h
op
Br
oa
d
Rose
Billingham
High Quality Tree Canopy
Emmett Street
Ne
ptu
ne
ek
a
wa
y
Ha
l
Ci
ty
Orlando
Beaumont
Clyde
Mabbette
Vernon
Sumner
High Volume and Speed of
Through Traffic
l
No Mid-Block Pedestrian Crossing
Ch
ur
ch
Be
a
Sc um
ho on
ol t
King
M
itc
he
ll
Streetscape Improvements
New Private-Sector
Investments
Ro Flo
ck rid
Pl a
an
t
D
ru
ry
June
Randolph
Cherry
Smith
Assets Description
Callout
Issues Description
Callout
Callout
14
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
Traditional street layout and building setbacks
Wide sidewalks fronting Broadway
Concentration of government facilities, such
as the City Hall, Library, Civic Center, Police
Station, County Courthouse, etc.
Amtrak station
Potential for multimodal transportation facility
Proximity to residential enclaves
Proximity to lakefront and other recreational amenities
High quality tree canopy— especially
along Emmett
Recent streetscape improvements
New private sector investment
Potential for growth of the tax base
Quality view sheds
Signage
Sidewalk antiques sale
Issues
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
Downtown retail mix
Lack of mid-block crossings, which
impedes the flow of pedestrian traffic
on Broadway.
Excessive volume and speed of through
traffic
Deterioration of the urban form on
the periphery of the core area (broken
sidewalks, lack of streetscaping, gaps
between buildings, etc.)
Lack of easy pedestrian connectivity
between the major focal points: waterfront, downtown, residential enclaves,
etc.
Deteriorating structures at critical locations, such as the Brahman building, old
hotel, and greyhound station.
Need for ongoing special events and
activities
Need for nighttime entertainment
Need for more restaurants
The vacant Arcade Theater
Behind the Arcade, a vacant boarding house
known as the Braman Building.
Lakefront park - Lake Tohopekaliga
15
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
Perception of high rate of vagrancy
A preponderance of non-taxable properties
Low- overall tax base
Underutilized waterfront
Insufficient lighting of waterfront
High volume of cut through traffic on Lakeshore Drive
Lack of quality lodging
Opportunities
§
§
§
§
Waterfront development
Potential redevelopment opportunity sites, such as the Brahman
Building, rooming house, and greyhound station, in conjunction
with the multi-modal station.
Extension of streetscape program to encourage pedestrian connectivity between focal points and activity centers
Extension of the urban edge on Monument, Ruby, Darlington,
Dakin and other key roadways adjacent to Broadway.
Sub-Area 4 - Hospital/Beaumont Site
The Osceola Regional Medical Center plays a significant role in the redevelopment
area, not only as an important medical facility, but also as a regional employer and a
large contributor of ad valorem taxes. The hospital is currently experiencing land use
and traffic circulation conflicts with the Rinker plant nearby. There are also growth
Osceola Regional Medical Center
Rinker Concrete Plant
County offices occupy the former Beaumont Elementary School
The historic but fire-damaged Beaumont School building.
16
North
0
1000
Area-Wide Assets:
- Master Plan a Large Site to Generate
Synergies
- Positive Economic Impace of Further
Hospital and Medical Office Expansion
- The Hospital is a Modern Facility
with a Regional Impact
Hospital/Beaumont Site
2000
Area-Wide Issues:
- Reluctance of Owners of Adjacent
Properties to Sell and Relocate
- Functional Capacity of Elementary
School for Future Use
- Maxamize the Economic Impact of
the Site
Scale in Feet
Bay
The Hospital Generates
Magnolia
High Tax Revenue
Oak Street
Royal
Orange
Brack
Impact of Planned
MLK
Magnolia
Roadway and Traffic Circle
Palmway
Robinson
Orange
Main Street
Cherry
Oak St.
Central Ave.
Ho
sp
ita
l
Lake
High Cost to Bass
Relocate Rinker
Concrete Plant
Ri
nk
er
Structural Stability of the
Historic School Building
Land Use and Traffic Circulation
Conflicts withLake
Industrial Sites
Park
D
ru
ry
lig
a
ek
a
y
Jac
ara
nd
a
O
le
an
de
r
To
h
C
Ce ivi
nt c
er
Jo
hn
st
on
Pa
rk
ak
in
r.
re D
esho
L ak
ke
fr
on
t
a
To
ho
pe
ka
lig
ke
M
ar
i
na
Sub-Area #4 - Hospital/Beaumont Site
La
Mound St.
D
CRA Boundary
Penfield St.
ay
Cl
ru
ry
Legend
La
Portage
Vernon
Patrick
Li
br
ar
HQ
Po
lic
e
Co
u
Sq rth
ua ou
re se
Ru
by
Ne
ptu
ne
op
wa
y
Br
oa
d
Rose
M
on
um
en
t
Needs of Assisted Living &
Reintegration Facility
Emmett Street
Hughey
Beaumont School is a
Historic Resource
Vacant Land for Development D
Verona
Bryan
Return Government Owned
Land to the Tax Roll
Potential Impacts to
Surrounding Neighborhoods
Ch
ur
ch
Ci
ty
Orlando
Beaumont
Mabbette
Billingham
Randolph
Clyde
Vernon
Ha
l
Sumner
l
Be
a
Sc um
ho on
ol t
King
M
itc
he
ll
June
Ro Flo
ck rid
Pl a
an
t
La
ke
fr
Pa ont
rk
Cherry
Smith
Assets Description
Callout
Issues Description
Callout
Callout
17
pressures and the hospital has long-term site development needs. The Beaumont
property houses one of the highest priority historical preservation properties in the
State – the old elementary school. The county recently acquired the property from
the School Board and it currently houses the County constitutional officers. The
County is currently undertaking a space needs analysis for their administrative and
constitutional offices. Because the site is currently under County ownership, it is off
the tax rolls. This is a very underutilized site in the heart of the redevelopment area.
Real Estate Research Consultants, Inc. (RERC) is undertaking a strategic planning
analysis for this entire sub-area as part of the redevelopment planning effort. The
analysis and recommended implementation strategies will be contained in subsequent
sections of the plan.
Assets
§
§
§
§
Vacant land
High tax revenue generator (hospital)
Modern medical facility with regional impact
Historic resource (elementary school)
Issues
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
Government owned land not contributing to the tax base
Reluctance of adjacent property owner to sell
Structural condition of historic school building
Potential impacts to surrounding residential area
Land use and traffic circulation conflicts with Rinker and adjacent
industrial uses
Cost and administrative procedures
to relocate Rinker
Functional capacity of elementary
school for future use
Needs of the adjacent assisted living and reintegration facility
Maximization of economic impact
Assisted living facility on June Street
of the site
Opportunities
§
§
§
§
Major redevelopment opportunity
Return property to the tax roll
Ability to masterplan a large site to integrate appropriate land uses
and create positive synergies between residential commercial, and
institutional areas.
Expansion of the hospital and ancillary medical uses will have a
18
substantial economic impact
Sub-Area 5 - Peripheral Corridors
The peripheral corridors, identified as John Young Parkway, Vine Street (U.S. 192),
and Orange Blossom Trail (U.S. 17-92), have similar characteristics, including high
volumes of traffic and older strip commercial development patterns. These corridors
are located in the immediate vicinity of the downtown and have a significant impact
on the investment image of the redevelopment area.
Assets
§
§
§
High traffic counts and visibility
Commercial tax base
Some elements of quality design
standards
Issues
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
Highway 192 - Vine Street
High traffic volume with poor circulation
Numerous curb-cuts, causing access and safety issues
Cluttered signage and utilities
Lack of tree canopy and landscaping
Deteriorating physical conditions on parking aprons and sidewalks
An overabundance of strip commercial uses including convenience stores and automotive uses.
In some instances, inadequate lot sizes
Over saturated commercial market— resulting in building vacancies
Negative investment image
Unsightly conditions are not welcoming to visitors, which lead to
a decline in taxable value and city revenues.
Condition of these corridors impacts the viability of downtown
Opportunities
§
§
§
Gateway opportunities at several intersections, including John
Young Parkway at Emmett and Mabbette, and Vine and Central.
Work with Osceola County to address corridor issues
Vacant land/development opportunity sites
19
North
0
1000
High Traffic Counts and
Visibility
Peripheral Corridors
2000
Numerous Driveways and
Curb Cuts Leading to Safety
and Access Issues
Scale in Feet
Magnolia
Oak Street
Royal
Brack
Bay
Orange
Palmway
Robinson
High Traffic Counts and
Visibility
Magnolia
Main Street
Cherry
Proposed FDOT Median and
Turning Lane Improvements
Orange
Vacant Land, Development
Opportunity Site
Ho
sp
ita
l
Central Ave.
Oak St.
Lake
Additional Gateways at
Major Intersections
Major Intersections
Lake
Bass
Ri
nk
er
Some Lots are of Inadequate
Size for Retail Use
Park
Ro Flo
ck rid
Pl a
an
t
lig
a
op
O
le
an
de
r
a
Area-Wide Issues:
La
ke
fr
Pa ont
rk
Li
br
ar
y
Jac
ara
nd
To
h
C
Ce ivi
nt c
er
Pa
rk
ru
ry
D
- Commercial Tax Base
- Some Elements of Quality Design
Standards
ak
in
r.
re D
esho
L ak
- High Traffic Volume with Poor
Circulation
- Cluttered Signage and Utilities
- Lack of Tree Canopy and Landscaping
- Deteriorating Parking Aprons and
Sidewalks
- Overabundance of Strip Commercial
Land Uses (Convenience Stores, Automotive)
- Oversaturated Commercial Markets
Resulting in Vacancies
- Unsightly Conditions Disuade Visitors
- Impacts the Viability of Downtown
CRA Boundary
Sub-Area #5 - Peripheral Corridors
a
To
ho
pe
ka
lig
La
ke
M
ar
i
na
Penfield St.
Mound St.
D
Legend
ke
fr
on
t
Portage
La
Hughey
Major Intersections
Vernon
Patrick
Ru
by
Jo
hn
st
on
Po
lic
e
HQ
M
on
um
en
t
Co
u
Sq rth
ua ou
re se
Bryan
Ne
ptu
ne
ek
a
wa
y
Br
oa
d
Verona
Emmett Street
Area-Wide Assets:
Ch
ur
ch
M
itc
he
ll
Ci
ty
Orlando
Rose
Billingham
Mabbette
Beaumont
Clyde
Vernon
Ha
l
Sumner
l
Be
a
Sc um
ho on
ol t
King
ay
Cl
- Corridor Issues to be Addressed in
Conjunction with Osceola County
D
ru
ry
June
Randolph
Cherry
Smith
Assets Description
Callout
Issues Description
Callout
Callout
20
Sub-Area 6 - Lake Tohopekaliga
Restoration Area
Lake Tohopekaliga is perhaps the City’s greatest natural asset. The lake has historic significance as a major
transportation route with navigable routes to both
coasts of Florida. The lake is scheduled for drawdown
and cleaning beginning in September. The level will
be at its lowest in March and clean-up will be from
March to May. Refill will begin in June. Demucking
and the removal of aquatic vegetation have the potential of establishing new surface water in the area north
of Neptune Road. If this is successful, the restoration
area will provide for more lakefront property and new
development opportunities in support of the redevelopment effort.
Assets
§
§
§
Significant environmental resource
Historic bicoastal connection
Bass capitol of the world
Issues
§
§
§
§
Remnant residential properties along Neptune
The Florida Rock industrial site
Transportation and social issues related to the widening of Neptune.
Tohopekaliga Avenue extension
Opportunities
§
§
§
§
§
§
Ecotourism
Major trail connection with Valencia
College (Toho-Valencia Trail)
Increased tax base and revenue stream
Clean up the ecosystem
Additional linkage to downtown
Water related recreational amenities
Old City Dock on Lake Tohopekaliga
21
North
0
1000
Area-Wide Assets:
- Historic Waterway Connection Linking
Gulf to Atlantic Ocean
- Bass Fishing "Capitol of the World"
- Ecotourism
- Increased Tax Base and Revenue Stream
- Clean-up of the Ecosystem
- Water-Related Recreational Amenities
Lk. Tohopekaliga Restoration
2000
Scale in Feet
Significant Environmental Resource
Oak Street
Central Ave.
Ri
nk
er
lig
a
op
a
Jac
ara
nd
y
Li
br
ar
r.
re D
Pa
rk
La
ke
fr
Pa ont
rk
CRA Boundary
na
Sub-Area #6 - Lake Tohopekaliga
Restoration Area
La
ke
To
ho
pe
ka
lig
a
ar
i
M
ki
n
Legend
ke
fr
on
t
Vernon
Jo
hn
st
on
Po
lic
e
Co
u
Sq rth
ua ou
re se
Penfield St.
ay
Cl
ru
ry
esho
Transportation Issues Regarding
L ak
Planned Widening of Neptune
La
Portage
D
Remnant Residential
D
Properties Along Neptune
a
Patrick
Hughey
O
le
an
de
r
To
h
C
Ce ivi
nt c
er
HQ
M
on
um
en
t
Ru
by
Ne
ptu
ne
ek
a
wa
y
Br
oa
d
Rose
Verona
Emmett Street
Mound St.
Ro Flo
ck rid
Pl a
an
t
Ch
ur
ch
l
Ci
ty
Orlando
Beaumont
Vernon
Clyde
Billingham
Mabbette
D
ru
ry
Linkage to Downtown
Ha
l
Sumner
Park
M
itc
he
ll
Be
a
Sc um
ho on
ol t
King
Bass
Potential New Lakefront
Development Sites
Florida Rock Industries
Royal
Lake
Tohopekaliga Avenue Extension
June
Magnolia
Oak St.
Major Trail Connection
with Valencia College
Ho
sp
ita
l
Lake
Brack
Magnolia
Bay
Palmway
Main Street
Robinson
Orange
Clean-Up of the Ecosystem
Randolph
Cherry
Orange
Bryan
Smith
Planned Demucking of the Lake
Cherry
Assets Description
Callout
Issues Description
Callout
Callout
22
Part III
Goals and Objectives
The following goals and objectives for the Kissimmee Community Redevelopment
Plan are based on community input as discerned during focus group meetings and
public workshops. Community goals and objectives obtained through public input
have been combined with economic principles and sound redevelopment planning
strategies. They provide the framework and general guidelines needed to direct decision making that will enable rational redevelopment activities that are consistent with
the primary intentions of the community.
Redevelopment Administration
Goal
Establish the administrative and financial mechanisms necessary to achieve
the goals and objectives of the Kissimmee Redevelopment Plan.
Objectives
1. The CRA shall seek opportunities to leverage revenues through grants, commercial loans, special assessments or other financial mechanisms for Agency
23
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
activities reserving tax increment revenues for funding capital improvements
and other programs as approved in the Redevelopment Plan.
Administrative objectives should be consistent with and support other City
policies, projects, and programs.
The City shall work with the Redevelopment Agency to oversee the planning
process and provide assistance and staff support when developing the appropriate strategies and policies necessary to implement the Plan.
The City and the CRA must promote effective communication and a cohesive, cooperative spirit among the various public and private leaders in the
community.
The CRA must ensure the provision of suitable public information services
concerning all aspects of the redevelopment program such as Access Osceola
television programming, radio and newspaper reporting as well as neighborhood and civic organization meetings.
The City and the CRA must work with area residents, homeowners associations, environmentalists and other groups or members of the general public
to establish channels of communication that foster support for the redevelopment effort and facilitate program implementation.
Redevelopment Policy
Goal I
Eliminate slum and blight conditions, as defined by Florida Statute, in the
redevelopment area, which constitute an economic and social liability.
Objectives
1. Eliminate dilapidated and unsafe structures through demolition where it is
deemed appropriate.
2. Encourage the upgrading of existing sub-standard structures through
enforcement of the City’s Building Codes and the provision of financial
incentives for rehabilitation if possible.
3. Eliminate unsanitary and unsightly outside storage conditions through
enforcement and revision, if necessary, of the
City’s Zoning Codes.
4. Eliminate nonconforming uses that detract
from the character of the community, hindering investment opportunities, through negotiation, acquisition, exchange, transfer of development rights or any other available means in
cooperation with the property owner.
Dilapidated houses on Robinson St.
24
5. In cooperation with property owners, encourage the consolidation of small parcels of land
into parcels of adequate size to accommodate
new construction encouraging stable growth
in those areas deemed appropriate.
6. Through successful implementation of
projects and programs as described in the
Redevelopment Plan, increase the tax base
to generate additional revenue for municipal
services.
Dilapidated house on Robinson Street
Goal II
Prevent the future occurrence of slum and blight.
Objectives
1. Work with the City Staff, Planning Commission and the City Council to
upgrade the design standards redefine zoning classifications within the redevelopment district to encourage a high degree of design and development
standards and to ensure compatible land use relationships for new construction and rehabilitation.
2. Ensure that new development consists of appropriate uses that will stabilize
and enhance the area while representing the desires and interests of area residents and property owners.
3. Work with the City’s staff to formulate economic development strategies for
the district that will ensure future economic stability.
4. Eliminate conditions that decrease property values and reduce the tax base.
5. Work with the City’s planning staff to develop a minimum maintenance ordinance to ensure adequate care and maintenance of property located within
the redevelopment district.
6. Create programs for development and property rehabilitation, using financial
or other economic incentives to facilitate new investment in the redevelopment district, thereby increasing the tax base.
Goal III
Encourage the acquisition, demolition, and reuse
of those properties that, by virtue of their location, condition, or value no longer function at
their highest potential economic use.
Objectives
1. Identify and cooperate with those property
owners within areas designated for potential
Industrial uses along Central Avenue
25
redevelopment projects to assess their willingness to participate in those projects.
2. Encourage partnerships among the property owners, the private sector and
the public sector in order to implement proposed redevelopment projects
that will achieve public goals.
3. Facilitate redevelopment transitions by developing appropriate relocation
plans sensitive to the needs of those whose properties will undergo re-use
activities.
4. Work creatively to provide incentives for private sector participation in redevelopment projects and programs.
Economic Development
Goal I
Maintain the positive historic character of Kissimmee while promoting economic vitality.
Objectives
1. Establish a partnership between the public sector and private sector for the
purpose of understanding the mutual benefits of proposed redevelopment
projects.
2. Identify existing opportunities for
all sectors of the economy and work
toward successful implementation of
projects and programs while considering the needs of those businesses
currently located within the redevelopment district.
3. The City and CRA should be supAdaptive re-use as a bicycle shop
portive of programs that improve
and strengthen existing businesses,
including marketing and promotion,
small business loans, and other financial incentives through organizations
such as Main street, the Chamber of
Commerce and the County Economic
Development Department.
4. Improve the investment image of
A historic birds-eye view of Broadway
the redevelopment area and utilize
selected public actions to stimulate private investment.
26
5. Make the redevelopment area competitive with major activity centers in the
region.
6. Expand the economic base of the district retaining existing jobs while creating new diverse employment opportunities.
7. Create investment opportunities that will increase the tax base thereby generating additional revenues to finance actions that support public goals.
Goal II
Formulate economic development strategies that take full advantage of existing and proposed government projects and programs to stimulate the local
economy creating job growth and employment opportunities for residents in
the community.
Objectives
1. Work with the Osceola County Commission to strategically locate administrative offices downtown to stimulate ancillary economic activity.
2. Capitalize on Kissimmee’s identity as a regional medical service provider
working with Osceola Regional Medical Center and area medical professionals to stimulate development of medical offices in the area, creating jobs and
market support for commercial activities.
3. Continue the City’s partnership with the Chamber of Commerce, Office
of Tourism, and other economic development organizations to promote
Kissimmee and Osceola County as opportunities for economic development.
4. Work closely with area businesses, and the Chamber of Commerce to address
the needs of existing businesses through the redevelopment process.
5. Form a partnership with Valencia Community College and other institutions of higher education to establish educational and training programs that
strengthen the capabilities of the local labor force.
6. Devise strategies for economic repositioning.
7. Work toward the relocation of industrial uses, such as the Rinker concrete
plant and Florida Rock, away from present locations to provide redevelopment opportunities, while being sensitive to the needs of the industrial and
manufacturing users.
8. Develop economic incentives and relocation strategies for industry relocation.
27
Public Facilities and Services
Goal I
Provide necessary public facilities at acceptable levels of service to accommodate existing needs as well as new demands as proposed development occurs
within the redevelopment district.
Objectives
1. Work with all appropriate government and private utilities to ensure the provision of adequate services including, electricity, telecommunications, cable
television, water, stormwater management, sanitary sewer, gas, and solid
waste.
2. Secure grant funding when possible to leverage tax increment revenues to
accomplish stated goals related to the provision of adequate infrastructure.
3. Assess existing sanitary sewer infrastructure to identify specific needs for
upgrading older gravity sewer lines and force mains if needed in conjunction
with proposed improvements.
4. Work with the City Department of Public Works, Osceola County, and the
South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) to develop and further
implement strategies to correct existing stormwater runoff and drainage
problems within the redevelopment district through a regional approach to
stormwater management.
5. Review, and revise if necessary, the City Stormwater Ordinance to avoid
unnecessary deterrents to future development opportunities and inadvertent
impacts to the environment while maintaining the integrity of the stormwater
management system.
6. Work with the Public Works Department to devise strategies for solid waste
collection in the redevelopment area to avoid negative visual impacts and traffic conflicts on primary corridors while maintaining efficient service.
7. The City and Kissimmee Utility Authority (KUA) should provide adequate
street lighting in the redevelopment district incorporating, and funding,
CRA lighting design standards for all public improvements within the
Redevelopment District.
Goal II
Create a safe efficient traffic circulation system
that provides sufficient access by all modes of
transportation between activity centers within
the redevelopment area and the balance of the
community.
Pedestrian path from downtown to lakefront park
28
Objectives
1. Assess existing traffic patterns and pursue any automotive transportation
improvements that may include vacating of rights of way, redistribution of
traffic, roadway realignment, directional changes in traffic flow and other
measures that will increase traffic carrying capacity and traveling convenience.
2. Work closely with the City, County, and Florida Department of Transportation
(FDOT) to address traffic circulation problems and the physical appearance
of the primary transportation corridors on the periphery of the redevelopment district.
3. Work closely with the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), FDOT,
and Osceola County to coordinate and establish priorities for proposed transportation improvements that will further the objectives of the Redevelopment
Plan.
4. Support efforts of the MPO, County, City and LYNX to locate a multi-modal
transit station in the redevelopment district.
5. Minimize the impacts of increased traffic and activity levels on residential
areas.
6. Create a safe, secure, appealing and efficient pedestrian system linking all
major activity centers, parking facilities and other interchange points.
7. Construct sidewalks and bicycle pathways through the district appropriately
designed and separated from auto circulation for safety purposes to be used
as positive tools to improve the area’s environment through the use of landscaping and other visual treatments.
8. Pursue recommended roadway improvements to alleviate congestion in the
historic downtown retail area on Broadway Avenue.
Goal III
Establish parks, recreation, open space and beautification efforts to create
an improved character for the redevelopment area that will reflect a pleasant
appealing atmosphere for working, shopping and residing in the district.
Objectives
1. Pursue development of recreational amenities surrounding Lake Tohopekaliga,
including trails and bikeways to encourage new residential development near,
and pedestrian access to, the downtown.
2. Develop neighborhood parks in historic
residential areas as amenities to stimulate
Promintory at Lakefront Park
29
private investment.
3. Invest in the lakefront. Introduce
new activities, such as lodging
and restaurants, as well as construct substantial improvements
to recreational amenities, creating
a focal point for the community
while increasing access and the
physical connection to the downChildren’s waterpark at the lakefront
town.
4. Prepare a horticultural master plan for the redevelopment district establishing a systematic tree planting program to provide a sustainable tree canopy
enhancing the aesthetic and climatic appeal of the downtown area.
Goal IV
Maintain an environment of low crime in Kissimmee and provide for the public health, safety, morals and welfare of the community.
Objectives
1. Work with the Kissimmee Police Department and other organizations to
implement neighborhood based police and safety programs.
2. Incorporate accredited safe neighborhood design techniques for all public
places and for proposed public/private redevelopment projects.
3. Whenever possible, increase the visibility of the police force in the area to
prevent crime.
4. If possible, work with the Kissimmee Police Department to expand the
Community Oriented Policing program.
Land Use
Goal I
Establish a land use pattern that reflects the redevelopment area as a total
community of diversified interests and activities while promoting compatibility and harmonious land-use relationships.
Objectives
1. Develop land uses and patterns that create and strengthen activity centers.
2. Promote and locate strategic land use activities of regional importance within
the redevelopment area that will provide residential and commercial attraction to the redevelopment area.
30
3. Consolidate government uses in a strategic location to provide synergy for
commerce and provide development opportunities for the private sector on
previously owned public land, thereby strengthening the tax base.
4. Formulate future land use strategies on the premise of sound market analysis
and demographic research.
5. Seek opportunities for land assembly at appropriate locations to support
future development.
6. Encourage mixed-use development at an appropriate scale in the historic
downtown.
7. Introduce mixed-use, multi-family and single family residential development
at appropriate locations in close proximity to the downtown to strengthen the
local market for retail, office and service uses.
8. Work with the Planning Department and Planning Commission to develop
zoning regulations that protect and enhance historic residential neighborhoods.
9. Discourage office and commercial uses in surrounding neighborhoods and
direct these uses to more appropriate locations in existing commercial areas
to develop the critical mass necessary to support new and existing businesses.
10. Discourage inappropriate public uses of property in the redevelopment
area.
11. Work with existing property owners to replace dilapidated, non- conforming
structures through property assembly to enable development of higher and
better uses at appropriate locations.
12. Support the design and development of manufacturing and
light industry in strategic locations within the City outside the
redevelopment area to support
economic objectives of the redevelopment program.
Goal II
Industrial use along Central Avenue
Encourage innovation in land planning and site development techniques.
Objectives
1. Work with the City Staff and Planning Commission to revise the City’s Land
Development Code to formulate regulations that support the objectives of
the Redevelopment Plan.
2. Develop architectural design standards for building renovations, façade
improvements and new construction to ensure that future development
31
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
maintains the character of historic Kissimmee.
Develop similar standards for new construction, redevelopment and renovations in other areas of the redevelopment district to establish architectural
integrity where these influences have not been established.
Wherever possible, maintain the integrity of the natural environment when
developing property, especially when significant tree canopies or natural habitats can be integrated into the site design.
Work with the City to establish performance standards to be used within the
redevelopment area that will provide incentives and/or bonuses for developer
proposals that provide for creative design and amenities.
Develop sign regulations and standard design guidelines for directional and
information signs as well as store frontages and establish programs that provide incentives for voluntary compliance with new construction and retrofitting of existing signs and structures.
Sign regulations should address the size, type, location and amount of signage
for the purpose of minimizing visual clutter, enhancing community character
and maximizing the flow of clear information to pedestrian and automotive
traffic.
When undertaking streetscape improvements, new private construction and
building rehabilitation, place utility lines underground where it is feasible to
improve visual qualities.
Utilize a variety of beautification techniques to provide comfortable, pleasing
and healthful environments.
Prepare landscaping, streetscaping, irrigation and lighting plans for public
spaces to improve the appearance of the redevelopment area.
Housing
Goal I
Encourage private home ownership, and
develop and market housing opportunities
within the redevelopment area.
Objectives
Renovated multi-family at lakefront
1. Identify and market areas where private
interests can develop housing and necessary support facilities in the redevelopment area and adjacent neighborhoods.
2. Encourage private efforts toward building housing in the redevelopment area
and adjacent neighborhoods.
3. Continue with the formulation of financial incentives to promote owneroccupied housing in the redevelopment area.
32
4. Strategically target appropriate locations within the redevelopment area to
undertake new privately developed and owned multifamily housing developments.
Goal II
Re-establish old neighborhoods through redevelopment and revitalization of
the housing stock, establishing a safe, functional and aesthetically pleasing
community environment.
Objectives
1. Remove restrictions in zoning and
development codes that inhibit private investment in the restoration
of housing.
2. Initiate in-fill housing development
projects on existing and newly
vacated properties.
3. Identify and restore historic housing that may be in a state of deteriNewly renovated historic gas station
oration but otherwise is structurally
sound.
4. Work with the City to clean-up vacant unattended properties.
5. Devise strategies to prohibit office and multifamily conversions in historic
neighborhoods.
6. Identify and remove vacant, dilapidated housing structures that pose a threat
to public health and safety.
Historic Preservation
Goal
To preserve and maintain historic and architecturally significant structures.
Objectives
1. Promote Kissimmee’s heritage by preserving its landmarks and significant
structures.
2. Work with the Historic Preservation Board to further the organization’s goals
as they pertain to historic structures in the downtown.
33
Public pier, circa 1910
Street flooding at the Arcade Theater
3. Pursue designation of properties on the National Historic Register.
4. Ensure that future development in the redevelopment area is consistent with
the existing architectural character of downtown Kissimmee.
5. Create an overlay zoning district that will establish architectural design guidelines for new construction and building renovations.
6. Establish a facade improvement program providing design assistance and
financial incentives to encourage building renovation that will provide continuity of historical design and strengthen existing architectural features.
7. Continue to support historic preservation efforts through the historic preservation ordinance that designates local historically significant properties and
promotes voluntary participation in preservation efforts providing economic
incentives in the form of local grants or low interest loans to pay for the
restoration of historic properties.
8. Continue to work with the City’s architectural review board responsible for
overseeing historic preservation and the creation of design standards to
maintain historic character of new construction.
9. Make property owners and investors aware of the tax inducements available
as an incentive for restoring historic buildings for practical use.
Public pier, circa 1910
Street flooding at the Arcade Theater
34
Part IV
Concept Plan
Plan Content and Description
The descriptive narrative of the Concept Plan summarizes the general intent of
the Redevelopment Program. It has been developed as a guideline for promoting
the sound development and redevelopment of the properties in the redevelopment
area. Opportunities for public improvements, redevelopment activities and proposed
future land use composition are identified and graphically included on the Concept
Plan. The Plan was developed after analyzing the existing conditions in the redevelopment area relative to the community objectives expressed during the public involvement process.
It must be understood that the plan will not happen all at once and it is likely that
the elements of the Plan will not occur within the time sequence described herein.
The Redevelopment Plan is intended to be a guiding document for local government
actions designed to overcome deterrents to desired future growth and development
in order to stimulate private investment. The plan is not intended to be static. Over
time, this plan should be updated and revised based upon changes in the economy,
relevant public concerns and opportunities associated with private development proposals. The Plan illustrates how the economic development strategies, and redevelopCity of Kissimmee - Community Redevelopment Plan
35
ment program directives can be translated into a physical land use plan that accents
natural and cultural amenities while promoting quality growth and development. The
Concept Plan graphically and in general terms describes the required elements of a
Community Redevelopment Plan as provided in Section 163.362 F.S.
The most important aspects of the Plan are the following:
1. The Plan identifies where primary land uses (commercial/office/ residential) should be located in order to best attract prospective businesses and
residents, while at the same time be well integrated into the desired future
transportation and land use patterns.
2. The Plan provides a tool for the City to promote economic development by
showing prospective corporate entities locations of parcels that have been
designated for their purpose, thereby reducing the developer’s risk and permitting hurdles when coming to the community.
3. The Plan provides a holistic means for the City to provide the approvals of
new developments based upon an agreed-upon strategy.
4. The Plan allows the City to make capital improvements projections based
upon known future, public project needs, demands and proposed locations.
5. The Plan locates commercial sites based upon expected market demands and
reasonable residential service areas.
6. The Plan supports desired economic development strategies, including:
• The strategic location of county government facilities to stimulate
economic activity while avoiding negative impacts to surrounding
residential areas
• The support and expansion of the Osceola Regional Medical
facilities
• The relocation of obtrusive industrial uses to areas more appropriately suited for industrial activities
• Consolidation of retail, office, entertainment and residential uses
in the historic downtown in the vicinity of Broadway Avenue
• Revitalization of the City’s lakefront area and the improved connection between this asset and the historic downtown
• Development of the multi-modal transit and regional trail systems
• The introduction of new uses and activity centers for education,
culture and art
The Plan allocates areas of residential densities, which:
•
•
Support infill, renovation and enhancement of residential areas
and the prevention of commercial encroachment
Support historic preservation efforts
36
Figure
37
•
•
•
•
•
•
Support downtown retail activities
Provide opportunities for private sector housing development
Work with the loading of future roadway networks
Are compatible with the existing community structures of each
area
Are respectful of and compatible with adjacent land uses
Minimize commuting distances and reinforce future public transportation options
The Concept Plan contains descriptions of several types of projects and programs,
including capital projects, public/private projects, and government programs. Capital
projects are those that are funded solely by the public sector to address specific infrastructure needs such as roads, streetscapes, parks and other municipal facilities.
While it is assumed that the majority of future development will occur with no
Agency involvement, the Plan also contains projects that provide opportunities for
the public and private sector to work together toward mutually beneficial development activities. The public and private sectors can bring different resources and capabilities to bear on projects that fulfill the objectives of the Redevelopment Plan but
otherwise might be unsuccessful for various reasons. Public costs are undetermined
at this time because the Agency’s role in each will be defined through negotiation
at the time of the project. In attempting to attract initial investment from private
developers the Agency will target a programmed development for the project, solicit
a developer, and then negotiate a public/private development agreement. The agreement sets forth terms and conditions involving the disposition of land, the nature
of the prospective development, City contributions and other conditions pertaining
to the project.
Finally the Plan anticipates government actions to be undertaken by the City and/or
the Redevelopment Agency for a variety of purposes. Regulatory actions may include
revisions to the City’s Comprehensive plan, land development regulations, and building codes. Land acquisition programs, such as land banking and property swapping,
may be incorporated in the redevelopment process to control prime development
sites, thereby ensuring future development in a manner consistent with redevelopment objectives. Economic development and business improvement incentives will
also be components of the redevelopment program.
Concept Plan Elements
Following is a description of the various elements contained in the concept plan.
Information is presented through a combination of text, graphic illustrations and
photographs that refer to the general concept plan graphic. The Concept Plan contains 26 proposals for future land use, private sector development opportunities and
38
recommended public investment in capital improvements. When possible information concerning the plan elements is consolidated for those areas that contain similar
recommendations such as residential areas that are in several locations.
1.General Commercial Development on 17-92
It is anticipated that general commercial development will continue to occur along
17-92 driven by favorable market conditions associated with high traffic volumes and
regional growth. I t is recommended that the City and the County work together to
conduct detailed corridor improvement studies for the peripheral corridors surrounding the redevelopment district. The deteriorating physical conditions along roadways
accessing the downtown area have a negative effect on the investment image of the
community. These studies should define specific recommendations for improving
access management, pedestrian safety, future land use composition and aesthetics.
Landscaped boulevard entrances to the City should be created in order to transform
the harsh physical appearance and soften impacts of the peripheral roadways.
It is also recommended that the City extend the northern redevelopment district
boundary westward to John Young Parkway.
2. Oak Commons
The current trend of medical office development will likely continue on Oak Street
in the vicinity of the Hospital.
3. Osceola Regional Medical Center Expansion
The Osceola Regional Medical Center is presently planning an expansion of their
facilities that should increase the tax base by $27m in the year 2005. Previous analysis
of the redevelopment area’s tax base indicated that the medical center is the greatest contributor of taxes to the CRA. Agency revenues will continue to increase as
the Medical Center grows in the future, providing resources for proposed capital
improvements that will stimulate further private sector investment. Therefore the
redevelopment program should be committed to working with the Hospital to enable
future on-site expansion.
4. Medical Sciences and Advanced Technology Campus
As the redevelopment program evolves and the investment community witnesses the
success of the Agency’s initial projects, there will be opportunities to introduce new
land uses and activity centers. The possibility of establishing a medical sciences and
advanced technology campus on the east side of Central Avenue represents the type
of future land use that would be desirable in the redevelopment district. These activities would help fulfill economic development objectives by creating opportunities for
higher education while also providing higher paying jobs in the community. These
activities would be a natural extension of activities related to the Regional Medical
Center.
39
Although this project should not consume available Agency financial resources in the
short term, interest in this kind of investment opportunity may be stimulated by the
fact that the plan identifies this as a potential future land use. In fact, Agency staff
should contact the Medical Center and local colleges and universities to generate a
better understanding of the potential feasibility of this project.
5. Class “A” Office Concept
Successful development of Class “A” Office space in the vicinity of Central Avenue,
Bass Street, Hand Street and Drury Avenue will accomplish many redevelopment
program objectives and should therefore be one of the Agency’s immediate priorities.
Several projects and entities can be galvanized together to establish a development
pattern that will dramatically transform the function and appearance of this highly
visible site in the heart of the downtown.
The City is moving forward with plans for improvements to Martin Luther King Jr.
Boulevard that include a traffic circle at the intersection with Central Avenue. The
realignment of this road section combined with the Hospital’s future expansion plans
and the potential for private sector investment in the office development provide
the economic synergies needed to possibly relocate the Rinker concrete plant. The
Redevelopment Agency must work closely with the City, the Hospital and authorities
from Rinker and adjacent property owners to devise a land acquisition and relocation
strategy.
The concept plan calls for a multi-story, joint-use parking garage at the northwest
corner of MLK Boulevard and Central Avenue that would provide pedestrian access
to the primary office space via an overhead breezeway. The parking facility would also
be used by the hospital freeing existing surface parking areas for future development
needs.
The Agency would be instrumental in the project by committing tax increment revenues generated by this proposal toward offsetting development costs that may otherwise cause the project to be unfeasible. This could take the form of land assembly
or land cost write downs, demolition and site preparation or environmental clean
up. The Agency should also seek developers and end users for the office space. This
project may also be an attractive alternative for Osceola County in addressing their
administrative facility needs.
Because of the importance of this project to the overall success of the redevelopment program, we have asked Real Estate Research Consultants Inc. (RERC) to conduct further analysis of the development feasibility of this project, which is contained
in Appendix A of this Plan.
40
6. Downtown Gateways
The Kissimmee redevelopment district contains several opportunities for the creation
of entranceways into the downtown and the historic neighborhoods. Gateway features strengthen the sense of identity for the community signifying the arrival to, and
distinguishing the difference between, the various commercial centers and residential
areas in the community. The gateway feature on Main Street is a great example of
the quality and magnitude of a primary entrance to the downtown. Projects involving directional signage, monumentation, lighting and landscaping are typical elements
of gateway features.
It is recommended that gateways be established at the following intersections:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Central Avenue and Vine Street
John Young Parkway and Vine Street
John Young Parkway and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
John Young Parkway and Emmett
John Young Parkway and Clay
Emmett Broadway and Ruby
Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Traffic Circle
7. Neighborhood School
The former elementary school at the Beaumont site currently houses the
Constitutional Officers for Osceola County. It is recommended that the eastern portion of the site revert back to being a school when the Constitutional Officers locate
at new facilities. This transition will provide a stabilizing influence on the surrounding
neighborhoods.
8. Beaumont Multi-family
In order to recoup the County’s land acquisition expense, return land to the tax roll
and strengthen the Beaumont neighborhood, it is recommended that the western
portion of the site be developed as multi-family housing.
9, 14, 21, 24 – Neighborhood Development
One of the most important goals of the redevelopment program is to save the historic neighborhoods in the vicinity of the downtown. This is a formidable task when
considering recent private investment in property renovations for the purpose of
converting residences into commercial and office use. Compounding this problem
is the fact that the older neighborhoods must compete with new housing developments in an explosive regional housing market that offers a diverse range of housing
products that are competitively priced. The implementation strategies section of this
report provides suggestions for activities to strengthen Kissimmee’s historic neighborhoods.
41
10. Mabbette Mixed-Use Corridor
In recent years Mabbette Avenue has become an important east/west access route to
downtown from John Young Parkway caused by construction of the new City Hall.
Increased traffic volume and the resultant exposure to properties located along the
roadway, have spurned new investment in property renovations and the conversion
from residential to office uses. The short-term effect of these conversions has been
to upgrade the appearance of Mabbette Avenue, however, the long- range perspective is that this activity could lead to the deterioration of the surrounding residential
environment in the Beaumont neighborhood. While it is expected that this trend will
continue, the CRA should develop regulations that will minimize potential impacts
and ensure the highest quality of design standards. Future land use designations and
design standards should be incorporated into an overlay zoning district classification
and included in the City’s Zoning Code. This tool will be beneficial for other areas in
the redevelopment district that will require special consideration when contemplating
future development.
11, 12 Judicial Way and Main Street
Osceola County is rapidly running out of office space to house the county court
system, constitutional officers and facilities for their growing administrative needs. In
recent years the County purchased the old Beaumont School site from the Osceola
County School Board, which has served as an interim solution for housing the constitutional officers, however the demand for space has led to the need to construct
new facilities in the next 5 to 7 years according to a recent facility study. The master
plan calls for the expansion of County administrative, constitutional and court operations within the vicinity of the newly constructed Court House located on Emmette
Street.
This proposal will require acquisition of adjacent properties in the area located 2
blocks east of the administrative offices between Emmette and Bryan Streets. A thorough evaluation of surrounding land conditions, property ownership, building size
and parking requirements should be pursued and a strategic master plan prepared to
address the many remaining issues to be resolved prior to taking action on the proposed development. Osceola County, the City and the CRA must work together to
overcome any deterrents to this proposal because of the long-term impacts of this
project. If successful this proposal will have several positive affects on the downtown and waterfront areas stimulating spin-off economic activity and providing for
efficient government services and operations. On the contrary, alternative sites will
likely have negative consequences on future development of the downtown such as
increased traffic and the intrusion of undesirable commercial and office uses in surrounding neighborhoods which is completely contrary to the long range objectives
of the redevelopment plan.
42
13. Central Business District
The central business district is the heart and soul of the historic downtown and
it contains an attractive mix of commercial, government and institutional uses. A
primary objective of the redevelopment program is to enable an expanded mix of
retail, entertainment, office and residential uses in the central business district. During
public workshops the community expressed an interest in having new restaurants and
opportunities for entertainment that would extend downtown hours of business into
the evening. To accomplish this the Redevelopment Agency should continue their
efforts on façade improvements and new parking facilities through the CDBG program. They must also consider ways to remove obstacles to investment in restaurants.
Actions would include working with the private sector and the Gas Company to bring
natural gas downtown and the formulation of a policy that would enable the Agency
to pay for impact fees on desirable projects. These actions, in conjunction with the
success of other proposals that increase downtown office and residential opportunities should stimulate private investment.
Projects that improve the function and appearance of the area such as improving
parking and pedestrian access will also support development in the downtown.
Wherever possible angled on-street parking should be provided in the downtown,
sidewalks should be widened and streetscape elements added to expand the urban
edge and provide safe access from surrounding neighborhoods. The CRA should also
consider revisiting the streetscape project on Broadway Avenue to enable cross access
between the north and south sides of the road at strategically positioned mid-block
locations to improve pedestrian access.
15. Waterfront Hotel and Restaurant
The City’s waterfront area is a very desirable, yet underutilized asset that has the
potential to invigorate activity in the downtown while providing revenues to support
additional redevelopment projects and programs. This can be accomplished through
a combination of improvements to the recreational assets along the waterfront and
development of a hotel and restaurant situated to establish dual access to the waterfront and the downtown. A potential development scenario for the hotel and restaurant project is provided by RERC in Attachment A. The next action for the CRA to
initiate this project is the development of a detailed waterfront master plan.
16. Lake Toho Waterfront Park and Trail
Building on the previous proposal concerning master planning future development
of the waterfront, the CRA should include analysis of the waterfront area extending
east northeast from the downtown in the vicinity of the Lakeshore neighborhood
progressing across Neptune Drive north to 17-92. This area of the waterfront provides great opportunity for a scenic and recreational trail system designed in conjunction with the City planned Toho road extension.
43
17. Monument , Dakin, Ruby and Sproule Improvements
Existing tree canopy and streetscape elements soften the negative features of the
urban environment providing an opportunity to establish a quality pedestrian atmosphere, which translates into increased economic activity and higher real estate values.
Building on the CRA’s previous success with streetscape projects, it is recommended
similar improvements be undertaken on Monument Boulevard, Dakin Street and
Ruby Avenue. The Agency should pursue these projects as development opportunities present themselves. Dakin Street should coincide with future redevelopment of
the Brahman Building and the multi-modal transit project. Improvements to Ruby
Avenue are a natural extension of the hotel restaurant project enabling a more attractive pedestrian environment connecting the waterfront to the downtown. If no other
opportunities occur, then Monument Boulevard should be a priority project as a
natural tie into the waterfront park from the downtown.
18. Public Parking/Farmers’ Market
The Redevelopment Agency is currently accepting bids to construct public parking
and alleyway improvements on Pleasant Street using Community Development Block
Grant (CDBG) funding from the federal government. Similar alleyway improvements
should be pursued in other appropriate locations. The scope of the improvements
may range from simple trash removal to complete reconstruction, including widening, removal or burial of utility lines, providing street lighting, resurfacing and landscape buffering.
Upon completion this area will provide operational space for the City’s weekly farmers’ market, which is a great attraction for the downtown. The concept plan promotes
developing buildings at the east and west ends of Pleasant Street, on Monument
Boulevard and Ruby Street, that could contain specialty uses that support market
related activities or possibly even house the CRA offices. This will incorporate urban
design principles that will visually and functionally connect the downtown to the
waterfront area and stimulate economic synergy between these two primary activity
centers.
19. Multi-modal Transit Hub
The railroad was an important factor in the
growth of Kissimmee and other central
Florida towns. In recent decades, with the
advent of interstate highways, the role of
rail transportation has diminished. However,
considering the proximity of the depot, the
Greyhound bus station, and surface parking areas in downtown Kissimmee, it is
conceivable that a multi-modal transit hub
could be developed providing commuter
The Railroad Comes to Kissimmee, Circa 1890
44
The depot today with the bus terminal in the background
rail service to Orlando. This would strengthen Kissimmee as a bedroom community
of the greater Orlando area. Further investigation of this possibility is warranted.
22, 23 – Multi-Family
As the successful redevelopment program evolves and the real estate market matures,
demand for additional multi-family housing will increase. Four to five story condominiums or apartments would be located on the north side of Neptune Avenue at
the Florida Rock site. It will likely require high density levels and CRA involvement
to successfully relocate Florida Rock, which should be a long term redevelopment
objective. Smaller scale town home, garden apartments or appropriately scaled condominium units would be developed in other areas adjacent to Neptune Avenue
and Lakeshore Drive to blend more appropriately into the surrounding residential
areas. Smaller scale town home or garden apartment units would be developed in
other areas adjacent to Neptune Avenue to blend more appropriately into the surrounding residential areas. It is anticipated that investment in multi-family housing
refurbishment will continue along the east side of Monument Boulevard particularly
as improvements to the street the park and the waterfront occur.
Potential development site along Neptune Avenue
25. Railroad Avenue Artists’ Court
Using creative zoning strategies and selected public improvements an artists live work
community can be developed for local artists to create and display their wares. This
will provide an additional activity center for residents and visitors to enjoy while
establishing a more active social environment for the community.
45
Part V
Capital Projects
This section shows how the Concept Plan translates to capital improvements, public/
private sector opportunities, and program administrative and regulatory requirements.
The community should understand that the Redevelopment Agency, working closely
with the City and other government entities, will be pursuing multiple elements of
the Plan at all times.
The proposed Kissimmee Community Redevelopment Plan contains several major
projects consisting of public, private, and joint public/private efforts that will take
at least twenty years for completion. It is critical that the City incorporates a sound
project implementation strategy when identifying priorities. This will ensure the most
effective results in terms of addressing the community’s needs while stimulating private sector activity to obtain favorable return on the public sector’s financial investment. The following phasing plan sets forth recommendations concerning project
priorities and funding sources. To streamline the process and simplify the presentation, project priorities have been reduced to the following three categories:
•
•
•
Short-Term Projects - Those that should be implemented immediately and completed within one to five years.
Mid-Term Projects - To be completed within six to ten years.
Long-Term Projects - Projects that will likely take more ten years
to complete.
46
Figure 2 - Short-Term Projects (1 - 5 Years)
47
Phase One: Years 1 through 5
Capital Improvements
• Parking improvements
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard
• Monument Avenue Streetscape
• Lake Restoration Project
• Waterfront Park Improvements
• Train Station Renovations
• County Government Center
Public/Private Projects
• Class ‘A’ office space on Central Avenue
• Multi-story parking garage on Central Avenue
• Lakefront Hospitality and Restaurant Development
Private Sector
• Hospital expansion
On-Going Projects & Programs
• Zoning code revisions
• Code enforcement
• Community policing
• Facade Improvements
• Neighborhood planing and improvements
• Tree planting and street lighting programs
Proposed round-a-bout - Central at Drury
Proposed Class ‘A’ Office east of Central Ave.e
48
Phase I Capital Budget
Project
Cost
Pleasant St. Parking
$750k
Waterfront Park Master Plan
$75k
Waterfront Park Construction $3.5M
Monument Avenue
$1.25M
Streetscape
Lake Toho Restoration
Train Station Concept
$40k
Construction
TBD
County Government Center
MLK Construction
Land Acquisition
$20M
$3M
Cost TBD
Source
CDBG
TIF/City
TIF/Grants/Private
TIF/City
Year
current
2003 - 2004
2004 - 2005
2004 - 2005
State
City/Grant/County
FDOT/TEA21/
Metroplan
County/City/CRA
County/City/CRA
City
TIF/City/
Hospital,Rinker
2004
current
2008-2009
2008
2004
2003-2006
Site Prep
Central Avenue/Rinker
Design Guidelines
$30k
TIF
2003 - 2004
Façades/Ownership
Incentives
$100k/yr
City/EOC
Ongoing
TIF,KAB,SBA
TIF
Annual
2004
$500k
Tree Planting
$40k
Horticulture Master Plan
$50k
Neighborhood Improvements TBD
49
Figure 3 - Mid-Term Projects (5 - 10 Years)
50
Phase Two: Years 6 through 10
• Streetscape Emmett, Central and Broadway Avenues
• Gateway treatments at Emmett at John Young Pkwy., at Stewart
Avenue, and at Central Avenue at US 17/92
• Stewart roadway construction
• Beaumont school
• Tohopekaliga road extension
• Medical sciences and advanced technology campus
Private Sector
• Multi-family housing project at Beaumont site
• Single-family housing renovations
• Office and commercial investment
• Planning & zoning actions
• Facade improvements
• Neighborhood planning and improvements
Plans for the hospital district and Beaumont site
Proposed Class ‘A’ Office east of Central Ave.e
51
Phase II Capital Budget
Project
Cost
Emmett Streetscape
$3.5M
Central Ave., Broadway Streetscape
Source
TIF/Grants
Year
2009 - 2010
Gateways
TIF
2009
City
FDOT/TEA21/
Metroplan
County/City/CRA
TIF/College
2009
2010
City/EDC
on-going
TIF/Grants
annual
TIF/KUA
annual
Toho Road
Multi-Modal
5 @ $50k
$250k
$2.75M
TBD
Technology Campus
TBD
Façades/Ownership Incentives
$100k/yr
$500k
TBD
$40k
$200k
$100k/yr
$500,000
Neighborhood Improvements
Tree Planting
Streetlighting
2012
52
Figure 4 - Long-Term Projects (10 - 20 Years)
53
Phase Three: Years 11 through 20
• Streetscape: Dakin/Steward/Oak/Darlington/Mabbette
• Neighborhood parks
• Neighborhood infrastructure improvements
• Corridor improvements along John Young Pkwy, and Hwy. 17/
92
• Civic center renovations
• Multi-modal system
• Florida Rock relocation and apartment project
• Artist live-work village
Private Sector
• Residential investment
• Multi-family housing projects
• Commercial and office investment
• Planning & zoning actions
• Facade improvements
• Neighborhood planning and improvements
The Florida Rock site could become multi-family housing
US 17/92 - Vine Street
54
Phase III Capital Budget
Project
Streetscapes
Secondary Streets
Cost
Source
5 @ $750k TIF
$3.75M
Year
2012 - 2022
2012 - 2022
Neighborhood Parks
5 @ $250k TIF/City
$1.25M
2012 - 2022
Neighborhood Improvements
TBD
2012 - 2022
Corridor Improvements
John Young Parkway
Vine St. (US 17&92)
TBD
State/County
2012 - 2022
Artist Community
TBD
Special
Assessment
2012
Florida Rock
TBD
TIF
2012 - 2022
Multi-Modal System
TBD
State
2012 - 2022
Façades/Ownership Incentives
$100k/yr
$1M
$25k/yr
$250k
City/EDC
2012 - 2022
TIF
2012 - 2022
Tree Planting
55
Part VI
Tax Increment Financing
History of Tax Increment Financing
Tax increment financing was originally developed over 30 years ago as a method to
meet the local match requirements of federal grant programs. With the reduction in
federal funds available for local projects, however, tax increment financing is standing
on its own as a method to finance local redevelopment. State law controls tax increment financing. Because of this control, tax increment financing takes on a number
of different techniques and appearances throughout the Country.
In Florida, tax increment financing is derived from the Community Redevelopment
Act of 1969, which is codified as Part III, Chapter 163 of the Florida Statutes. This
act provided for a combination of public and private redevelopment efforts, but did
not authorize the use of tax increment financing. The Act was amended in 1977 to
allow tax increment financing. Under the Statues, municipalities must go through a
number of steps to establish a redevelopment area and implement a tax increment
district.
Upon approval of the governing body, a Trust Fund for each Community
Redevelopment area may be established. The revenues for the Trust Fund are
obtained by allocating any increases in taxable assessed value to the area. The assessed
56
value of the district is “frozen” and any increases (the tax increment revenues) are
available for improvements to the area. The tax collector collects the entire property
tax and subtracts the tax on the base value, which is available for general government
purposes. Of the remaining tax increment revenues, 95% are deposited to the Trust
Fund. The remaining 5% is kept by the local government as a collection fee.
Type of Expenses Allowed
There are five major types of expenses allowed under Florida Statues 163.387(6) for
tax increment revenues.
1. Establishment and Operations - they can first be used for the
implementation and administrative expenses of the Community
Redevelopment Agency
2. Planning and Analysis - they can then be used to develop the
necessary engineering, architectural, and financial plans
3. Financing - the revenues may be used to issue and repay debt
for proposed capital improvements contained in the Community
Redevelopment Plan
4. Acquisition - the revenues may be used to acquire real property
5. Preparation - finally, the revenues may be used for site preparation, including the relocation of existing residents.
According to F.S. 163.370(2), however, the funds may not be used for the following
purposes:
1. To construct or expand administration buildings for public bodies
unless each taxing authority involved agrees,
2. Any publicly-owned capital improvements which are not an integral part of the redevelopment if the improvements are normally
financed by user fees, and if the improvements would have otherwise been made without the Redevelopment Agency within three
years, or
3. General government operating expenses unrelated to the
Redevelopment Agency.
Tax increment revenue is typically the major source of funding for redevelopment
projects under the State of Florida Community Redevelopment Act.
Tax Increment Projections
The City of Kissimmee established the Community Redevelopment Trust Fund in
1993. The 1992 base year taxable value of properties located within the boundaries
of the redevelopment district was $67,434,313. In the ensuing years the tax base has
grown by 59% to a value of $115,153,401 in 2002 for an average annual increase of
5.9%. During the initial years of the program the tax base remained relatively stagnant
growing by only 1% in the first four years of the program to $71,559,225. In 1998 the
first phase expansion of the Osceola Regional Medical Center appeared on the tax roll
having a dramatic impact on the tax base increasing assessed values by nearly $20M.
57
The Hospital’s investment has had a tremendous effect on surrounding land values
and has stimulated additional private sector investment causing the tax base to grow
at an average annual rate of 12% since 1998. Since 1992 the taxable value of property
in the Kissimmee CRA has increased by a total of $47,719,088 generating $475,259 in
revenues for the current fiscal year.
The following spreadsheet provides tax increment revenue projections for the
Kissimmee redevelopment area. Revenue estimates are based on an annual increase in
the tax base of 3%. The model contains assumptions that increase the property value
in 2006 by $37.6m anticipating the completion of Osceola Regional Medical Center’s
second phase expansion.
Because of the value of these improvements the proposals contained in this Plan
have a very reasonable chance for success. With tax increment levels expected to
nearly double in 2006, the Kissimmee redevelopment program is positioned to make
tremendous strides in upcoming years. The agency has several options for obtaining
initial financing to enable immediate planning and design of the projects contained
in this plan.
The CRA can obtain interim financing through a bond anticipation note, commercial
loan or commercial line of credit based on projected revenues. Several near term
projects will not only fulfill many of the program’s land use objectives, but will also
have a substantial positive impact on the tax base and should be pursued immediately.
These funds combined with other possible funding sources identified in this plan
should enable the CRA to embark on an aggressive public improvement program that
will serve as a catalyst for private sector investment.
58
$1,884,656
$500,273
$536,490
$573,793
$612,216
$1,006,403
$1,057,804
$1,110,747
$1,165,278
$1,221,445
$1,279,297
$1,338,885
$1,400,260
$1,463,477
$1,528,590
$1,595,657
$1,664,735
$1,735,886
$1,809,172
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
2028
2029
2030
$254,620,531
$262,259,147
$270,126,922
$278,230,729
$286,577,651
$295,174,981
$304,030,230
$313,151,137
$322,545,671
$332,222,041
$187,186,218
$194,824,834
$202,692,609
$210,796,416
$219,143,338
$227,740,668
$236,595,917
$245,716,824
$255,111,358
$264,787,728
$1,962,404
$2,042,485
$2,124,969
$2,209,926
$2,297,433
$2,387,565
$2,480,401
$2,576,021
$2,674,511
$2,775,955
$47,016,734
Projected 3.0% Annual increase in assessed value
Projected at 10.4837 millage rate
Projected at 2% Annual Budget Increase
Revenues no debt
$179,770,086
$47,719,088
$51,173,690
$54,731,930
$58,396,917
$95,996,917
$100,899,854
$105,949,879
$111,151,405
$116,508,976
$122,027,275
$127,711,123
$133,565,486
$139,595,480
$145,806,373
$152,203,594
$158,792,731
$165,579,542
$172,569,958
(a)>
(b)>
(c)>
(d)>
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
( b ) Gross
Incremental
CRA Revenue
$1,864,284
$1,940,361
$2,018,720
$2,099,430
$2,182,561
$2,268,187
$2,356,381
$2,447,220
$2,540,785
$2,637,157
$44,665,897
$1,790,423
$475,259
$509,665
$545,103
$581,605
$956,083
$1,004,914
$1,055,209
$1,107,014
$1,160,373
$1,215,332
$1,271,941
$1,330,247
$1,390,303
$1,452,161
$1,515,874
$1,581,499
$1,649,092
$1,718,713
Net (95%)
Incremental
CRA Revenue
$541,704
$552,538
$563,589
$574,860
$586,358
$598,085
$610,046
$622,247
$634,692
$647,386
$14,052,746
$531,082
$379,279
$386,865
$394,602
$402,494
$410,544
$418,755
$427,130
$435,672
$444,386
$453,274
$462,339
$471,586
$481,017
$490,638
$500,451
$510,460
$520,669
$1,322,580
$1,387,823
$1,455,131
$1,524,570
$1,596,204
$1,670,102
$1,746,334
$1,824,973
$1,906,093
$1,989,771
$30,137,892
$1,259,341
$130,386
$158,239
$187,003
$553,589
$594,370
$636,455
$679,884
$724,701
$770,947
$818,667
$867,908
$918,718
$971,143
$1,025,236
$1,081,048
$1,138,632
$1,198,044
( c ) Operating
(d) Net
Expenses
KISSIMMEE PROJECTED CRA REVENUES
$247,204,399
$115,153,401
$118,608,003
$122,166,243
$125,831,230
$163,431,230
$168,334,167
$173,384,192
$178,585,718
$183,943,289
$189,461,588
$195,145,436
$200,999,799
$207,029,793
$213,240,686
$219,637,907
$226,227,044
$233,013,855
$240,004,271
Years
1992
Annual
Incremental
Increase
2020
( a ) Annual
Increase in
Assessed Value
$67,434,313
$3,000,000
$1,500,000
$100,000
$100,000
$100,000
$100,000
$100,000
$100,000
$100,000
$100,000
$100,000
$100,000
$100,000
$100,000
$100,000
$100,000
$100,000
Debt
Payments
$1,322,580
$1,387,823
$1,455,131
$1,524,570
$1,596,204
$1,670,102
$1,746,334
$1,824,973
$1,906,093
$1,989,771
$26,849,267
-$240,659
$0
$0
$87,003
$453,589
$494,370
$536,455
$579,884
$624,701
$670,947
$718,667
$767,908
$818,718
$871,143
$925,236
$981,048
$1,038,632
$1,098,044
Net
Figure 1 - Tax Increment Finance Projections
59
Part VII
Implementation Strategies
Implementation of the Redevelopment Plan will require the coordinated efforts
of the City, the Redevelopment Agency, other government agencies, local business
organizations, property owners, and residents. These efforts will be coupled with the
employment of various organizational, legal, funding and promotional techniques to
successfully implement the program. This section of the Redevelopment Plan sets
forth a process to realize the planning and design objectives that have been developed
for the redevelopment area.
Leadership
While leadership is a highly intangible quality, it is the single most important factor
for successful implementation of the Redevelopment Plan. This leadership must
come from both the public and private sectors. Some projects will require considerably more leadership, effort and collaboration because of their difficulty and/or
importance to the overall revitalization program. Participation in a particular project
will depend upon necessary powers and resources, which must be brought to bear on
the project for its successful implementation.
60
Organizational Roles and Relationships
To have a strong redevelopment program, you must first establish lines of communication between all sectors and facets of the community. The planning process has
started to establish relationships between key players in this effort, but does not fully
develop their roles. Organizations, such as the Economic Development Committee,
Chamber of Commerce, Osceola Regional Medical Center, Kissimmee Utilities
Authority, Osceola County and other civic leaders must develop the organizational
framework and institutional relationships to facilitate effective redevelopment activities in cooperation with the City and the CRA.
The City must support the program’s activities and provide a well-devised management system to carry out the Redevelopment Plan. Conflicting agendas between
organizations will not assist in the redevelopment process to positively effect change
in Kissimmee. The key is communication and working together.
City Council/Agency Board/Staff
The City Council, Agency Board, and their staffs are the leaders of the redevelopment program and must assume this role with vitality and enthusiasm. They should
concentrate on the following actions throughout the redevelopment process.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Provide commitment of public policy and resources for the redevelopment effort.
Buy into the redevelopment mission and insure implementation
of scheduled projects
Provide necessary staffing and support from other City
Departments for administrative purposes and program implementation.
Commit to making the necessary public improvements identified
in the Plan.
Provide maintenance for completed capital projects freeing available tax increment revenues for the implementation of the projects and proposals contained in the Plan.
Provide leadership and support for administrating public development controls and incentives to promote high-quality private
development; this may include streamlining the development
review process to minimize the time involved in the approval
process, zoning requirements and incentives, corridor plans, site
and architectural design guidelines, provision of additional public
facilities and coordinated capital improvement programs.
Work cooperatively with other jurisdictions, including, but not
limited to the State, Osceola County, MPO, FDOT, LYNX,
SFWMD, Regional Planning Council, Tourist Development
Council and others.
61
Civic Leaders
Civic leaders must also be ambassadors of the redevelopment program. Their support and active involvement in the effort is essential for success. They should:
• Embrace the Redevelopment Plan and be educated about the program;
• Be involved in the implementation of the Plan and involve the community through outreach.
Private-Sector
• Essential private-sector leadership must come from local banks and
real estate development entrepreneurs within the community.
• The leadership role of local banks will involve providing financing
for private developments and establishing a consortium to provide a revolving loan pool at below market interest rate.
• Private real estate and development leadership must provide necessary entrepreneurial vision and initiative that will create profitable
enterprises and attractive redevelopment projects.
Planning Actions
The Redevelopment Agency staff and the City’s planning staff will be charged with
the execution of the Plan. The staffs will need to be the liaison between the Agency
and City Council. They will need to coordinate and manage the actions called for in
the Plan including:
• Prepare grants feasibility study for public projects, including roads,
utilities, streetscapes, parks, law enforcement, human resources,
etc.
• Seek cooperative relationship with FDOT for construction activities, access management, parking and streetscaping proposals on
state roadways.
• Research bond feasibility for financing major public facilities.
• Work with area financial institutions to develop favorable loan programs for private sector property rehabilitation projects.
• Contact affected property owners to determine their level of interest in participating in proposed redevelopment activities.
• Form basic public/private development agreements to be used for
developer solicitation on selected projects
• Further detail the implementation strategies contained in the
Redevelopment Plan including project scheduling, finance, developer solicitation practices, land acquisition and disposition strategies, etc.
62
Urban Design Strategies and Planning Activities
The following urban design strategies are meant to provide both design recommendations and activities to promote a quality urban environment and implement the
Plan.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Prepare a beautification master plan identifying a hierarchy of
beautification treatments for various roadways including City and
neighborhood gateway treatments and a uniform directional signage system.
Prepare a horticulture master plan for the redevelopment area and
initiate a tree planting program.
Prepare a waterfront master plan to design public improvements
and solicit private developers for the hotel and restaurant. Seek
grants for park construction and pursue public improvements as
inducement for private sector investment.
Master plan targeted public/private projects such as the Class “A:
Office proposal on Central Avenue, reinforcing positive aspects
of existing activity and providing attractive combinations of
building masses and open spaces.
Create peripheral City entrance treatments with signage and a
graphic theme as one approaches from all directions.
Establish and implement performance criteria to assure high
site design standards, environmental quality and other design
elements that provide unity and integrity of design to the entire
redevelopment area.
Continue the facade improvement program through annual City
contributions to the Economic Development Committee
Update Comprehensive Plan: Future Land Use Element and
Capital Improvements Element and any LDR revisions to ensure
consistency between planning documents
Make code enforcement a priority for entire City; review code,
policies and procedures.
Encourage rear building parking, off-street parking for employees.
Screen and buffer conflicting industrial uses close to commercial
and residential areas.
Control Billboards and other unsightly signage
Work with Osceola County, the City and FDOT to control future
development and address conditions on roadways entering the
redevelopment area.
Revise zoning districts as needed to include permitted uses in
locations that are consistent with the long term economic goals
63
and design standards contained in this Plan
Neighborhood Preservation and Development
In order to accomplish the goal of neighborhood preservation the Redevelopment
Agency must work closely with the City to pursue the following strategies.
Continue on-going neighborhood planning efforts to obtain in-put from residents
concerning issues of importance to them. This process also provides a forum for
conveying on-going City and Agency activities to generate community support for
these efforts and to glean insight into possible program implementation alternatives.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Work with neighborhood organizations to devise incentives and
funding strategies for proposed neighborhood improvements.
This could come in the form of local matching grants for homeowner contributions toward specified projects, neighborhood
special assessment districts or in-kind matches for public services
such as increased code enforcement or short term reductions in
utility fees.
Develop strategies to create new housing opportunities in the
redevelopment area. Utilize housing programs that encourage
owner occupancy. Infill housing development and renovations
consistent with historical guidelines should be supported in order
to continue to strengthen the housing market.
Residential uses that abut commercial uses need buffers to protect
them from noise and view. Several residential areas have been well
maintained and exhibit quality architectural features that should
be referenced as examples for guidelines in future infill housing
and property renovations.
Pedestrian connection between the neighborhoods, the downtown, and the waterfront should be provided through an
improved network of sidewalks, alleyways, and access roads,
which will improve pedestrian access to primary focal points in
the City.
Improvements to the pedestrian environment are needed through
landscape buffering from vehicular areas with widened sidewalks,
streetlights, and other design elements.
Clean-up efforts should be organized to address the need for
beautification while generating support and cooperation of various civic and homeowner groups.
Increased support, coordination, and communication between
residents and police will benefit the neighborhoods and provide
local law enforcement with the means to increase their effectiveness in serving the neighborhood.
64
Private Redevelopment Strategies
The primary purpose of the redevelopment effort is to promote economic development and revitalization by increasing the quality of life in the community. The City
and CRA will need to continue to promote economic development and redevelopment in concert with the public improvements that this Plan proposes. The following are some suggested means to encourage investment in the community. Many
of these suggestions can be further developed and codified as part of the strategies
contained in the redevelopment district zoning classification.
Redevelopment Incentives
• In some areas of the CRA there are existing public parking lots and
on-street parking spaces, which are intended to serve surrounding businesses. The spaces in these lots can be allocated to the
adjacent building sites as they are redeveloped, thus relieving the
developers of the requirement of providing parking.
• In the CRA, redevelopment does not place as many financial burdens on taxpayers to build new infrastructure and services as new
development does. For this reason, there can be can be a policy
that enables a reduction in taxes, permitting fees and licenses for
redevelopment projects.
• Common citywide storm drainage treatment and collection systems
should be planned and a master storm water permit should be
obtained from the South Florida Water Management District
(SFWMD) for the redevelopment district, especially for the
Town Center and Carnival Mall sites. There are numerous grants
available for collection and treatment of urban runoff. First-come
redevelopers in the CRA should be exempted from constructing storm water facilities or contributing cash-in-lieu monies for
storm drainage improvements, except as required to meet minimum standards.
• The CRA should re-institute the low interest loan pool monies
from local banks previously established through the Community
Reinvestment Act. These loan pools can be utilized to entice redevelopment investors into the community.
• The CRA can purchase properties and assemble them for resale.
The resale prices and loan payment terms can be designed to
make the cost of redeveloping a site market-wise.
• The CRA can offer free services or planning and design fee rebates
for the redevelopers whose projects are compatible with the Plan
objectives.
• The CRA can offer landscape packages similar to façade programs.
• Working with local realtors the CRA can offer tenant location finder
services for developers looking for tenant leases.
65
Part VIII
Appendix
A - CRA Development Opportunities Report by RERC
B - Inventory Report by RMPK Group
C - Public Involvement Report by RMPK Group
D - Statutory Requirements of the CRA
66
Appendix A - RERC Report: CRA Development Opportunities
Kissimmee CRA
Development Opportunities
February, 2003
518 South Magnolia Avenue � Orlando, FL 32801
P 407-843-5635 � F 407-839-6197 � www.rercinc.com
67
Table of Contents
Section 1
Introduction and Overall Analysis
Section 2
Summary of Osceola County Economic & Market Trends
Section 3
Prototypical Development Modules
Section 4
Redevelopment Opportunities
- Rinker/Beaumont/Central Block Sites
- Waterfront Hospitality Center Site/Lakefront Park
- Lakeshore and Beaumont Neighborhoods
68
Introduction and Overall Analysis
69
Introduction to the Analysis
Real Estate Research Consultants, Inc., (RERC), was retained by the City of Kissimmee Community
Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and The RMPK Group, Inc., to perform a market assessment and
identify development opportunities for specific sites within the CRA boundaries. The Osceola
County Economic Market and Trends Report was completed in October 2002, and focused on the
general market forces that would be driving the local economy over the next twenty years.
The City of Kissimmee, and the downtown community in particular, is at a critical juncture in determining the location of major investments that will have long-lasting implications. The two most
imminent development opportunities are related to the growth of the Osceola County Medical
Center and the expansion needs of the Osceola County government. In addition, there are important decisions to be made regarding the creation of new destination-type developments along Lake
Tohopekaliga and the stabilization of the residential character of downtown neighborhoods.
These projects will significantly enhance the investment environment within Kissimmee’s CRA area.
New residences, new jobs and new destination generators in the center city are all positive economic
forces that will encourage further private development opportunities. This trend should be reinforced as the area’s infrastructure is enhanced by the construction of Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive,
the realignment of Lakeshore Boulevard and other improvements. The assembly of strategic parcels
of property, including certain publicly-owned parcels, to accommodate residential, commercial, retail,
hospitality and public uses in close proximity to Kissimmee’s downtown retail corridor will be a catalyst to attract more individuals and families to the growing trend for urban living.
The appropriate redevelopment of the Beaumont/Rinker sites have universally been acknowledged
by the local residents, property owners and political leaders as keys to the success of downtown’s
future. Removing incompatible land uses, assembling adjacent properties, along with appropriate
development and urban design standards, will redefine Kissimmee’s core area.
Likewise, leveraging the publicly owned real estate asset fronting Lake Tohopekaliga for certain destination driven commercial development, can increase the customer base for downtown retail and
restaurant businesses. Stabilizing the adjacent neighborhoods to encourage residential living will also
increase the buying power on Main Street and Broadway.
The viability of these opportunities will be determined by a number of factors. These include
the community’s resolve to partner public and private resources to effectuate the appropriate land
assembly; encouraging new residential development by land use and zoning modifications as well as
incentives; continued investment in upgrading transportation and storm water infrastructure; aggressively leveraging the park land asset along Lake Tohopekaliga as a 24/7 destination. On the next
few pages development prototypes are profiled that could be built in those areas that would meet the
community’s long-term goals.
In the final section of this report, the three specific areas are addressed in detail highlighting development opportunities. Based on the economics, location and overall catalytic impact, RERC feels that
the City of Kissimmee and the CRA, along with Osceola County and the Osceola Regional Medical
Center can, and should, allocate the necessary resources to encourage the investment and implemen-
70
tation of these strategic developments.
Next Steps
Kissimmee CRA’s next steps should address how to take the market analysis results, the redevelopment plan and the recommended development opportunities to the implementation stage. In a very
brief summary of this effort the following is provided:
1. Review the recommendations and establish which priorities to undertake.
2. Determine, specifically, who will be responsible for managing and monitoring
implementation programs.
3. Identify all possible sources of funding to assist in developing the project (i.e.
private, City, County, State and Federal).
4. Get a more specific feasibility analysis on each site and the projects that have been
given priority.
5. Prepare a Request for Proposal that solicits developer interest and outlines the
community’s goals and objectives.
6. Actively solicit developers and establish process for selection.
7. Negotiate a developer’s agreement that achieves the CRA goals.
71
Summary of Osceola County
Economic & Market Trends
72
Summary of Osceola County Economic and Market
Trends
Key points from the attached discussion of economic and development trends in
the Orlando region and Osceola County are summarized below. Demographic data
is derived from the U.S. Census Bureau, Woods and Poole Economics, Inc., Claritas,
and Real Estate Research Consultant, Inc. (RERC). The office, retail and industrial
information is from RERC’s in-house database. Please note that our database is not
all-inclusive. The minimum site development for inclusion in our office database is
20,000 square feet, retail minimum size is 20,000 square feet, and industrial minimum
size is 5,000 square feet. The residential data is from both Charles Wayne Consulting
and RERC.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The share of the regional population in Osceola County has
increased since 1980. This reflects the continued sub urbanization of our population.
Housing units have grown at a significantly higher pace in Osceola
County than the region as a whole.
The percent of owner occupied units in Osceola County has averaged around 65 to 70 percent. Renter-occupied units peaked in
1990 and decreased slightly through 2000.
Osceola County’s average household income has historically been
lower than the region as a whole. This income differential has
widened since 1980.
In 2001, the Kissimmee market had approximately 781,000 square
feet of office space. About 125,000 square feet of new space was
added over the past year. Prior to that, the largest addition to supply came in 1995 when 235,000 square feet was added. Much of
this space was in the Celebration area. Occupancy averaged 89.4
percent in 2001, down from 97.5 percent in 1999. About 245,000
square feet of space was added to the market over that time period, which explains the corresponding drop in occupancy.
The Kissimmee market totaled 4,148,000 square feet of retail
space, or 7.8 percent of the region’s total. Almost 440,000 square
feet of new retail space was added to the market over the last year.
Over the past 10 years, an average of 190,000 square feet was
added annually in this area. Occupancy averaged 93.9 percent in
2001 and has declined slightly since its peak in 1998, when rates
averaged 96.9 percent.
Until recently, the Kissimmee market had no significant concentration of industrial space. However, over the past three years,
520,000 square feet of space was added to the market, or 93 percent of the entire sub-market’s inventory of space. Annual occupancy averaged 76.7 percent in 2001, down from 100 percent in
73
•
•
•
2000. Occupancy decreased significantly, mainly due to the large
increase in new inventory.
The Kissimmee/Osceola County market had 2,009 single-family
production home construction starts in 2001, or 21 percent of
the Orlando area’s total. This is the second highest number of
construction starts of all the Orlando sub-markets. Average sales
price was $180,900 in 2001, which was about 94 percent of the
area-wide average of $192,100.
There were a total of 193 single-family custom home construction starts in the Kissimmee/Osceola County market in 2001, or
23.2 percent of the region’s total.
There were a total of 460 multi-family for sale construction
starts in the Kissimmee/Osceola County market in 2001, which
accounted for 50 percent of the region’s total. This sub-market
had by far the most units of any other area in the region. The
average sales price of $134,100 in 2001 was at the area’s average.
Average sales prices increased 6.3 percent from 2000 to 2001
($126,200 to $134,100).
Overall Economic and Market Trends
This discussion summarizes economic and development trends in the Orlando
region, Osceola County and sub-markets pertinent to the Osceola/Kissimmee area.
The attached Tables 1 to 9 present this information in detail.
Economic Trends
•
•
•
The State of Florida and the Orlando region (Orange, Seminole
and Osceola counties) have exhibited historical growth rates,
which have greatly exceeded national patterns. During the 1980
to 1990 period, the area grew by more than 370,000 residents, an
average annual growth of 4.4 percent. Growth in the 1990 to
2000 period slowed to an average of about 36,000 new residents
per year to reach a 2000 population of 1,434,000. This represents
an average annual growth of 3.7 percent per year.
The Orlando region is expected to sustain a strong level of longterm growth. Population growth of 535,000 new residents is
projected for the area during the 2000 to 2015 period, reaching a
total population of 1,969,000. This means area population would
grow at an average of 2.1 percent annually from 2000 to 2015.
Total employment in the region increased from 373,000 in 1980
to 689,000 in 1990, an average of over 32,000 jobs per year.
Employment growth slowed from 1990 to 1995, averaging 19,000
new jobs per year to reach 781,000 jobs by 1995. From 1995 to
2000, job growth increased dramatically to almost 41,000 new
74
jobs per year, totaling 984,000 jobs by 2000. We expect employment growth to average about 25,000 per year through 2015, or
approximately 2.2 percent per year.
Tables 1 through 4 examine selected historic demographic trends for the region as
well as Osceola County and the Osceola/Kissimmee area. Highlights from these
tables include:
•
•
•
•
•
The share of the regional population in Osceola County has
increased since 1980. This reflects the continued sub urbanization of our population.
The number of housing units has grown significantly in the
region and County since 1980, averaging between 3.8 and 5.9
percent growth per year. Housing units have grown at a significantly higher pace in Osceola County than the region as a
whole.
Occupied housing units in the region have typically averaged
around 90 to 92 percent of total units, with Osceola County’s
average at a significantly lower 81 to 84 percent.
The percent of owner occupied units in the region and County
has averaged around 60 to 65 percent of total occupied units.
However, the county average was a higher 65 to 70 percent
owner occupied units. Renter-occupied units peaked in 1990
and decreased slightly through 2000.
Osceola County’s average household income has historically
been lower than the region as a whole. This income differential
has widened since 1980.
Office Market Characteristics
•
•
•
The current inventory of office space in the Orlando region
(2001) consists of 33.8 million square feet of total office space
available of which 29.8 million square feet are occupied and 4.0
million square feet are vacant. The overall occupancy rate within
the market is 88.1 percent. The occupancy rate declined almost
six percentage points since 1997.
Absorption was 1,120,000 square feet in 2001, a decrease of
almost one million square feet from the prior two years. The
absorption rate of office space in metro Orlando during the past
ten years has averaged about 981,000 square feet per year. The
highest absorption rate occurred in 2000 when close to 2.2 million square feet were absorbed.
During the past four years, there has been over two million square
feet of new office construction each year. The peak occurred in
1999, when 2.9 million square feet was added. To put this in per-
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•
•
spective, only 2.1 million square feet of space was added in total
from 1991 to 1997. This strong increase in new product has had
a direct bearing on the decrease in office space occupancy over
the past four years.
Office space demand forecasts indicate demand for an additional
15.0 million square feet in the metro Orlando area during the
2000-2015 period, representing average annual absorption of 1.0
million square feet per year.
In 2001, the Kissimmee sub-market had approximately 781,000
square feet of office space. About 125,000 square feet of new
space was added over the past year. Prior to that, the largest addition to supply came in 1995 when 235,000 square feet was added.
Much of this space was in the Celebration area. Occupancy
averaged 89.4 percent in 2001, down from 97.5 percent in 1999.
About 245,000 square feet of space was added to the market
over that time period, which explains the corresponding drop
in occupancy. Office absorption was 130,000 square feet in the
Kissimmee market in 2001. Since 1991, absorption has averaged
about 40,000 square feet per year. However, average annual
absorption increased to 61,000 square feet from 1995 through
2001.
Retail Market Evaluation
•
•
•
The region’s total gross leasable retail space increased from 32.9
million square feet in 1991 to 53.3 million square feet in 2001,
which constitutes an average annual growth rate of 4.9 percent.
Occupied retail space increased from 26.0 million square feet in
1991 to 48.2 million square feet in 2001, a 6.4 percent annual
growth rate. Annual absorption of retail space in the metro area
has averaged over 2.0 million square feet per year since 1991. In
2001, approximately 1.8 million square feet of retail space was
absorbed. The overall occupancy rate currently sits at almost 91
percent, generally on an upward trend since bottoming in 1990 at
78.8 percent.
Approximately 2.2 million square feet of retail space was added to
the market in 2001. This amount is a little higher than the average amount added per year since 1991. The peak year occurred
in 1999 when 3.7 million square feet of retail was added in the
Orlando market. Despite this addition to supply, the occupancy
rate has been relatively steady since 1997.
Retail demand projections indicate demand for an additional 28.7
million square feet in the Orlando area from 2000 to 2015, or an
average annual absorption of 1.9 million square feet.
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•
The Kissimmee sub-market totaled 4,148,000 square feet of retail
space, or 7.8 percent of the region’s total. Almost 440,000 square
feet of new retail space was added to the sub-market over the last
year. Over the past 10 years, an average of 190,000 square feet
was added annually in this area. Occupancy averaged 93.9 percent
in 2001 and has declined slightly since its peak in 1998, when rates
averaged 96.9 percent. In 2001, approximately 381,000 square
feet of retail space was absorbed in this market. Since 1991,
absorption has averaged about 210,000 square feet per year.
Industrial Market Characteristics
•
•
•
•
•
The current inventory of industrial space in Orlando (2001) consists of 82.9 million square feet of total space available of which
76.5 million square feet are occupied. The overall occupancy rate
within the market is 92.2 percent. The occupancy rate increased
from a 1990 level of 89.7 percent to 92 percent in 1995 and has
been relatively stable since that time.
Absorption was 1,431,000 square feet in 2001. The absorption
rate of industrial space in metro Orlando during the past ten years
has averaged about 1.8 million square feet per year. The highest
absorption rate occurred in 1999 when close to 3.7 million square
feet were absorbed.
During the past ten years, there has been an average of about 1.7
million square feet of new space added to the market each year.
However, over the past three years a much higher average of 3.2
million square feet of space has been added each year. Occupancy
for the region only decreased slightly in 2001. However, several
sub-markets had negative absorption due to the large increase in
supply.
Industrial space demand forecasts indicate demand for an additional 30.0 million square feet in the metro Orlando area during
the 2000-2015 period, representing an average annual absorption
of 2.0 million square feet per year.
The Kissimmee sub-market has about 559,000 square feet of
space, or about 0.7 percent of the region’s total. Supply has
increased about 51,000 square feet over the past 10 years. Over
the past three years, 520,000 square feet of space was added to
the market, or 93 percent of the entire sub-market’s inventory of
space. Annual occupancy averaged 76.7 percent in 2001, down
from 100 percent in 2000. Occupancy decreased significantly,
mainly due to the large increase in new inventory. Net absorption
was 118,000 square feet in 2001. Annual absorption has averaged 39,000 square feet since 1991. However, over the past three
years annual absorption has ranged between 106,000 and 165,000
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square feet.
Residential Market Characteristics
• During the 2002 to 2015 period, population growth within the Orlando region
is estimated at 465,000 persons. Household growth during the same period
is forecast at 174,000 households. Allowing for replacement housing, second
home demand and an allowance for normal vacancy patterns, area-wide housing
demand is estimated at almost 200,000 units, an annual average of 15,000 new
units.
• Within the Orlando region, for-sale housing is expected to represent 65 percent
of total demand, or 130,000 total units, an annual average of 10,000. For-rent
demand is expected to represent 35 percent, or 70,000 units, an annual average
of 5,400 units.
• The Orlando area finished 2001 with 9,623 production single-family construction
starts, up 14.1 percent over the previous year. Total single-family production closings in the Orlando area were 8,431 in 2000. There were 8,928 single-family production home closings in 2001, up 1.7 percent over 2000. Sales prices averaged
$192,100 per unit in 2001 versus $177,700 in 2000, an increase of 8.1 percent.
• Single-family custom construction totaled 832 units in 2001. During 2000, there
were 868 construction starts. There were 840 closings of custom homes in 2001
versus 930 closings in 2000.
• Multifamily for-sale construction starts within the region totaled 920 units in
2001, versus 1,075 units in 2000. There were 860 multi-family for sale closings in
2000. Average sales prices increased from $118,000 in 2000 to $134,200 in 2001,
an increase of 13.7 percent. The rental apartment market in Orlando has experienced declining occupancy over the past two years as a significant amount of new
product has been added. The overall market occupancy rate in greater Orlando
now stands at almost 89.3 percent, down from 92.4 percent in 2001. The average
annual apartment absorption in Orlando during the five-year period from 1997
to 2002 was 6,900 units; for 2002, absorption has averaged almost 4,400 units per
year (as of March 2002).
• The Kissimmee/Osceola County sub-market had 2,009 single-family production
home construction starts in 2001, or 21 percent of the Orlando area’s total. This
is the second highest of all the Orlando sub-markets. There were a total of 1,827
starts in this sub-market in 2000, which was about the same percentage of the
Orlando total experienced in 2001. There were a total of 1,943 closings in 2001,
or 21.8 percent of the Orlando total. This is a slightly higher penetration rate
than the 19.9 percent noted in 2000. Average sales price was $180,900 in 2001,
which was about 94 percent of the area-wide average of $192,100.
• There were a total of 193 single-family custom home construction starts in the
Kissimmee/Osceola County sub-market in 2001, or 23.2 percent of the region’s
total. That penetration rate is up from the 18.7 percent experienced in 2000. The
number of units closed also totaled 193. Although this is a decrease from the 203
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closings in 2000, the penetration rate actually went up in 2001.
There were a total of 460 multi-family for sale construction starts in the Kissimmee/Osceola County
sub-market in 2001, which accounted for 50 percent of the region’s total. This sub-market had by
far the most units of any other area in the region. The next highest concentration of construction
starts was in the Longwood/Altamonte Springs area, which had 12 percent of the region’s total. The
number of starts in the Kissimmee/Osceola County sub-market was only slightly less than the 479
units started in 2000. In 2001, there were a total of 403 closings, or 46.9 percent of the area’s total.
The number of closings actually increased significantly from 2000 to 2001 (286 to 403 closings). The
average sales price of $134,100 in 2001 was at the area’s average. Average sales prices increased 6.3
percent from 2000 to 2001 ($126,200 to $134,100).
Typical Development Modules for Downtown Area Markets
The following development “modules” are presented as a synthesis of market analysis by Real Estate
Research Consultants (RERC), combined with the results of competitive project reviews and developer interviews. These typical modules represent our initial assessment of existing market conditions
and development activities prevailing in the “near-downtown” community.
We derived these modules by building upon prior market analysis and by reviewing physical and market characteristics of several thousand projects in the metropolitan area via our in-house database of
development information. We also applied our local knowledge and experience to the analysis of
these statistics in order to suggest modules that are responsive to specific considerations within the
Downtown Kissimmee project area and its setting. Each of the modules is supported by statistical
data included as appendix materials in RERC’s market research report.
These modules are intended to set some guidelines by which local developer and builder interests
are likely to respond to land use and planning opportunities within the project area. Such “typical”
patterns are normally set by land use regulations, financial criteria, lender requirements, operational
considerations, traffic considerations, marketing programs, and absorption potential. When evaluating the practicality of traditional or other alternative urban design solutions for the Downtown
Kissimmee area, these modules should serve as guidelines for “packaging” properties into “projects”
or neighborhoods.
The following “modules” address general land use descriptions, typical project size, typical parcel
size, density and intensity factors, price/rental ranges, and absorption potential.
Following the descriptions of “modules”, the potential application of these development opportunities within the Downtown Kissimmee study area is briefly summarized.
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Prototypical Development Modules
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Typical Development Module: Single-Family Residential
Project
General Character:
•
•
Normally detached units; could include zero lot-line and townhouse product.
Amenity package concentrates on streetscape and individual
units; relies on community open space and facilities.
Typical Project Size
•
10 -40 units; 2-10 acres, depending on density.
Typical Land Parcel Size (per unit)
•
•
4,600 - 8,000 square feet for detached units.
3,400 - 3,600 square feet for attached units.
Density/Intensity
•
•
•
Overall level set by zoning, but can vary widely within project
area
Range of 3.25 - 6.00 dwelling units/acre for detached units.
Attached units in 8.00 - 10.00 dwelling units/acre range
Price/Rental Range
•
•
•
•
•
Variable, depends on specific location and target markets.
Multiple options available due to size and configuration of properties.
$110,000 - $150,000 for entry-level price demands
$150,000 - $225,000 for moderate price demands
$250,000 + for high-end demands
Absorption Potential
•
•
Review of successful regional projects selling more than 10 units
over past five years shows absorption rate ranging from 1.5 to 4.0
units per month.
Average absorption experienced by these projects was 2.5 units
per month. Therefore:
25 units = 10 months
50 units = 20 months
Typical Development Module: Apartment Project
General Character:
•
“Urban apartment” design concept; 3-4 story buildings.
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•
•
•
Target markets are young professionals, empty-nesters, aging
“boomers.”
About half of units one-bedroom; other half mainly two-bedrooms.
Amenity package of secure, structured parking; swimming pools,
fitness center; business center; social facilities; cable TV, on-site
security; and concierge services (optional).
•
250 - 300 units
Typical Parcel Size
•
3 to 6 acres at densities prevailing in downtown area.
Density/Intensity
•
Range of 40 to 100 dwelling units/acre can be expected.
Price/Rental Range
•
•
•
1 bedroom approximately $750 - $900 monthly
2 bedroom approximately $875 - $1,200 or more monthly
3 bedroom approximately $1,100 - $1,500 or more monthly
•
Approximately 20 to 30 units per month, based on recent leasing
experience of new Orlando downtown area projects.
Typical Development Module: Condominium Project
General Character:
•
•
•
•
•
Projects appear in many different configurations but the dominant pattern is a townhouse style property with 6-8 attached units
as the basic module.
Amenities clearly vary by price of unit but are most likely to
include a health club and pool, much as the standard apartment
complex would offer.
Garages and carports are common features in this market’s condos except in the very lowest price range.
Upscale units are not that discernible from detached homes offering significant square footage and pools within each unit’s courtyard.
The highest density projects, those in 3-8 story configurations, are
almost universally oriented to some kind of water feature. There
are very few exceptions.
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•
•
Average size in the market is approximately 1,200 to 1,500 SF.
The market is clearly dominated by relatively low-priced product. Since 1996, the average price of condos regionally has been
around $110,000, but prices ranged to $300,000.
Typical Project Size:
•
•
•
There are no parameters that can be easily identified because condominiums have represented such a small market segment in this
region.
Upscale projects have generally been small, no more that 24-40
units.
The lowest-end projects have average between 100-150 units,
although there are some notable exceptions.
Typical Parcel Size:
•
•
There has been no standard size in this market. On a nominal
scale, condominium projects represent smaller undertakings, no
more than 7-10 acres at the most.
Urban in-fill projects can be quite small (less than 2 acres).
Density/Intensity:
•
•
•
Upscale properties are fairly intense, certainly compared to homes
of similarly sized living areas.
Expect 10 to 20 units/acre
Expect 10-12 units/acre for low and mid priced projects
Price/Rental Range:
•
Price structure is dominated by lower end product with the average around $120,000, with a fairly significant percentage over
$150,000.
Absorption Potential:
•
Unlikely to be much action in the condominium market, perhaps
20-50 units per year optimistically, assuming multiple builders or
price points.
Typical Development Module: Office Project
General Character:
•
•
Mid-scale and low-rise office buildings similar to existing development in downtown area.
Multi-tenant occupancy will be predominant, but smaller singletenant and professional buildings also possible.
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•
•
Individual buildings concentrated in range of 10,000 - 75,000
square feet of gross leasable area (GLA).
Mainly 1-4 stories, but mid-rise also possible, depending upon the
allowable floor-area-ratio (FAR).
Typical Parcel Size
•
•
Dependent upon floor-area-ratio (FAR) for individual buildings
1-3 acres for a typical building at commonly found FAR
Density/Intensity
•
•
FAR approximately equal to 0.25-0.30 with surface parking
With structured parking, FAR may go up to 1.0 or 2.0
Price/Rental Range
•
$18.00 - $25.00 per square foot under current market (general
occupancy vs. medical professional)
•
•
Projected demand potential measured by area growth could support absorption of 200,000 square feet or more over 5-10 year
development period, including “speculative” and professional
demand.
Typical “speculative” office module expected to be absorbed in
6-18 months.
Typical Development Module: Retail Project
General Character:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Mainly convenience goods, unique shopper goods, and personal
services.
Could also include offices for firms providing services to residents -- e.g. family medical and dental services, insurance, and
residential real estate brokers.
Could also include ethnic restaurants and entertainment.
Primary target markets for new retail are local residents, nearby
employees, and ethnic populations; other drive-by shoppers
would be secondary market.
Development concentration should be promoted on main-streets,
such as Main Street, Broadway, or Central Avenue to help create
stronger market position.
Traditional “strip” development pattern in older buildings should
gradually be replaced with newer, “village-style” retail facilities
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with more creative parking solutions.
•
•
1,500 - 5,000 square feet of GLA
Reflects typical project size in local and nearby market areas.
Typical Parcel Size
•
5,000 to 40,000 square feet (0.1 to 1.0 acres) at FAR commonly
found in local and nearby market areas.
Density/Intensity
•
FAR range of 0.20 to 0.5; can vary according to design concept,
parking ratios, storm water requirements, etc.
Price/Rental Range
•
Current market calls for average rent of $10.00 - $20.00 per
square foot.
•
•
Demands generated by stable resident population and employment base.
Absorption of neighborhood shopping emphasizing convenience
goods and consumer services could total 100,000 to 200,000
square feet over 20-year period. Does not include individual
shops “built-to-suit” for owner or replacement of functionally
obsolete buildings.
Typical Development Module: Hotel or Lodging Project
General Character:
•
•
•
•
•
•
2-10 story buildings, probably suite configurations
Combination of balcony and double loaded hall access
To support nearby medical and professional activities, could offer
small blocks of meeting space
Amenity package typically includes pool, small health club, limited
service dining
Most associated with chains, such as Sheraton, Marriott, Hilton,
Embassy Suites
Project might be either conventional room, oriented to a business
traveler or suites
Typical Project Size:
•
150-175 units, average, but as small as 75-85 units in emerging
“fringe” settings
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Typical Parcel Size:
•
Sites may be less than an acre but are 2-3 acres, on the average.
Density/Intensity:
•
•
•
Like parcel and project size, great variation
On the low end, 15-20 units/ acre not uncommon
On the high end, 50-70 units/acre not uncommon
Price/Rental Range:
•
Room rates illustrated by the downtown Orlando/Winter Park
area range from $85 to more than $200 per night; average is $100
- $150 per night.
Absorption Potential:
•
•
A project(s) in the market area might be capable of supporting
of 150-200 rooms, potentially in two properties with different
orientation.
Most likely location would be in the waterfront part of the study
area.
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Redevelopment Opportunities
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Kissimmee Redevelopment Program
The key to a successful and sustainable redevelopment program for Kissimmee’s CRA will be dependant on
addressing issues/opportunities related to three areas – the Rinker/Beaumont/ Central Block sites, activating
the public space in Lakefront Park adjacent to Lake Tohopekaliga and stabilizing the residential integrity of
the Beaumont and Lakeshore neighborhoods. Each of these areas is of strategic importance in their own
right but, taken together, they will significantly impact the future of the center city economically, recreationally and psychologically.
Rinker/Beaumont/Central Block Sites
As an opportunity to dramatically impact the economic sustainability of Kissimmee’s core, no development
site is so critical. The incompatibility of the industrial use of the four-acre Rinker operation is an inhibiting
factor to the expansion of the hospital, limits options on nearby properties and is detrimental to optimizing
higher quality development in the core of the CRA area. With the extension of the Martin Luther King, Jr.
Drive, this will become even more evident.
The availability of the nearby Beaumont property also offers a significant opportunity to have a positive
economic impact on downtown and the community as a whole. Recently purchased by Osceola County,
this former school board property is currently serving as offices for county and elected constitutional officer
administrative staff. The need for additional space has already been acknowledged and a space programming analysis is currently underway. The current options for the site revolve around the expanding office
space and parking needs of the County, how best to serve the public (i.e. unified administrative services) and
acknowledgement of the County’s economic impact on downtown Kissimmee.
The Beaumont site is strategically located and, with an appropriate development strategy, can be the catalyst
for both economic expansion and neighborhood preservation while meeting County objectives. The site
consists of around 20 acres with approximately 12-14 developable (remainder set aside for road r-o-w and
on-site storm water detention). Existing improvements include a former elementary school, now being used
as county offices and the aging, historic Osceola High School building. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive
roadway extension will serve as the northern border to the site and will provide excellent access. North of
the roadway extension lie the Osceola Regional Medical Center campus, the Rinker operations, and a few
small businesses. There are also storm water detention facilities located in this area.
To maximize the development impact as well as optimize the overall phasing opportunities, particularly for
the county’s development program, the assembly of the block bounded by Central, Robinson, Lake and Park
Streets is recommended. Currently, the site consists of numerous ownerships, a variety of uses with under
utilization of property. The acquisition would also enhance the urban design and amenity possibilities related
to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive construction.
Market Opportunity - The strategic location and size of the Rinker/Beaumont/Central Block sites provides opportunity for a variety of uses that would significantly support economic growth within the CRA
area. The mix of uses that could be developed include medical support services, day care services, public
administrative offices, professional and financial offices as well as multi-family residences. The development
of a community school to support the adjacent residential neighborhoods should also be considered.
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Site Availability - To properly develop this area, the acquisition of certain properties is essential. This would include the purchase of the four acre Rinker site and
relocation of this industrial use. The purchase of the block bounded by Central/
Robinson/Lake and Park would provide the optimum flexibility in meeting the
City’s/CRA’s redevelopment goals. This purchase could better accommodate Osceola
County’s facilities needs in an appropriately phased and cost efficient development
program. Accommodating the County’s needs on this new site could free up the 20
acre county-owned Beaumont parcel for development better suited to support neighborhood preservation and enhancement. Once the Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive is
built, the City/CRA would is essence have control of three of the corners to this new
“entrance” to downtown.
Development Program - As identified in the market opportunity segment above,
the development program could be a mix of uses as well as a combination of both
public and private investment. On the northwest corner (Rinker site- see Location
Map #1), the Osceola Regional Medical Center would be able to systematically
expand to support its dynamic growth. The development support for the hospital
would include a day care center (3-4 acres), a structured parking facility (which could
be shared with other adjacent users) and sites for additional medical facilities.
The northeast corner (Central/Robinson/Lake and Park block) could serve as
Osceola County’s site for needed constitutional officer facilities, of which, a need
of approximately 30,000 sq. ft. have already been identified, as well as future county
administrative space. The development program could be phased over a 3 to 10
year period with sharing of structured parking facilities with the Medical Center an
efficient use of resources.
The southwest corner (Beaumont site) could be developed with both public and
private resources. A need for more in-town housing to support the growing hospital workforce would provide a market for quality multi-family units. The site could
also accommodate a much-needed community school to help stabilize the residential
integrity of adjacent neighborhoods.
Cost of Site(s) - The initial estimates for the cost of the Rinker site and Central/
Robinson/Park/Lake site is estimated $1.0 to $1.50 million ranges, exclusive of relocation and demolition costs.
Impediments - The major impediments to the land assembly will most likely be the
costs associated with relocating the Rinker operation. There may also be environmental-related issues as a result of the industrial uses on the site over a long period
of time.
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Rinker/Beaumont/Central Location Map #1
Rinker Site
Central Block Site
Beaumon t Site
Real Estate Research Consultants, Inc.
Page 21
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Economic Impacts – The successful assembly and development of these sites will
have a substantial economic impact not only on downtown but the community as a
whole. The estimated development program could include the following:
Investment
Jobs
Hospital expansion
$15,0000,000
75 to 100
Private Office Development $5,000,000
200
Osceola County Office
$3,000,000 - $6,000,000
150 to 250
Residential
$8,000,000 - $15,000,000
100 to 200 residents
Day Care Center
$1,500,000
25 to 40
Public Commitment/Incentives – The major public commitment should be assistance with land assembly and relocation costs. Estimates range from $1,000,000 to
$1,500,000 depending on relocation costs
Three Way Partnership - The success of the implementation strategy will depend
on the coordinated use of resources from the three key partners most impacted:
Osceola County, the City of Kissimmee/CRA and the Osceola Regional Medical
Center. Below are the key issues related to each of the partners:
County Perspective
• County purchased site to accommodate space needs of constitutional officers as well as additional administration offices.
• County is currently using former school facilities to serve as
offices with approximately 200 employees on site.
• There appears to be enough land to accommodate near and longterm needs on a phased basis (depending on density of development).
• The infrastructure serving the site is available but needs to be
upgraded.
• The County is a willing partner in meeting City/CRA’s goals for
downtown improvements.
• County recognizes that there could be an opportunity that
includes private development on the site (i.e. residential on western most side).
• Joint use of parking facilities with other entities (i.e. hospital, private development, etc.) is a possibility.
• The County’s employment base and draw, as a downtown destination is critical to a healthy CBD.
• The County does not want to adversely impact residential neighborhoods.
Quality urban design is important. City/CRA Perspective
• Beaumont site is in “friendly” hands with a partner that understands its importance to downtown.
• City wants site to complement growth potential of medical cenCity of Kissimmee - Community Redevelopment Plan
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•
•
•
•
•
•
ter, stabilizing adjacent residential areas and creating complementary private opportunities.
City wants to encourage a greater intensity of development, be it
public or private, particularly as it relates to parking.
City would encourage private development opportunities on site
that support medical complex and downtown (i.e. daycare, housing, offices, etc.)
Quality urban design is essential, as the Martin Luther King, Jr.
Drive extension will become a new gateway to downtown.
Development of site should encourage pedestrian movement to
support retail on Broadway.
City is willing to use resources to support its objectives – quality
urban design, a higher density mix of uses, land assembly, parking, infrastructure upgrades, etc.
City strongly supports the relocation of incompatible land uses
to stimulate economic development in the area and will provide
resources to meet the goal.
Osceola Regional Medical Center Perspective (i.e.
Hospital)
• Hospital will be adding a $55 million expansion to existing campus including 150 new jobs to its 800+ existing base – to be completed in early 2005.
• Private development on campus will be adding an additional
20,000 sq. ft. to medical offices of existing building.
• Hospital would like to expand campus all the way to Central for
future development opportunities.
• Rinker operations are a negative development and environmental
influence on current real estate assets.
• Hospital wants to support the development of an on-site, 24hour daycare facility (need 3-4 acres).
• Hospital feels removal of incompatible land uses along Central
would create greater opportunities for higher quality, private,
developments that would complement medical services.
• Joint use of parking facilities would be favorably supported.
Waterfront Hospitality Center Site/Lakefront Park
Market Opportunity – The highly desirable waterfront location, proximity to
Broadway and under utilization of the park area, provides an exciting opportunity for
the City. There is a market demand for quality hospitality related development that
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could serve the local residents as well as be attractive to the large visitor population
along U.S. 192. The publicly owned recreational area on the shores of Lake “Toho”
is a special community asset. As a public venue for special events, active and passive
recreational activities, fishing and other water-related enterprises, the parkland has
served the community for many years as civic focal point. The recent decision to
abandoned a portion of Lakeshore Blvd. and reroute traffic along Johnston Street
provides exciting new opportunities as an even more prominent regional destination.
While the park area along the lake’s shore has certainly provided a venue for a myriad
of activities, these tend to be sporadic events, over short periods of time and usually
on weekends. In short, it is not a destination that constantly drives significant numbers of people to the lakeshore and through downtown. Its almost exclusive daytime
use also reduces traffic to the area for after dark activities.
Many communities throughout the country have begun to rediscover their waterfronts over the last two decades, leveraging these assets to increase the economic
vitality of their center city neighborhoods. Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Norfolk, Baltimore,
Cleveland, Providence and number of older northern cities have transformed decaying, industrial areas into vibrant recreational, residential and entertainment areas that
have completely rejuvenated their cities. Close to home, Orlando, Sanford, Cocoa,
Fort Myers, Lakeland and other communities have focused resources on their waterfront areas to create private investment opportunities for new restaurants, shops,
hotels, meeting places and residential developments. The mix of uses adds to the
24-hour activity and generates added traffic to enhance the customer base to already
existing businesses, as well as stimulate new retail investments.
Site Availability – The most promising aspect of the development is that all of the
available property is in public ownership and there is adequate space for the development program.
Development Program – The recommended development program should include
a full service, quality restaurant, a modest-sized (up to 150 rooms) lodging facility and adequate space (12,000 – 25,000 sq. ft.) to accommodate a variety of local
and regional meetings. In addition, the boating facilities for both power and sailing
should be upgraded and incorporated into the entire hospitality experience. This
should allow the City to maximize its ability to leverage the real estate asset to insure
a quality development, exciting design, competent management, while optimizing
the destination potential to add to the customer base for the Broadway retailers and
businesses. The specific area within Lakefront Park for the proposed development
should be carefully identified as it relates to the American Legion and Yacht Club
needs, as well as reviewing the overall recreational function of the park.
Cost of Site – While there are no costs to purchasing the site, there will be costs
incurred related to relocation or accommodation of the needs of certain current
tenants in the park - Yacht Club, American Legion, City’s Parks and Recreation
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Waterfront Hospitality Location Map #2
Waterfront
Hospitality Center
Site
Page 26
94
Offices.
Impediments – No major impediments are apparent. Cost of relocating current
tenants has not been determined. There will be a need to work closely with the State
and Water Management District to enhance shore and lake uses while still being sensitive to the environmental needs.
Economic Impacts – The successful implementation of a quality hospitality development should pay significant dividends to the City and CRA. While the economic
impact will provide taxes and jobs, a more important aspect of the program will
be the enhanced utilization of this wonderful public asset by residents and visitors
alike.
Restaurants (5,000 sq. ft.)
Lodging Facility (100-150 rooms)
Marina Upgrade
Investment
$1,000,000
$8.5-$12.5M
$300,000
Jobs
20
75-100
Public Commitment/Incentives – The major commitment will require the City to
make the site available for sale or long-term lease, to complete the proposed realignment of Lakeshore Blvd., to accommodate the relocation of existing tenants and
commit to a long-range plan to upgrade recreational and park facilities.
•
•
•
•
Enhance the recreational and open space amenities in the park,
including the upgrading of infrastructure (sidewalks, lighting,
benches, monuments, etc.) and landscaping.
Explore possible residential opportunities on the southern-most
portion of site, possibly incorporating privately held property as
an assembled site.
Accentuate the connection of the park and lake to Broadway
through quality urban design.
Actively market downtown through coordinated events generated
through this newly developed destination.
Lakeshore and Beaumont Neighborhoods
Stabilizing the residential integrity of the Lakefront and Beaumont neighborhoods
adjacent to the Central Business District is essential to its economic sustainability.
The current zoning that allows commercial uses in residential structures dilutes the
economic vitality of the historic commercial areas. This dilution is manifested in two
ways: (1) the conversions reduce the residential inventory and the close-in household
disposable income available for retail, restaurant and service sales; (2) it creates additional inventory of commercial spaces, lowering lease rates in traditional commercial
areas to try and compete.
The commercial conversions also add to the traffic intrusion to the neighborhoods
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and increase public safety concerns, as most of these buildings are not occupied after
dark. An additional issue is that incompatible land uses are negative influences on the
residential environment contributing to neighborhood degradation due to traffic and
public safety concerns. This degradation adds to the desire to convert to commercial
uses to get the highest value for the real estate. In city after city where this has taken
place, the economic impact on the commercial areas has been extremely negative,
calls for public services have risen and eventually the tax base has fallen.
Kissimmee’s issues are no different. The city should adopt a strategic policy to convert land uses back to residential uses at every opportunity.
This can be done through voluntary rezoning, incentives to rezone, public acquisition and rezoning. The state’s Harris Act makes it infeasible to down zone areas
without just financial compensation. Ironically, in a number of communities where
“down-zoning” has occurred, the value of the residences has risen higher than the
commercial conversions, resulting in a significant improvement to the community’s
quality of life.
Market Opportunity – The proximity to the downtown makes both neighborhoods
candidates for major residential improvements. Urban residential infill properties are
experiencing tremendous increases in real estate value throughout the country and
within the region. One of the keys to attracting new investment is creating a true
residential neighborhood environment where individuals and families want to live.
Commercial intrusion, created by mixed land uses that increase traffic through these
areas has been detrimental to the stability of these neighborhoods.
Development Program – There is no single development program required to successfully support the preservation of these two neighborhoods. It will take modifications to existing land use and zoning codes to eliminated further commercial
intrusion. There may be opportunities for City of CRA land purchases or incentive
programs to encourage “down zoning” for residential uses.
Understanding the key elements for a successful in-town residential environment
– solid housing stock, mix of household income levels, mix of home ownership
and rental properties, neighborhood retail services, good pedestrian circulation, safe
streets, good street lighting, tree canopy, accessibility to open space and schools – all
are factors that contribute to long-term stability.
Impediments – The greatest impediments to successfully recapture the residential
uses, particularly in the Beaumont neighborhood, is the already existing zoning that
allow for commercial uses through the conversion of former residences.
Economic Impacts – While no specific dollar figure has been calculated for the
successful implementation of such a program, the values of other similar residential
areas within the region have dramatically increased. In some cases, such as Orlando,
the per square foot residential sales are the highest in the City. Equally important,
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Neighborhood Preservation Location Map #3
Beaumont
Neighborhood
Lakefront
Neighborhood
Page 29
97
the influx of new residents has meant more disposable income for neighborhood/
downtown businesses, fewer calls for public safety services, code enforcement and
other City services as these new stakeholders are living in these homes 24 hours a
day, all year round.
Public Commitment/Incentives – There will be a cost associated with a successful
implementation effort. However, a concerted effort of residents, property owners
and the City/CRA should produce a thoughtful, strategic program that balances the
interests of the various stakeholders. It won’t be easy, but in the long run, it will be
an important key to Kissimmee’s improvement of a long-term quality of life.
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Appendix B
Inventory
The Inventory Summary Report is intended to document the existing conditions in
the Kissimmee Redevelopment Area. It also establishes the foundation for recommendations set forth in later sections of the Plan. The inventory pertains to both
physical conditions and programs that will affect the future of the community.
Population and Demographics
The City of Kissimmee is located in the northwest portion of Osceola County, about
five miles east of Disney World and just south of the Orlando metropolitan area. The
City is approximately 18.64 square miles in size. According to 2001 data Kissimmee
has a population of about 50,000, which is about 27.7% of the population in all of
Osceola County.
The following table shows the population breakdown in the City of Kissimmee.
Age Group
Below 18 years
18 - 24
25-44
45-64
Over 65
Gender
Male
Female
Racial/Ethnic
One Race
White
Black/African
American
American Indian and
Alaska Native
Asian
Native Hawaiian and
Other Pacific Islander
Other
Two or More Races
Hispanic or Latino (of
any race)
27.0%
12.0%
34.9%
18.5%
7.6%
23,682
24,132
49.5%
50.5%
45,586
32,139
95.3%
67.2%
4,775
10.0%
247
0.5%
1,614
3.4%
46
0.1%
6,765
2,228
14.1%
4.7%
19,945
41.7%
Land Use
Overview
There are 1272 parcels of land in the Redevelopment Area occupying 606.44 acres
of land. Land use in the Community Redevelopment Area consists of approximately
26% residential uses, 12% commercial uses, and 18% institutional uses. The balance is made up of transportation, utilities, industrial, recreation, conservation, and
undeveloped uses. In several areas, especially near primary corridors and institutional
areas, residential land is transitioning to office commercial uses. These transitions,
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and associated increased vehicular traffic, are causing land use conflicts, public safety
hazards, and the deterioration of the historic neighborhoods.
At 18%, the CRA has a disproportionately high percentage of institutional land uses.
With the exception of the hospital, these are largely City and County owned facilities that are not on the tax rolls. Although these uses are stable and important to the
functioning community, they do not contribute to the revenue stream for the City.
It will be important during the redevelopment process to identify which institutional
properties may present an opportunity to be returned to the tax rolls via sale to the
private sector. One possible example is the Beaumont site, currently the home to
County Constitutional offices.
Current Land Use
Use Description
Single Family
Multi-Family
Other Residential
Mixed-Use
Commercial/Office
Commercial/Office
Commercial/Office
Institutional
Transportation
Industrial
Utilities
Recreational
Conservation
Undeveloped
Total
Count
577
100
2
13
14
162
56
101
3
14
5
5
4
216
1272
Acres
134.15
24.59
0.29
4.95
6.84
46.83
18.01
110.41
1.03
17.17
3.37
24.29
134
80.51
606.44
Percent
22.12%
4.05%
0.05%
0.82%
1.13%
7.72%
2.97%
18.21%
0.17%
2.83%
0.56%
4.01%
22.10%
13.28%
100.00%
Categories
Single Family – SF
There are 577 parcels of SF in the Redevelopment Area, totaling 134.15 acres, or
22% of the total CRA acreage. These parcels are located throughout the study area,
with large concentrations on the west side in the vicinity of Sumner, Mabbette and
Verona to the north of Emmett, an Bryan, Patrick, Hughey, Portage, and Penfield
Streets between Emmett and Clay. There is another concentration on the northeast
corner of the Area between Cherry and Park, along Palmway, Brack, Bay, and Royal
Streets, and a third southeast of the railway near the lakefront.
Multi-Family – MF
There are 100 parcels of MF in the CRA, totaling 24.49 acres, or 4% of the total CRA
acreage. The MF parcels are scattered throughout the Area, mostly within the large
concentrations of Single Family uses in the historic neighborhoods. Multi-Family
uses are often attributed to the conversion of large historic homes into rooming
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houses, which constitutes another destabilizing influence in these areas.
Other Residential – OR
There were 2 parcels of OR in the Area totaling .29 acres. These parcels are located
on the southeast corner of Pleasant and Monument and are now undeveloped.
Mixed Use – M
There are 13 M parcels totaling 4.95 acres, about 1% of the total CRA acreage. The
Mixed Use parcels are located primarily in the downtown area along Broadway, with
several on the north end between Central and Main.
Commercial/Office
On the Current Land Use Map, the Commercial/Office parcels are located primarily
along John Young Parkway, Emmett, Broadway, Main, and U.S. 192. The parcels are
subdivided into the below three categories:
•
•
•
MTS - There are 14 MTS parcels located in the area. They total
about 4.95 acres and 1% of the total acreage.
S - There are 162 S parcels in the Redevelopment Area, totaling
46.83 acres, or 8% of the total.
T - There are 56 T parcels, totaling 18.01 acres and 3% of the
total CRA acreage.
Institutional – IN
There are 101 parcels of Institutional in the CRA, totaling 110.41 acres, approximately 18% of the total acreage. These parcels are located throughout the heart of the
Redevelopment Area and include the Osceola Regional Medical Center at Oak and
Central, the County Constitutional offices (Beaumont site) at Central and Aultman,
the Courthouse between Emmett and Patrick, City Hall and several churches between
Central and Drury, the library and civic center between the railway and Lake Toho,
and the city park southeast of the railway along the lakefront.
Transportation – TR
There are 3 parcels categorized as Transportation, totaling 1.03 acres and less than 1%
of the total CRA acreage. These parcels, including the Amtrak depot and Greyhound
station, are located along the railway corridor at Ruby, Dakin, and Sproule Streets.
Industrial – I
There are 14 Industrial parcels totaling 17.17 acres, about 3% of the total acreage.
There are several industrial parcels, including the Rinker Site, on Central near the
hospital, and the Florida Rock site between Clay and the Neptune Road property.
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Utilities – UT
There are 5 Utilities parcels totaling 3.37 acres, or about 1% of the total acreage in the
CRA. Utilities parcels include the KUA plant on the south corner of Clay and Ruby,
the Sprint facility on the south corner of Broadway and Drury, and the TWC office
on the north corner of Sproule and Church.
Recreational – R
There are 5 Recreation parcels in the CRA totaling 24.29 acres, or about 4% of the
total CRA acreage. This includes the entire lakefront between Lakeshore Drive and
Lake Toho, as well as the Lakefront Park between Johnston and Lakeshore.
Conservation – C
There are 4 Conservation parcels totaling 134 acres, about 22% of the total acreage.
The Neptune Road property occupies these sites on the east side of the Area.
Undeveloped – U
There are 216 undeveloped sites in the Redevelopment Area, totaling about 80.51
acres, or 13% of the total acreage in the CRA. These parcels are scattered throughout
the CRA in both commercially and residentially zoned areas.
Site Inventory Conditions
Building Age and Conditions
The City of Kissimmee, Osceola County, and the Osceola Regional Medical Center
have made considerable investment in their facilities downtown and have stimulated
private investment in refurbishment of the building stock. Throughout the residential areas new investment in building renovation is occurring. Partially through the
success of the CRA residential grant program, substantial physical and structural
improvements have stimulated additional private investment, which is a trend that
the City should support. However, a significant number of deteriorating or dilapidated buildings still exist in the area. These conditions are an indication of a lack of
private investment in maintaining the integrity and value of existing development or
in redevelopment. The presence of deteriorated buildings impairs economic growth
in a community by negatively impacting the investment environment. In addition,
deteriorated buildings create additional expense for the community in the need for
increased code enforcement personnel and inspections.
Another indication of the building stock quality in an area can be the relative age of
the buildings. Aging buildings typically require increased maintenance and repair. In
addition, the interior space, exterior appearance, and functional aspects of older buildings may be obsolete for modern market demands. When market demand declines,
lease revenues decline, and investment in upkeep or enhancement may suffer.
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Many of the buildings in the Kissimmee CRA are over seventy years old, having been
built between 1900 and 1929. These buildings are scattered throughout the CRA,
with large concentrations on Sumner, Mabbette, Verona, and Emmett Streets. There
is another cluster south of Emmett Street on Bryan, Patrick, Portage, Penfield, and
Clyde Streets. Older buildings are also clustered south of Oak Street between Main
and Bay Streets.
The age of a building in and of itself is not a blighting condition. If adequate investment and maintenance is made, older buildings can remain viable and desirable in
the real estate market. In fact, the historic building stock and attractive neighborhood setting in Kissimmee has caused a resurgence in private housing renovations.
Conversely, a concentration of older, poorly maintained and dilapidated buildings
creates many negative influences in an area: a loss of economic status, lack of interest
in new development, increased crime, and decreased revenues for businesses.
Older buildings are often more costly to maintain. Combined with the potential for
lower market demand, the likelihood is increased that deterioration will occur in areas
with a concentration of older buildings.
The combination of older building stock with deteriorating conditions results in
other negative factors in the community, including:
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
Depressed property values, resulting in lower local tax revenues.
Increased fire hazard potential.
Increased code enforcement demands.
Concentration of low-income groups and marginal businesses
with decreased potential for investment to reverse the blighting
conditions.
Creation of an environment that is attractive to transients and
conducive to criminal activity.
Low potential for rents promotes the conversion of single-family homes to multi-family units, often as single room occupancy
units, resulting in a decrease in long-term homeowners.
Creation of a poor market environment, where existing businesses relocate to other, more stable areas, and new businesses
do not replace them.
Historic Buildings
There are 712 properties in the CRA that are more than fifty years old. Only a
handful of these properties are eligible for nomination to the National Register of
Historic Places. A historic properties survey completed in 1991 recommends that the
City apply for Historic District status for the downtown area, which contains 224
buildings over fifty years old. City staff is currently working with property owners
on Broadway to obtain Historic District designation for this area. The City has also
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initiated a neighborhood planning program that has been relatively successful in its
infancy. This program should provide an effective forum for community involvement
geared toward the preservation of Kissimmee’s historic neighborhoods.
Until recently, there was not a lot of change in use of historic structures. However,
over the past five years, there are residential areas going through land use transitions
to office/commercial on streets such as Emmett and Mabbette. The original settlement patterns in Kissimmee began in the 1880s, establishing a rich cultural heritage
for the City that is reflected in the quaint architectural features of the commercial
buildings downtown and in the residences and churches surrounding the town. The
historic parts of the City have not experienced the development pressures that have
ravaged many historic areas in other parts of the State. Therefore, the integrity of
many of Kissimmee’s historic structures remains intact and provides an architectural
foundation for future development in the downtown and surrounding residential
areas. Due to the increased demand for professional office space occurring in around
the downtown, especially near the Courthouse, older single-family residences are converting to office use. The City and the CRA need to work closely together to monitor
these land use changes and attain both economic and historical preservation goals.
Utilities
Public Facilities
Sanitary Sewer
Wastewater treatment and sewerage services within the City of Kissimmee are presently provided by public facilities that are owned and operated by the City. There are
several single-family homes, less than two percent, that remain on septic tank systems.
These homes are scattered throughout the City. Connection to the City’s system is
required for all new development.
The City’s system consists of four operational wastewater treatment plants, 141 lift
stations, several miles of interceptor and gravity lines, force mains, and effluent disposal facilities. This system also provides service to northwestern Osceola County
and Southwest Orange County through interlocal agreements.
The system’s present design capacity is 18.4 mgd (million gallons per day). The City’s
current demand is 10.9 mgd, leaving approximately 7.5 mgd of capacity for additional
demands created by development.
The City’s Comprehensive Plan indicates that the system will need to be expanded
to maintain capacity for anticipated growth prior to 2005, and prior to 2020. The
proposed upgrades are identified in the City’s Five-Year Capital Budget and will be
necessary to accommodate increased demand as the redevelopment program evolves
in coming years.
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Potable Water
The City of Kissimmee currently provides potable water to both its corporate area
and, via interlocal agreement, to certain sections of northwest Osceola and southwest
Orange Counties. All water is drawn from the Floridan Aquifer, a deep aquifer with
good quality water needing only minimal treatment prior to distribution.
The system consists of ten water plants in three service areas. The design capacity of the water treatment system is presently 39.50 mgd. Current demand from all
service areas on the system is approximately 19.57 mgd, leaving approximately 48%
for future demands. Within incorporated Kissimmee, the demand equals roughly 114
gpcd (gallons per capita per day).
Due to extraordinary growth pressure emanating from the Orlando metropolitan
area, expansion and improvement of the potable water system to meet anticipated
future demands has been identified as a requirement in the City’s Comprehensive
Plan.
Natural Groundwater Aquifer Recharge
Approximately 90% of water for the City and its service areas is drawn from the
Floridan Aquifer System (FAS), with the remaining 10% drawn from the Surficial
Aquifer System (SAS). Primary recharge for these systems is from rainfall. Due to
low permeability clay sediments, the City of Kissimmee rests on a poor recharge
area. Most of the recharge occurs in Polk County and a portion of Osceola County,
therefore protection of these areas will not be an impediment for future development
in the redevelopment district.
Stormwater Management
The City is located near a major lake and two natural and four manmade drainage systems. Soils are primarily composed of Myakka fine sand and Basinger fine sand, both
of which are characteristically associated with high water tables. Although flooding
can occur at any time during the year, Kissimmee experiences high water levels primarily during the June-September rainy season.
The Redevelopment Area falls primarily within the City Ditch West (CDW) and
City Ditch East (CDE) manmade watersheds. CDW is located in the Area between
Robinson and Central; CDE is located just east of the Redevelopment Area and
extends into the Neptune Road Property within the Area. Continued maintenance
and improvements to CDE are necessary to control flooding that currently occurs
around the hospital. Improvements to CDW are pending.
Solid Waste
The City of Kissimmee operates and maintains solid waste collection services for single-family residential and some commercial uses located within corporate limits. This
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includes twice-weekly curbside garbage pickup and once weekly yard waste pickup.
Remaining commercial customers and all multi-family developments are contracted
out to Waste Management Inc. (WMI). Osceola County provides collection services
for residential and commercial customers outside City limits. The City does not own,
operate, or maintain disposal facilities or transfer stations for solid waste. All refuse
collected by the City is transported directly to the Southport, Bass Road, or St. Cloud
landfills for processing and final disposal.
Currently, all solid waste customers, including those serviced by WMI and the County,
receive more than adequate service. However, meeting future demand for disposal
will be challenging as all three disposal sites are nearing capacity. The Southport
Road landfill is expected to reach capacity in 2004. The County is currently evaluating alternatives to address future solid waste disposal needs. The Bass Road landfill
is currently in the process of being closed, with full closure anticipated by 2006. The
St. Cloud landfill is expected to reach capacity in late 2004. The City of Kissimmee,
Osceola County, and the City of St. Cloud will need to coordinate to ensure that adequate solid waste service can continue to be provided for the residents of Kissimmee,
including the Redevelopment Area.
During the course of the public meetings several residents expressed concern over
the location of dumpsters in the downtown area and the location and sufficiency of
the number of trash receptacles. Another concern is the responsibility of maintenance and regular trash pickup.
Electricity
The City of Kissimmee provides electricity to its residents via the Kissimmee Utility
Authority (KUA). KUA, one of only two cold storage plants in the State, is a significant revenue generator for the City. Revenue generated from KUA and the Water
Resources Department has allowed the City to cap the millage rate on ad valorem
taxes for the past seventeen years. However due to deregulation, the City needs to
position itself to offset any potential decrease in revenue from KUA by strengthening
the ad valorem tax base through the redevelopment process.
Presently the majority of distribution lines are aboveground. The CRA has a lighting standard required for all new development. The City and the CRA should work
closely with the utility authority when planning future service facilities especially considering design of streetlights and underground placement of utility lines.
Environmental Issues
Lake Tohopekaliga
Lake Tohopekaliga is approximately 21,400 acres in size, with an average depth of
seven feet. Part of the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, it receives inflow primarily from
Shingle Creek and East Lake Tohopekaliga via the St. Cloud Canal, and discharges
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into Lake Cypress. The Kissimmee Chain of Lakes flows into Lake Okeechobee and
eventually ends up in the Everglades.
Lake Toho has a history of poor water quality due to high levels of nitrogen and
phosphorous in fertilizers and agricultural waste products, past effluent discharges
from sewer treatment plants, and urban runoff. Due to changes in technology,
environmental awareness and intervention, and shifts from agricultural to urban living, these trends have been reversing since the 1980s and water quality has slowly
improved. The lake currently meets DEP Class III standards. It is partially controlled
by facilities constructed to enable the South Florida Water Management District
(SFWMD) to regulate lake elevation. A water quality study was recently completed
and SFWMD plans to drain lake for silt and sludge removal this year.
One of the overriding objectives of the redevelopment program is to improve
environmental quality using urban design principles. This can be accomplished by
addressing deficiencies through retrofit of infrastructure and the incorporation of
high-quality urban design standards.
Soils and Development Suitability
There are eighteen different soil types found in the City of Kissimmee. These can be
divided roughly into two categories: soils of the flatwoods, which are generally not
subject to flooding or ponding; and soils of the swamps, marshes and other wet areas,
which are subject to flooding and ponding.
The 134-acre Neptune Road property at the northeast end of the Redevelopment
Area is identified in the Future Land Use Plan as open space. It is one of nineteen
major undeveloped sites in the City. Samsula muck and Placid fine sand are the major
soil types found here. Both are very poorly drained soils and the latter has organic
properties that constrain development.
The majority of the soils in the Redevelopment Area are urban soils that have been
introduced to the soil regime through historic development. These altered soils are
suitable for development and should not limit development potential in the district.
Flood Zone
According to the flood zone map portions of the Redevelopment Area, specifically
along the lakeshore in the conservation and recreation areas, are in the designated
100-year flood zone. The hospital is located in the 100-year shallow flood zone, not
considered to be a hazard.
Tree Maturity
The City planted trees in the 1930s and 40s that have reached the end of their natural lifespan. Many of the laurel oaks and other trees are deteriorating and causing a
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safety hazard and increased maintenance costs. Drafting of a street tree ordinance,
species selection and variation, and consideration of the impact of stormwater drainage on tree mortality rates should be incorporated into urban design plans for future
development.
Transportation
The City of Kissimmee maintains an integrated multimodal transportation system
that includes highways, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, public transportation service,
and intermodal facilities. Roadways in the City are identified by the common classifications of Principal Arterial, Minor Arterial, Major Collector, and Minor Collector.
Principal Arterials in the Redevelopment Area include: Vine Street (U.S. 192/441),
running west/east on the northern border of the Area; and John Young Parkway
(U.S. 17-92), running north/south on the western border of the Area.
Minor Arterials include: Main Street (17-92/441), running north/south on the eastern portion of the Area and becoming Broadway Avenue in the downtown area, then
Emmett Street in the western part of the Area; and Neptune Road, running southeast
between Drury Avenue and Lake Toho in the southern portion of the Area.
Major Collectors include: Oak Street, running west/east on the northeastern border
of the Area; and a portion of Mabbette Street, running west/east in the central western part of the Area.
Minor Collectors include: Clyde Avenue, running north/south through the western
portion of the Area; Central Avenue, running north/south down the center of the
Area; Church Street, extending northeast from Mabbette Street in the downtown
area; Clay Street, running northeast along the railroad tracks from the southwest portion of the Area; and Ruby Street, Monument Avenue, and Drury Avenue, running
southeast between the downtown area and Lake Tohopekaliga.
The Comprehensive Plan identifies the City’s adopted levels of service (LOS) for all
roadways, including those in the CRA. Currently, the adopted LOS in the CRA is E
for the peak hour for major thoroughfares (principal arterials, minor arterials, major
collectors, and minor collectors).
The primary reason that several of the roadways in the CRA are operating at LOS
E/F is the number of motorists who cut through on secondary roads to avoid traffic
on the primary roads. Lakeshore Drive is reaching a critical point. The large volumes
of traffic cutting through are inhibiting the CRA’s ability to take advantage of the
opportunities presented by the waterfront area. This problem needs to be addressed
in the redevelopment program.
Transportation projects recently completed include beautification and access management on Broadway and Main Street. Projects currently underway or in the planning
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stages include improvements to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, which should provide an alternate route for Main/Broadway. Emmett, and Oak Traffic. Possible future
projects that will affect traffic circulation in the CRA include the Neptune widening
and Tohopekaliga and Poinciana (Southport Bypass) extension projects.
Parking
Parking is an important element of any redevelopment program because it often
determines the feasibility of proposed projects. A shopping district, office building,
or residential project cannot be considered unless there are adequate parking accommodations for the patrons, employees, or residents.
Presently, the main concern for parking centers in the downtown business district,
an area where parking is vital to the economic life of Kissimmee. Although there is
sufficient parking to accommodate the present daily needs of local businesses, the
downtown experiences parking problems at peak times and during the various special events that occur throughout the year. Most of the streets in the downtown area
have either parallel or angle parking. The hospital, Courthouse, County government
facility, City Hall, Civic Center, library, and police station are all large parking demand
generators that provide onsite parking. There are other demand generators at peak
times including churches in the downtown which, because of their need for expansion, are experiencing parking shortages.
To a certain extent, parking problems in the downtown are perceptual. The problem is perceived when having to walk more than one block to any destination if the
pedestrian environment is un-shaded, poorly maintained, consists of vacant lots, or
is otherwise unwelcoming. As redevelopment takes place property that is currently
vacant will become developed providing the opportunity to create a more attractive pedestrian environment. Through urban design techniques and landscaping
improvements, parking areas that are now perceived as being remote, will be better
incorporated into the urban framework with new areas of interest for the pedestrian,
occupying their attention and effectively reducing the perception of inconvenience
when walking into town for special events.
The CRA is currently designing a parking lot on Pleasant Street and Monument
Avenue, behind businesses on Broadway. This project provides an opportunity for
introducing storefront retail on Monument Avenue and Ruby Avenue to improve the
physical and functional connection between the downtown and the lakefront.
When successful, downtown redevelopment projects will increase commercial/retail
opportunities and intensify existing land uses, including additional office and residential uses. As new development occurs it will be necessary to ensure adequate convenient parking facilities.
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Regulatory Framework
Guiding Documents
There are several documents that provide general guidance for policy decisions made
by the Redevelopment Agency. The Redevelopment Plan was adopted in 1993 and
was the initial catalyst for activity in the downtown. The original Plan focused on
urban design issues and a hierarchy of capital improvements proposals. This program
led to the successful completion of streetscape improvements on Main Street and
Broadway.
Subsequent to the Redevelopment Plan, two other documents were adopted in
1994: The Private Property Appearance Guidelines and the Design and Technical
Standards. These documents were developed to assist the CRA and property owners with a reference to appropriate design treatments for property renovations and
public improvements. The Private Property Appearance Guidelines are voluntary and
suggest design elements for various properties, which are divided area into three districts. The Design and Technical Standards provide the City with guidelines for street
treatments on various levels of roadway, from residential streets to major corridors.
Additionally, the Broadway Area Comprehensive Design plan, completed in 1996,
provides recommendations for enhancing the downtown area.
Grant Program
Through the use of $750,000 in CDBG funds, and an annual revenue commitment
of $100,000 from the City, the CRA administers a grant program. The program
addresses commercial façade improvements, commercial signage, and residential
rehabilitation. These programs have assisted area residents and business owners and
had a stabilizing effect in the community. Renovations completed through this program have also provided examples for design guidelines.
Comprehensive Plan
The City’s Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 1991 and updated through the State’s
evaluation and appraisal review process in 2001. It designates future land use, guides
the timing of future growth based on infrastructure concurrency, and defines the
community’s future vision through Goals, Objectives, and Policies (GOPs). The purposed for including GOPs as an appendix to the redevelopment plan is to provide
easy reference to the principles contained in the overriding document of the redevelopment plan.
A review of the GOPs indicates general support for community redevelopment and
in some cases, provides specific policies addressing the unique characteristics of the
historic downtown, such as 100% impervious surface coverage for redevelopment
of certain areas in the downtown. However, in many instances policy statements are
contradictory and support activity that is not consistent with long-term sustainability
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of the downtown. For example, locational criteria for office and medium density
residential uses encourage undesirable land use transitions into historic residential
areas. Inconsistency between policies in the Comprehensive Plan, as well as those set
forth in the Zoning Code should be reconciled through the redevelopment program
to ensure clear direction for future land use decisions.
The following GOPs related directly to land use and other issues within the CRA:
Chapter 1 – Land Use Element
Goal 1: Land Use.
Ensure that the character and location of land uses incorporate best management
practices and principles of resource conservation, promote orderly land use transition, and minimize threats to health, safety, and welfare which may be engendered by
incompatible land uses, environmental degradation, hazards, and nuisances.
OBJECTIVE 1: PLAN AND DESIGN FOR RESIDENTIAL QUALITY. Sufficient
space shall be provided for residential development and required community facilities
to adequately meet the housing needs of the present and expected future population. Residential development shall be planned and designed to create and perpetuate
stable residential neighborhoods and implement policies stipulated below.
Policy 1.1.1: Provide Access to Goods and Services and Protect Residential
Areas From the Adverse Impacts of Transition in Land Use
Stable residential areas and projected future residential areas as delineated on the
Land Use Map shall be protected from encroachment by incompatible nonresidential
development. This objective does not preclude necessary community facilities from
locating within residential areas when such activities satisfy established criteria of this
plan and the City’s Land Development Code.
Policy 1.2.2: General Pattern of Commercial Land Use
In order to promote efficient flow of traffic along major thoroughfares cited in the
Transportation Element, achieve orderly development and minimize adverse impact
on residential quality, commercial development shall be concentrated in strategically
located areas having location characteristics which are suitable for specific land, site,
public facilities and market location requirements of their respective commercial
uses.
The Office Residential land use designation, as described herein, is designed to carry
out the intent of this objective. Land Development Code performance standards shall
require significant landscaping, screening, urban design controls, as well as nuisance
abatement standards which will assure compatibility among established residential
uses and office development.
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Policy 1.2.3: Provide Appropriate Locations for Commercial Office
Development
Office development shall be encouraged to locate on accessible sites near major thoroughfares. Office development may serve as a transitional use separating more intensive commercial uses from residential development. In addition, office complexes
may be compatible with multiple family units and/or institutional uses situated on
strategically located sites along major thoroughfares where the sites are of sufficient
size to accommodate land requirements for controlled areas, effective internal circulation and off-street parking, and inappropriate landscape, screening and buffering to
assure stability and protection of established or anticipated future residential areas.
The Office Residential land use designation, as described herein, is designed to carry
out the intent of this objective. Land Development Code performance standards shall
require significant landscaping, screening, urban design controls, as well as nuisance
abatement standards which will assure compatibility among established residential
uses and office development.
OBJECTIVE 1.5: PROMOTE COMMUNITY APPEARANCE, NATURAL
AMENITIES AND URBAN DESIGN PRINCIPLES. The appearance of major
transportation corridors service as gateways into the City, as well as major activity
centers such as the central business district, the Lake Tohopekaliga shoreline, public parks and other public grounds and institutions shall be managed and enhanced
through application of the site plan review process.
Policy 1.5.1: Reinforce and Enhance the City’s Community Appearance
Major attributes shall be preserved through application of design review standards
and management of signs, landscape, and tree removal or relocation. Special emphasis shall be placed on preserving and/or improving the Lake Tohopekaliga shoreline,
the Mill Slough and Shingle Creek drainage corridor, and major transportation corridors which serve as a focal point for the motoring public and an inviting gateway
to the visiting tourist.
Policy 1.5.2: Promote the Community Redevelopment Area
The City, in partnership with private and public organizations and area residents, shall
promote the continued revitalization of the Community Redevelopment Area (CRA)
as an important location for commercial, residential, governmental, cultural, and recreational activities by supporting the enhancement of the historic character of the
area through the use of design standards for private and public properties.
Goal 2: Future Land Use
Land Use Intensity (Maximum Allowable Impervious Surface Coverage)
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Open Space
Office-Residential
Institutional
Utilities
General Commercial
Industrial Business
Airport Industrial
30%
75%
80%
80%
80%
85%
85%
Except that the maximum allowable impervious surface coverage shall be 100%
for the following described downtown area: All of Blocks 10 through 14, Blocks
17 through 21 and Block 26, and the abutting streets, avenues, and alleys thereof,
according to the South Florida Railroad Company’s Plat of the Town of Kissimmee
City, Osceola County, Florida. Also Lot 4 of Block A, and all of Lots 2 and 3 of
Block I of W.A. Patrick’s Addition to Kissimmee City, Osceola County, Florida, and
all of Johnston’s and Prevatt’s Subdivisions of Lots 1 and 4 of Block I of said W.A.
Patrick’s Additions, and abutting streets, avenues, and alleys thereto.
Policy 2.1.3: Medium Density Residential Development (MDR)
New development in areas delineated on the Future Land Use Map for medium
density residential development shall be developed and/or maintained as residential
neighborhoods. The medium density designation is intended to ensure sufficient
land area for developments of medium density and the adequacy of existing and/or
projected public facilities for the area. Supportive community facilities and accessory
land uses may be located within areas designated MDR. The City land development
regulations shall provide regulatory procedures for considering such uses.
The designation SF/MDR is particularly appropriate for several redevelopment
areas having relatively small platted lots; areas with natural constraints which make
higher densities inappropriate; and sites service as a transition between tow or more
areas accommodating potentially incompatible development. Areas delineated on the
Future Land Use Map with the Office-Residential policy designation shall follow the
density requirements set forth for SF/MDR if residential is the proposed use.
Policy 2.2.1: Office-Residential Development (OR)
Office-Residential is a land use designation designed to accommodate professional
offices and residential uses generally located n the outer fringe of an existing residential area. This land use policy designation expressly excludes general retail sales
and services, warehouses, and outside storage. Furthermore, this policy designation
id intended for sites which:
§
§
§
Have accessibility to major thoroughfares
Have potential to be served by a full complement of urban services
Contain sufficient land area to accommodate good principles of
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§
§
§
urban design, including sufficient land area to provide adequate
landscaping and buffers to separate existing as well as potential
future adjacent land use of differing intensity
Accommodate only residential uses and professional office buildings, including financial institutions, medical facilities, and allied
services as regulated in the Land Development Code.
In some cases, these sites may be appropriate for an Office land
use designation, but due to their location, they may not be suitable
for residential uses
Frequently serve as a transition area which buffers residential uses
located in one area from a nearby area which accommodates uses
of a higher intensity.
This designation is intended primarily for areas where a mixture of residential and
office uses are appropriate. However, in some areas with the Office Residential designation, proposed office uses may require a special review process in order to maintain
the stability and character of the surrounding residential area. Therefore, in some
areas with this designation, proposed office or similar uses may require conditional
use approval, which shall be regulated through zoning policy.
Areas delineated on the Future Land Use Map for office-residential development
shall follow the density requirements set forth in the Single Family Medium Density
Residential (SF-MDR) designation category if residential is the proposed use.
Goal 3: Land Use Element Implementation
OBJECTIVE 3.2: ENCOURAGE REDEVELOPMENT AND RENEWAL.
Manage future redevelopment of declining areas. The City’s Land Use Element
within the Comprehensive Plan Data Inventory and Analysis has identified areas having a need for redevelopment activities. The City shall coordinate public and private
resources necessary to initiate needed improvement and/or redevelopment within
the affected areas by implementing the following policies:
Policy 3.2.1: Enforcement Activities
Code enforcement activities shall be conducted on a continuous basis and the success
of these activities in areas needing redevelopment will be reviewed in biennial reports
beginning in 2002. These activities will include enforcement of codes focusing on
housing conditions and yard nuisances such as the storage of junk in front yards. The
biennial reports shall include any suggested improvements in the code enforcement
process which are believed to be needed to help stabilize or improve areas needing
improvement.
Policy 3.2.2: Public and Private Sector Partnerships
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The City through its elected officials, staff, and the Advisory Board on Housing and
Community Development shall coordinate redevelopment issues with the private sector in promoting mobilization of public and private resources necessary to effectively
carry out redevelopment activities. These efforts shall include annual requests for
federal community development block grant funds.
Policy 3.3.2: Managing Improvements to Existing Non-Complying Structures
and Non-Conforming Uses
The Land Development Code shall provide standards regulating improvements
to existing non-complying structures as well as changes to non-conforming uses.
Such standards shall require that plans for alterations to non-complying structures
be denied if new structural nonconformities would be created or any existing nonconformity would be increased. In addition, the standards shall indicate that no
non-conforming use may be converted to another non-conforming use without a
reduction in the negative impact of the nonconformities on surrounding uses and
that no non-conforming use may be expanded. Determinations regarding reductions
of negative impact will be based on consideration of factors such as safety, aesthetics,
noise, lighting, odors, and vibration.
OBJECTIVE 3.4: PROTECTION OF HISTORIC RESOURCES. Land development and conservation activities shall ensure protection of historic resources through
the continued use of various regulations which help achieve this protection, intergovernmental coordination, and encouragement of private sector involvement.
Policy 3.4.1: Programming for Historic Sites
The City shall coordinate with the State in developing appropriate programs for
implementing City and State policies for preserving and enhancing sites of historical
significance. The results of initial coordination activities shall be presented in a report
completed by 2002. This will be followed by biennial reports starting in 2004 regarding public and private efforts to protect, preserve, and enhance historic sites.
Policy 3.3.2: Preventing Adverse Impact of Development on Historic Sites
The City shall use historic preservation regulations adopted in 2000, as amended
from time to time, to help avoid adverse impacts to historic sites.
OBJECTIVE 3.7: CONSIDER APPLICATION OF INNOVATIVE LAND AND
WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT CONCEPTS. Monitor state-of-the-art
concepts for managing land and water resources and land development regulations
which are responsive to unique development and conservation issues confronted by
the City.
Policy 3.9.7: Manage Current Developmental Impacts
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Evaluate and manage impacts of proposed development pursuant to existing ordinances, including, but not limited to, public facilities, natural environment and impact
on stable residential neighborhoods.
Policy 3.9.8: Urban Design and Community Appearance
Good principles of urban design shall be applied through site plan review procedures
in order to enhance general community appearance as well as to preserve and enhance
open space and landscape. This program shall assist in protecting major natural and
man-made resources within the City, including such scenic natural resources as Lake
Tohopekaliga, Shingle Creek, Mill Slough, Environmental Park, as well as developing
residential neighborhoods and centers of commercial or institutional activity.
OBJECTIVE 3.10: CONTINUING EVALUATION OF LAND USE ELEMENT
EFFECTIVENESS. The City shall use the following policies as criteria in evaluating
the effectiveness of the Land Use Element.
Policy 3.10.1: Review the Impact of Change Indicators on Land Use Policy
Trends in the magnitude, distribution and characteristics of population and land use
serve as indicators of possible changes in land use needs. The policy implications
of major trends in land use characteristics shall be evaluated on a continuing basis.
Land use policy shall be refined as needed in order to remain responsive to evolving
problems and issues.
Chapter 2 – Transportation
Goal 1: Multi-Modal System
OBJECTIVE 1.3: COORDINATING TRANSPORTATION PLANNING AND
IMPROVEMENTS: The City of Kissimmee shall coordinate transportation planning and improvements with other governmental agencies.
Policy 1.3.2: Planned Urban Area Transportation Improvements
The City of Kissimmee shall coordinate the FDOT, Osceola County, the Osceola
County Expressway Authority, Metroplan Orlando, Orange County, the OrlandoOrange County Expressway Authority, Lynx, and developers in achieving planned
improvements to transportation facilities and service including the:
k. Intermodal Transfer Facility: A downtown intermodal center is
proposed to be developed to facilitate connections between bus
routes, existing and potential rail service, taxi and limousine services, and bicycle and pedestrian ways.
m. Passenger Rail Service: Metropolitan area rail service is desired from
Kissimmee to Orlando and other regional activity centers.
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Goal 2: Traffic Circulation.
OBJECTIVE 2.1: SAFE AND EFFECTIVE ROADWAY NETWORK. Maintain a
roadway network that safely and effectively promotes mobility through use of roadway level of service (LOS) standards.
Policy 2.1.1: Level of Service Standard
The City of Kissimmee hereby adopts LOS D for the peak hour for major thoroughfares (principal arterials, minor arterials, major collectors, and minor collectors)
shown on the City of Kissimmee Major Thoroughfare Plan (Map II-1), except for
those major thoroughfares located in the Community Redevelopment Area shown in
Map II-3. LOS E is hereby adopted for the peak hour for major thoroughfares within
the Community Redevelopment Area shown in Map II-3.
OBJECTIVE 2.4: PARKING. The City shall promote the development of adequate
parking in the downtown area and elsewhere in the community to meet needs, at the
same time encouraging travel demand management strategies to attract the uses of
modes other than the auto.
Goal 3: Mass Transit
OBJECTIVE 3.1: IMPROVE BUS SERVICE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC.
Increase the availability and efficiency of bus transit service to the general public in
the City.
Policy 3.1.3: Intermodal Transfer Facility
Develop a downtown intermodal center in Kissimmee to facilitate connections with
different bus routes, existing and potential rail service, taxi and limousine services,
and bicycle and pedestrian ways.
OBJECTIVE 3.3: ENCOURAGE THE DEVELOPMENT OF PASSENGER
RAIL SERVICE. The City shall work with other regional public agencies to promote the development of regional and intercity passenger rail service to and through
Kissimmee.
Policy 3.3.2: Promote Continued Intercity Service
The City shall coordinate with Amtrak to maintain if not increase the level of intercity train service provided through Kissimmee, and provide adequate intercity train
station facilities. The City will also promote regional efforts to develop a cross-state
passenger rail connection between Port Canaveral and Tampa/St. Petersburg that
connects with a downtown intermodal station.
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Chapter 3 – Housing
Goal 1: Housing
OBJECTIVE 1.2: ACHIEVE A HOUSING STOCK FREE OF SUBSTANDARD
UNITS. The City shall undertake programs in concert with the State and federal governments to eliminate substandard housing conditions as below directed.
Policy 1.2.1: Elimination of Substandard Housing Conditions and Improvement
of Neighborhood Quality in Redevelopment Areas
The Comprehensive Plan: Data Inventory and Analysis identifies specific target areas
for possible redevelopment. The City shall continuously coordinate with the State
and federal government in order to obtain Community Block Grant Program funds
and other available resources required to eliminate substandard housing and improve
neighborhood quality within areas in need of redevelopment.
OBJECTIVE 1.5: PRESERVE HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT HOUSING. The
City shall promote the preservation and protection of housing resources identified
as historically significant, especially those located in the Osceola County Courthouse
Area.
Policy 1.5.1: Promote Identification of the City’s Historically Significant
Housing Resources
The City of Kissimmee shall encourage the continued identification, protection,
analysis, and explanation of the City’s historical resources. Such efforts shall include
determination of their worth and vulnerability, as well as implementation of preservation management policies as such resources are identified.
Policy 1.5.2: Standards to Ensure Preservation
The City shall use historic preservation regulations adopted in 2000, as amended
from time to time, to help avoid adverse impacts to historic sites, including residential
structures. Conversion to non-residential uses, such as offices, shall be discourage
when historic residential structures can be saved and rehabilitated for continuing
residential use.
Policy 1.5.3: Rehabilitation and Adaptive Re-Use of Historically Significant
Housing
The City shall assist the rehabilitation and adaptive re-use of historically significant
housing by coordinating grantsmanship functions and carrying out information and
referral services which link the private sector with potential sources of technical
assistance and funding for rehabilitation and adaptive re-use of historically significant
housing resources.
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OBJECTIVE 1.6: RELOCATION HOUSING. Uniform and equitable treatment of
persons and businesses displaced by State and local government programs shall be
provided consistent with 421.55, F.S.
Policy 1.6.1: Provide Alternative Housing Sites for Displaced Structures and
Residents Thereof.
Coordinate with the private sector in assuring that alternative sites, in comparable
housing facilities are available to persons displaced through public action prior to
their displacement. A resource document that will be used when displacement occurs
will be prepared by January 2002.
OBJECTIVE 1.7: CONSERVE NEIGHBORHOOD QUALITY AND EXISTING
HOUSING STOCK. The useful life of the existing housing stock shall be conserved
through effective implementation of laws, ordinances, and programs directed toward
preserving neighborhood quality, including conservation of natural resources, maintenance of community facilities, and code enforcement activities.
Policy 1.7.1: Promote Maintenance Housing Stock and Neighborhood
Conservation
The City of Kissimmee shall continue to enforce the City’s building, housing, plumbing, energy, electrical, and other construction codes in order to promote maintenance
of standard housing and to achieve necessary corrective action where noncompliances exist or come into existence in the future.
Policy 1.7.3: Minimize Potential Blighting Influences
Potential blighting influences within residential areas shall be minimized by promoting use of best management principles and practices of land use planning, urban
design, and landscaping in development and site plan review.
Policy 1.7.4: Promote Housing Rehabilitation and Demolish Unsafe Housing
The City of Kissimmee shall continuously coordinate with the State and federal
governments and the private sector in the encouragement of the use of available
rehabilitation funds for the improvement of substandard housing. The City shall
continuously inspect for and require the demolition of housing unites whose cost of
rehabilitation exceeds 50 percent of the appraised value.
Policy 1.7.5: Coordinate Public/Private Partnerships
In addressing housing issues requiring unique partnerships involving the public and
private sector, the City of Kissimmee shall promote effective communication and
innovative approaches to housing and neighborhood improvements which foster
mutual benefits for the public and private sectors.
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Following adoption of the future land use element, the land development regulations
shall be amended, and the City shall consider adopting locally acceptable zoning
incentives, encouraging private sector redevelopment efforts within the City. The City
shall also attempt to more effectively coordinate needed infrastructure improvements
within redevelopment target areas using both private sector funding sources as well
as available public assistance programs through the federal Environmental Protection
Agency, the Community Development Block Grant program, and federal revenue
sharing.
Chapter 4 – Public Facilities
Goal 1: Needed Potable Water and Sanitary Sewer Facilities
OBJECTIVE 1.1: ENSURE AVAILABLE PUBLIC CAPACITY. The City of
Kissimmee shall adopt procedures to require that at the time a development permit
is issued, adequate facility capacity is available or will be available when needed to
serve the development.
Policy 1.1.8: Expansion of Wastewater and Water Treatment Facilities. The City of
Kissimmee shall expand the capacity of its water and wastewater treatment facilities
in accordance with the following criteria:
a. When water and wastewater treatment facilities of effluent reuse
of disposal facilities have 42 months or less of capacity remaining, planning and preliminary design of plans and specifications
of the necessary expansion to serve as a minimum the succeeding
five years of projected demand shall be initiated.
b. When water and wastewater treatment facilities or effluent reuse
of disposal facilities have 30 months or less of capacity remaining the City shall submit construction permit applications to the
appropriate Federal, State, and local regulatory agencies for the
required expansion.
c. Construction of the expansion shall be completed and operational when six months or less of capacity are remaining.
Goal 2: Providing Facilities to Meet Existing and Projected Demands
OBJECTIVE 2.1: RECONCILE EXISTING DEFICIENCIES. The City shall
assure that deficiencies in water and wastewater facility flow capacities are corrected
in a timely manner.
a. Wastewater System Projects: No deficiencies in providing flow
capacity exist.
b. Potable Water System Projects: No deficiencies in providing flow
capacities exist.
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Chapter 4 - Stormwater Management Sub-Element
Goal 1: Needed Stormwater Management Facilities
Ensure availability of needed stormwater management facilities in a manner which
protects investments in existing facilities and promotes orderly, compact growth.
Chapter 6 – Recreation and Open Space
Goal 1: Provide Adequate Recreation and Open Space
Policy 1.2.6: Protection from Incompatible Land Uses
The City shall protect all lands designated as “open space” from incompatible land
uses by reviewing all development plans within a 300 foot radius from all public
park and open space properties per the existing Parks and Recreation and Advisory
Board ordinance. Signage will be placed designating “public park” at all properties
designated as public parks and/or open space to ensure that these properties remain
functionally intact.
Chapter 8 – Capital Improvements
Goal I: Management of Capital Improvements
OBJECTIVE 1.5: MANAGEMENT OF DEVELOPMENT ORDERS AND
PERMITS.
Policy 1.5.1: Level of Service Standards
The City shall use the following LOS standards in reviewing the impacts of new
development and redevelopment upon public facilities.
a. Sanitary Sewer: Percent of Permitted sanitary sewer capacity
(average daily): 98
b. Water: 98
c. Solid Waste: 5.1 pounds per person per day
f. Major Thoroughfares: The City of Kissimmee hereby adopts
LOS D for the peak hour for major thoroughfares (principal
arterials, minor arterials, major collectors, minor collectors)
Except for those major thoroughfares located in the Community
Redevelopment Area. LOS E is adopted for major thoroughfares
within the CRA.
Land Development Code/Zoning
All development and redevelopment in the City is regulated by the Land Development
Code (LDC), which was updated in March 2002. The LDC establishes development
standards as they relate to land uses associated with different zoning classifications.
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The LDC provides standards for site development, such as minimum lot size, setback
requirements, building size, accessory uses, parking, loading, drainage, landscape, and
signage design criteria.
Commercial
Commercially zoned parcels are located primarily in the downtown area along
Broadway, and in the Central Avenue Area including Robinson, Main, and Palmway
Streets. There are also parcels lining both sides of Emmett Street and the east side of
John Young Parkway. The vacant property east of the hospital is zoned commercial,
as is the parcel abutting the Neptune Road property on the east side of Clay Street.
B-1 – Downtown Commercial
•
Within the Redevelopment Area, there are 99 Downtown
Commercial parcels, totaling 21.51 acres-- approximately 4% of
the total acreage in the CRA.
B-3 – General Commercial
•
There are 243 parcels of General Commercial in the Area, occupying 88.88 acres, or 15% of the total acreage in the CRA.
B5 – Office Commercial
•
There are 62 Office Commercial properties in the Area, totaling
30.62 acres, or 5% of the total acreage.
Institutional
CF – Community Facility
•
There are 68 Community Facility properties within the district,
primarily in the Courthouse and City Hall areas. These parcels
occupy 61.21 acres, or approximately 11% of the total acreage in
the district.
HF – Hospital Facility
•
There is one parcel zoned Hospital Facility. The parcel is 25.20
acres in size; about 4% of the total acreage. This parcel is the
home of the Osceola Regional Medical Center on Oak Street.
IB – Industrial Business
•
There are three industrial parcels, totaling 8.01 acres and 1% of
the total acreage. These parcels are located between the railroad
and Neptune Road and house the Florida Rock site.
MUPUD – Mixed Use Planned Development
There are 23 MUPUD parcels in the district, totaling 5.33 acres, or 1% of the total
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acreage. These parcels are primarily located within a planned development park on
Clay Street between Ruby Street and Monument Avenue. There is another MUPUD
parcel located at the south end of the Redevelopment Area between Clay Street and
Penfield.
OS – Open Space
Open Space acreage consists of 17 parcels totaling 146.03 acres, or 25% of the
total acreage in the Area. Most of this is due to the 134-acre Neptune Property in
the east end of the Area. There are additional Open Space parcels just southeast of
the downtown, along Ruby and Johnston Streets, and the entire length of the Lake
Tohopekaliga shoreline within the CRA boundary.
Single Family Residential – Low Density
Single-family low-density residential zoning is divided into four subsections, depending upon the square footage. Most of these parcels are located in the eastern half of
the CRA, between Palmway Avenue and the Neptune Road Property, and the southeastern portion of the Area between Neptune and Drury, near Lake Toho.
RA-1 – Single Family Residential (12,000 Square Feet)
•
There are 69 parcels of RA-1, totaling 19.92 acres, or 3% of the
total acreage.
•
Most of the single-family low-density parcels in the Redevelopment
Area are zoned RA-2. These parcels number 195 and occupy
43.43 acres, or 8% of the total in the district.
•
There are 18 RA-3 parcels on 4.52 acres of land, or 1% of the
total acreage.
Medium Density Residential
Medium-density single-family residential properties are concentrated mainly between
John Young Parkway and the downtown area along Sumner, Mabbette, Verona,
Bryan, Patrick, Hughey, and Portage Streets. There are other pockets of medium-density single-family near the north end of Drury Street, the east end of Broadway, the
north end of Neptune, and between Johnston Street and Lakeshore Drive between
the downtown and Lake Toho.
RB-1 – Medium Density Residential
•
Most medium-density residential parcels in the Redevelopment
Area are zoned RB-1. There are 194 parcels totaling 43.49 acres,
or 8% of the total acreage.
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RB-2 – Medium Density Residential-Office
•
Medium-Density Residential Office parcels total 139, with an
acreage of 33.71, or 5% of the total acreage.
RC-1 – Multiple Family Medium Density Residential
•
There are 13 multiple family medium-density parcels in the Area,
totaling 6.35 acres, or 1% of the total acreage.
RPB – Residential Professional Business
There are 116 RPB parcels in the Redevelopment Area, totaling 30.71 acres, or 5%
of the total acreage. There are several clusters of RPB parcels: Along John Young
Parkway, on the western edge of the district; clustered around the Courthouse; On
Sproule, Church, Mitchell, and Drury Streets near the hospital, and along Oak Street
near the eastern border of the Area.
UT – Utilities
There are 8 parcels zoned for utilities, comprising 10.15 acres, or 2% of the total acreage. These parcels are concentrated at the south end of the Area between Clay Street
and Lakeshore Drive and contain the KUA plant.Goals and Objectives
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Appendix C
Public Involvement Program
Introduction
Following is a summary report outlining the information obtained during work sessions conducted August 13 and 14, 2002 in the City of Kissimmee, Florida. The
information includes an overview of the process and basic format of the meetings,
the attendees, and a brief summary of the information provided by the participants.
This information is used during the inventory and analysis phase of the redevelopment planning process and will be incorporated when formulating the goals and
objectives of the Redevelopment Plan.
Economic Development Committee – August 13, 2002
The Economic Development Committee met to discuss their observations and
express their concerns for Kissimmee’s future growth and stability. Primary issues
included the downtown’s economic health, how to improve it, and how it affects
the rest of the CRA. Land use issues were also raised, such as the Rinker plant and
proposed hospital expansion.
Attendees:
§ Mr. Atlee Mercer
§ Mr. Thom Schmidt
§ Mr. Tom White
§ Mr. Allen Whitston
§ Ms. Gail Hamilton, Community Redevelopment Agency
§ Ms. Kim Griebs, Community Redevelopment Agency
§ Mr. Craig Holland, Planning and Development Services
§ Ms. Amy Carbajal, Planning and Development Services
§ Mr. Tom Kohler, RERC
§ Kurt Easton, The RMPK Group, Inc.
§ James Taylor, The RMPK Group, Inc.
Issues:
Downtown
§
§
§
Changed vision: First thought that City could grab Disney tourists
and bring them to the downtown. Now believes that strengthening the neighborhoods and the lakefront attractions will bring in
business.
Gateways
− Need architecture at Emmett entry to downtown
Parking difficulties
125
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§
CDBG is going to change downtown
− $1.2 million CDBG grant total to City
− Façade improvements 90/10 grant; each business
gets $3300.
− Solidify the personality of the downtown
Intermodal node potential
Demolish rooming house
Surprised at how underdeveloped John Young Parkway is
Stabilize the neighborhoods but Emmett and Mabbette are desirable as professional corridors
Intergovernmental Coordination
§
§
§
There is a conflict of interests between the goals of the City and
the goals of the CRA. Currently, there is an effort to throw out
the City Manager
The election this Fall could adversely affect the CRA and downtown.
Relatively good relations and cooperation between City and
County agencies.
Land Use
§
§
§
§
§
§
Rinker is asking $6 million and moving costs to relocate the concrete plant
Currently $52 million hospital expansion. 40 active beds to be
added. 1 empty floor for future growth. Hospital rehabbed 6
years ago, 120 employees added.
A professional economic impact analysis of the hospital has
not yet been completed, and it is important that the community
realize the full economic impact of the Hospital in quantifiable
trms.
Investigate availability of industrial land to where Rinker can relocate
The Harris Act prevents downzoning office to residential without
raising the issue of causing a taking of private property
Does the City own the lakefront park free and clear? Are there
any restrictions?
Lake Toho
§
§
§
§
Lake drawdown begins in September
Lowest in March
Cleanup from March to May
Refill beginning June
126
§
Muck removal.
CRA/Neighborhood Residents – August 13, 2002
The neighborhood residents, including the Lakefront Advisory Committee, expressed
their views on several issues. Predominate concerns included cut-though traffic and
high speeds on residential streets and the appearance of the neighborhoods, including derelict properties and historic rehabilitation. Many voiced concerns and suggestions about the lakefront, including parking and connectivity to the downtown.
Attendees:
§ Ms. Juanita Gewirth
§ Ms. Gail Eck
§ Ms. Celeste Cummings
§ Ms. Teresa Beverly
§ Mr. Kenneth Myers
§ Mr. Scott Brooks
§ Mr. Jeff Wolff
§ Ms. Bobbi Gant
§ Ms. Shirley Matthews
§ Ms. Jean Johnston
§ Mr. Houston Briggs
§ Ms. Eleanor Foerste
§ Mr. Jim Kasper
§ Mr. Mark Detweiler
§ Mr. John Link
§ Ms. Judy Makinson
§ Mr. Earl Evans
§ Mr. Ray Clarke
§ Mr. Ray Sessions
§ Ms. Haley and Garnet Duke
§ Ms. Brenda Echevorria
§ Mr. Ken Mayers
§ Mr. Earl Evans
§ Ms. Amy Carbajal
§ Ms. Gail Hamilton
§ Ms. Kim Griebs
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Issues
General
§
§
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§
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§
Concerns about family and security, preserving historic buildings,
preserving real estate values. Many are involved in restoring historic structures.
Sense of community and neighborhood identity is important to
building stable, safe neighborhoods.
Lack of public parks in many of these neighborhoods
Lack of neighborhood associations in some areas. Lack of identity in some areas
Library – 700-1000 visitors per day. Inadequate parking – competition with Civic Center for spaces.
Valencia College is growing – Kissimmee neighborhoods will be
sought after by college faculty and staff.
Traffic
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High speeds
Overly congested
East side of CRA (Neptune)
West side of CRA (Lakeshore Drive)
Brack Street – 4,000 cars per day – 18-foot ROW
Everyone wants to avoid 192/Vine Street
Need a regional analysis of traffic network
Difficulty crossing Emmett as a pedestrian with children, difficult
access to lakefront.
Land Use
§
§
§
§
Public uses seem to be growing together, splitting residential
areas
Desire to strengthen residential (higher density) to encourage new
businesses and services to open.
Desire availability of multifamily for lakefront retirement
Palmway – office/commercial intrusion is diluting residential; too
few homes remain to be a neighborhood.
Appearance
§
§
Support historic renovations of residential
City is developing financial incentive program to encourage renovation of single-family residential houses.
− Small $$ is often not worth the red tape effort
− Large homes must be multifamily – no one wants an
128
§
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18-room house for a single family.
Concern about rental property – particularly low-income rentals
Tips for landlords:
− Keep property in good repair
− Do a background check (credit report) and call two
previous landlords
− Don’t raise the rent often when you get a good tenant
− Code enforcement of minimum maintenance standards
Currently, some derelict residential is not being maintained
because they are waiting to be purchased for conversion to
office/commercial
Downtown
§
§
§
Signage – need to strengthen directional, identity, and gateway
signage
Downtown lacks police substation
Desire a pedestrian-friendly downtown
Lakefront
§
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§
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§
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§
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Needs a restaurant
Vagrants – primarily at night
Perception of gay prostitution occurring near boat ramp in the
afternoons
Increasing legitimate activity at the lakefront will push out the
undesirable activities
Comparisons to Savannah’s historic waterfront
How would lakefront residents feel about development?
− Quality development with lighting and adequate
parking would be welcome
− Aesthetically pleasing pedestrian environment
Have sidewalk to nowhere. They often stop short. There is inadequate shade. Nothing connects
Lakefront neighborhood has a crime watch that is successful; they
feel safe.
Railroad acts as a barrier to walking from downtown to lakefront.
ROW is not mowed
Night lighting along lakefront would improve safety
Artist village in Savannah, GA was walkable from downtown.
Perhaps a use for the Arcade Theatre/rooming house (Brahman
Building)
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§
§
§
Farmer’s market is on Thursday here; residents would like for it to
be on Saturdays
Many of the existing restaurants are open for lunch only
The existing pedestrian walk to the lake is overly landscaped
which blocks the view and is inadequately lighted
The Cocoa Village Park and waterfront was identified as the type
of development that would be desirable in Kissimmee; like the
pedestrian friendly business district
City/County/State Agencies – August 14, 2002
Discussions with the City, County, and State agencies centered around three main
topics: transportation, land use, and environmental issues. Transportation concerns
included low levels of service on main roads in the CRA and future projects that
will improve traffic congestion. Land use issues included the fate of the Beaumont
site and how to return some properties to the tax rolls. Environmental issues raised
included the pending drawdown of the lake and stormwater drainage impacts.
Attendees:
§ Mr. Mike Steigerwald, Planning and Development Services
§ Mr. Gary Holland, City Manager’s Office
§ Mr. Craig Holland, Planning and Development Services
§ Ms. Amy Carbajal, Planning and Development Services
§ Mr. Doug Etheredge, Planning and Development Services
§ Mr. Barry Campbell, Planning and Development Services
§ Mr. Dave Derrick, Public Works and Engineering
§ Mr. Larry Clough, Public Works and Engineering
§ Mr. Bob Wright, Planning and Development Services
§ Mr. Dan Loubier, Parks and Recreation
§ Ms. Tiffany Homler, Lynx
§ Ms. Eleanor Foerste, 1901 E. Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway
§ Ms. Gail Hamilton, Community Redevelopment Agency
§ Ms. Kim Griebs, Community Redevelopment Agency
§ Laura Hamel, The RMPK Group, Inc.
Issues
Transportation
§
LOS F on east Vine. West at E. Main is at D, Broadway at C,
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§
Emmett at C. Lakeshore Drive- LOS D.
Traffic: don’t have a lot of problems, but some concern. (JYP is
D)
Concern on lakefront—what will happen. Should be pedestrian
friendly.
Projects in planning stages: Poinciana Extension, Toho Extension,
Neptune Extension.
Potential intermodal station at the train. Broadway is actually FJYP is worse.
Impacts downtown- Emmett creates thru traffic and takes away
from pedestrian orientation. Divert off Emmett. People cut thru
to avoid 192.
Traffic study to reroute or close lakeshore traffic. MLK will help
and invigorate development opportunity.
Proposed Clyde extension: Creating another thoroughfare affecting potential value of lakefront property. If traffic increases on
Clyde- will detract from lakefront.
Median project on John Young scheduled for 2004. Next 5-6
years 192 will be 6-laned from Celebration to the airport. After
that, 6-laned to east of St. Cloud, 4-laned to Melbourne. JYP will
be 6-laned.
County has not initiated gas tax—adopted LOS D
Trail system: bike lanes and wide sidewalks out to Dyer Blvd. Trail
connection- $ for 7-mile loop pedestrian/bike— connection to
Poinciana eventually.
Maybe in works- downtown shuttle.
Land Use
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
Enclaves of residential being encroached upon by commercial
and office. Strenuous impact on sustainability of residential
areas—affects health of downtown.
Taxable values: Non-taxable properties do not contribute to revenue stream. Objective is to get properties back on the tax roles.
8 Broadway is back on rolls, some others as well.
County plans for Beaumont site to be government offices- not
back on tax rolls. Will remain institutional use.
Hospital is main contributor to tax roll- they want to expand, but
can’t.
Rinker property—major blemish- get rid of it. RERC will be
doing hospital study.
Concern about nonconforming uses: cement sites, Rinker/FL
131
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§
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§
rock. Body shops downtown.
Impact of government property on residential neighborhood.
Possibility of parking structure.
Residents afraid of more institutional uses
Rural county—people afraid of density.
Look for cost sharing opportunities with hospital.
City will control design. Constrained on height due to airport.
Concerns about lakefront activities and parking—could maybe
share County lot?
Concern: sidewalks go nowhere- not pedestrian friendly. No sidewalk plan currently- just maintenance schedule for existing.
County designing bike routes on Clay- possible links between
Kissimmee/St. Cloud?
Condition of major corridors that lead to downtown critically
affects investment image. Vine/192 has worst conditions- impact
visitors and investors. Entryways to Cities are in the CountyCounty is concerned. Intergovernmental coordination critical in
developing design standards for South Orange Blossom Trail and
John Young Parkway
Indian River county Overlay—grassroots effort, Osceola County
likes it
Is there possibility to expand boundary? If so, go north to city
limits.
Environmental
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
Toho drawdown. Could call for demucking and vegetations
removal to create open water spaces. Toho Valencia Trail.
Clay Street trail is in design.
Stormwater utility is not funded.
Neptune owner willing to donate some property—they are working with him.
Instead of having restaurant on lake, have it across from the lakeless environmental impacts. There are parcels coming available
in next few years. American Legion- possible acquisition- KUA
maybe in long term.
Lake Toho is navigable waterway leading to both Atlantic and
Gulf through Okeechobee waterway.
Kissimmee is a tree city- Laurel oaks are declining after 70 years.
Tree restoration needed. Draft of street tree ordinance. Species
selection. What is impact of stormwater management on trees?
Centralized collection- rather than making each property develop
132
§
its own detention site. Currently doing a demo project- new office
– engineering approved grass paved system/honeycombed.
Lakefront as major destination for larger vessels: There is no
pumpout station- people will empty bilges- major concern.
Maritime Museum- rich history.
Additional Issues
§
§
§
§
§
Ask citizens about how they feel about tax increases. County: 3.5
or 4 could increase without referendum, but commissioners won’t
do it, especially during an election year. County will be doing survey on taxes—asking what citizens want.
Need to look at industry and away from tourism. Hospitality
workers do not make enough money to support tax increase.
County has no manager for next year- commissioners all live in
Kissimmee.
Residents want a restaurant on lakefront—with proper lighting
and parking
Vagrants along lakefront are concern.
Businesses – August 14, 2002
Local business owners gathered to discuss the assets and opportunities of the City,
such as the historic building stock and Lake Tohopekaliga, and to express concerns
about issues such as the lack of affordable housing and the need for gateways and
signage.
Attendees:
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
Mr. Atlee Mercer, Micro Key Software
Mr. Francisco and Ms. Maria Guzman, Proprietor
Mr. Roy, Oddo, Signature By The Lake
Ms. Karen Sutphin, 2nd Precinct Café
Ms. Nancy Adkins, Bakers Florist
Mr. Russ Prather, Property Owner
Ms. Linda Goodwin-Nichols, Goodwin Realty
Mr. Roger Thompson, Conrad and Thomson Funeral Home
Mr. Ray Parsons, Architect
Mr. Randy Gross, Osceola Regional Medical Center
Mr. Jerry Gemskie, Citizen
Mr. Thom Schmitt, First Florida International Mortgage, Inc.
Ms. Robin Hughes, Osceola/Kissimmee Chamber of Commerce
Mr. Chris Busbee, Busbee Construction
133
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§
Ms. Gail Hamilton, Community Redevelopment Agency
Ms. Kim Griebs, Community Redevelopment Agency
Kurt Easton, The RMPK Group, Inc.
James Taylor, The RMPK Group, Inc.
Assets and Opportunities
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
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§
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§
Nice building stock-- some historical, some needing demolition
Façade improvement programs
Some adequate lunch spots exist; need more.
Likely have pent-up demand for nighttime dining/entertainment
in downtown
Lakefront views
Civic buildings are new, nice, some historic
Public buildings are located relatively close to each other
Streetscape improvements on Broadway are good- they need to
continue these pedestrian connections in perpendicular directions
to the lake
Beaumont and Rinker sites are land opportunities.
Amtrak station is an asset in need of aesthetic improvements.
Boat ramp access to the lake. Bass capital of the world. Lake
Toho has boat linkage to both coasts through Corps of Engineer
canals.
Potential Southport connector road at south end of lake.
Issues:
§
§
§
§
§
Main Street has inadequate lot depth
Obstacles to future investment: Rinker plant. Aesthetically poor,
threat to public safety (poor emergency room visibility, wears
down roadway infrastructure.
There is a lack of affordable housing in the downtown. If livable
the cost is 180 to 200K. If less than 100K the house needs renovation.
Need for gateways and signage
Transients devalue property—they drive out renters and scare/
annoy family users.
Focus Group Questionnaire
The following questionnaire was distributed to all focus group participants, who were
asked to list the three issues most important to them, along with specific concerns
and possible solutions. Approximately ten questionnaires were returned. The results
134
135
City will fill in the lake and garner my acreage.
Other businesses will follow an anchor business.
Get City participation and commission suggestions of changing
ordinances.
CONCERN
Send letters if intent to major retail businesses and hoteliers to see if they would
like to invest in downtown Kissimmee.
Install a retaining wall, fill with dirt and add grass seed 25-25 acres. *Note, get
permission first.
Promote residential stabilization and incentivize infill. Discourage conversion to
office space on key side streets.
POSSIBLE SOLUTION
Need to attract people to make the lakefront friendly.
Eyesore Buildings and
Minimum Maintenance Standards/Fines
Slumlords
Families
Open the neighborhoods to families
Rinker
Conflicting land use
Strengthen Neighborhoods
Increase Lakefront Activity
Architecture at the Intersection of John Young Parkway and Emmett
Expansion of the CRA
Boundary to Include Orange Blossom Trail is considered a gateway into the County and
OBT to Osceola
City; it should be included in the CRA Boundary.
Parkway
Focus on Broad Plans Focus on broad plans for the Beaumont center without encroaching
for the Beaumont Site upon the single-family residences nearby.
Lakefront
Cooperation between the County and City to create a Beaumont Center
Cooperation between the County and City in order to attract businesses downtown
Grants, City involvement, zoning
Clear out Rinker for medical offices and allow hospital to expand.
New commission that believes in our downtown and our City
Walkways, nighttime restaurant, boat docks, marina
Great historical homes are being converted to professional offices
– redirecting the residential density surrounding the downtown.
Businesses and downtown suffers from “no draw” such as events,
restaurants, lakeside usage during the week, and some vacant
Once CDBG facades are complete, market downtown to locals to develop.
buildings or underutilized structures.
Need more diversity downtown to attract a consistent crowd for
Adding Nightlife to
days, nights, and weekends. Once these people come, they need
Downtown
to feel safe and secure in this area. Having indigents around does
not provide for a good setting.
Indigent Population: See Above
Lakefront Expanded Our lakefront commercial value is being ignored—we don’t want to
Look for a major restaurant on lakefront.
Usage
completely commercialize it but to incorporate into the downtown.
Residential Retention
and Infill
Business
Diversification w/
Nightlife
Lakefront Expansion
ISSUE
Downtown should look
clean, pleasant, and
orderly, make people
feel comfortable.
Anchor Business
Downtown
136
CONCERN
Economic
Enhancement of
Downtown
Creation of a Linkage
Between Lakefront
and Broadway
Major Restaurant/Bar
On or Near Broadway
More Shops,
Restaurants, Theater
Downtown
Relocation of Rinker
and Florida Rock
Code Enforcement
and Stronger
Guidelines
Traffic
Traffic/Walking
/Lakefront
Slow traffic down to make it a walking area.
POSSIBLE SOLUTION
Make it a concurrency exempt area: Discourage thru-traffic and encourage destination traffic; Consider using islands, choke points, and angle parking; create one
lane in each direction.
Too much rush hour traffic going through residential areas on
Traffic control— two-lane downtown and angle parking and backstreets, large trees
Lakefront Drive and too much going too fast through downtown—it overhanging, old-fashioned lights, brick streets on lakefront and angle parking.
is only used as a way to get from one side of town to the other.
Residential areas need landscaped roundabouts and brick intersections.
Codes—need very strong guidelines—no boats, campers, RVs in sight—only
The City codes are practically nonexistent. We need more guide- behind privacy fences. No peeling paint, no chain link fences. Unsightly homes in
lines, people need to keep up property, especially rentals.
general disrepair need enforcement. Also, underground utilities in neighborhoods of
CRA as well as old-fashioned lights
There is nothing (except Lanier’s Antiques) to bring people downtown. No restaurants, shops, nothing to entice people to stroll
along.
Rinker and Florida Rock are incompatible with surrounding develCondemnation if a cooperative effort to find another site does not materialize.
opment and inhibit additional positive growth.
A restaurant/bar with broad appeal can attract people downtown in
Incentives and active solicitation of high profile restaurant—does not necessarily
greater numbers and, in particular, can increase traffic at night and
have to be a franchise.
on weekends. Dedicated effort to recruit a restaurant.
The lack of physical/visual linkages between the core retail area
Establish walkways that are attractive and lure people—link through the Civic
and lakefront causes many visitors to miss one or the other. With
Center as well as through or around Waterfront Square. Create a new look for
the huge crowds at lakefront events, there is so much potential for
Monument Street to appeal to pedestrians.
the downtown businesses that is being missed now.
Potential actions to consider include: 1) finding a competitive retail sales market
niche in terms of the mix of uses; 2) increasing efforts to encourage business activity during evenings and all day on Saturdays; 3) expanding efforts of businesses
to serve office workers in the area (particularly the large number of government
The downtown area needs to become a major commercial destinaworkers); 4)enhancing interconnections between downtown and the lakefront; 5)
tion point in the Kissimmee area with a substantial amount of ecopromoting the historic charm of the downtown; 6) encouraging the establishment of
nomic activity occurring throughout the week
an intermodal transportation center and the efforts of businesses to appropriately
serve people riding trains and buses; 7) improving the aesthetics along downtown
side streets; and 8) focusing more on the establishment of ground floor retail uses
along Broadway.
No night functions, more lighting, downtown policing.
Analyze the Roadway
Motorists drive at high speed levels on Emmett and Broadway.
System
ISSUE
137
Transportation
Neighborhoods
Recent analysis indicates that portions of Broadway Avenue, Clay Street, John
Young Parkway, and Oak Street are currently over capacity. This congestion will,
of course, have a tendency to worsen in the future. In addition, concerns are being
expressed about cut-through traffic along minor streets such as Brack Street and
Clyde Avenue. Some of the traffic problems can be reduced through the scheduled
construction of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and the Tohopekaliga Avenue
extension, the requested widening of John Young Parkway, and various intersecCongestion of major roads in and near the CRA needs to be minition improvements. Some minor streets can be enhanced with the use of traffic
mized while at the same time promoting the vitality of the area and
calming devices. However, efforts to improve alternative modes of travel are also
avoiding excessive “cut-through” traffic on minor streets.
important. Encouragement of greater use of bus service (perhaps including the
establishment of a free or low-fare shuttle service for the major destinations in the
CRA), increased walking (in part, by improved pedestrian facilities and streetscaping), and more bicycling (in part, through additional trail connections and bicycle
lanes) would be helpful. Establishment of the proposed intermodal transportation
center and metropolitan area passenger rail service to downtown would also be
beneficial.
Residential areas in the CRA tend to be small and endangered by the potential
encroachment of incompatible land uses. Additional analysis is needed regarding
which residential locations are part of viable neighborhoods and how these locations relate to CRA goals. The City should be very cautious about the expansion
of retail sales, most service oriented uses, and residential conversions involving
The viability of residential neighborhoods in the CRA needs to be
increased densities in viable residential areas. Greater attention should probably
assessed and the viable neighborhoods need to be preserved and
be focused on the compatibility of new and remodeled structures with the character
enhances where consistent with CRA goals.
of nearby development (perhaps through the increased use of design standards).
Road and utility improvements should be accomplished in a manner that minimizes
negative impacts to viable residential areas (such as through suitable streetscaping).
Appendix D
Statutory Requirements
Relocation Assistance
The City should formulate their relocation assistance policy providing equitable
treatment for all property owners and tenants in the event of displacement resulting from property acquisition by the Redevelopment Agency. It is anticipated that
property acquisitions within the redevelopment area will also occur through private
enterprise. Private sector land acquisition and redevelopment projects are not subject to the same provisions. If a voluntary sale is made, relocation of occupants,
whether tenants or owners, is the responsibility of the parties to that sale. In the
case of tenants displaced as a consequence of a voluntary sale, the Redevelopment
Agency, if requested, will assist by providing technical assistance and by referring
the displaced parties to known local private and public housing providers to assure
that replacement housing is available to them.
Element of Residential Use
There are residential uses of various types and character, including, single-family,
multi-family, rental units, owner occupied units, and detached units in existence in
the redevelopment area at the time of this writing. It is a matter of policy that the
efforts undertaken by the Agency, as described in this Redevelopment Plan, are
intended to retain and enhance a high quality of residential use, particularly with
regard to developing and maintaining sustainable neighborhoods. Redevelopment
program activities will strive to cultivate the positive neighborhood characteristics
cited by the community during public workshops and reduce or eliminate the negative characteristics. While the Concept Plan contained herein identifies areas of
future residential use, it is assumed that these areas would be developed by the private sector in response to favorable market conditions resulting from the success of
the redevelopment program.
Plan Approval
In accordance with Chapter 163.360, Florida Statutes, the Community
Redevelopment Agency shall submit any Redevelopment Plan it recommends for
approval together with its written recommendations, to the governing body. The
governing body shall hold a public hearing on the Redevelopment Plan after public notice thereof by publication in a newspaper having a general circulation in the
area of operation of the county or municipality. The notice shall describe the time,
date, place, and purpose of the hearing, identify generally the redevelopment area
covered by the Plan, and outline the general scope of the Redevelopment Plan
under consideration. Following such a hearing, the governing body may approve the
138
Redevelopment Plan therefore if it finds that:
1. A feasible method exists for the location of families who will be displaced from
the redevelopment area in decent, safe, and sanitary dwelling accommodations within their means and without undue hardship to such families;
2. The Redevelopment Plan conforms to the general or Comprehensive Plan of the
county or municipality as a whole;
3. The Redevelopment Plan gives due consideration to the provision of adequate
park and recreational areas and facilities that may be desirable for neighborhood
improvement, with special consideration for the health, safety, and welfare of children residing in the general vicinity of the site covered by the Plan; and
4. The Redevelopment Plan will afford maximum opportunity consistent with the
sound needs of the county or municipality as a whole, for the rehabilitation or
redevelopment of the redevelopment area by private enterprise.
Upon approval by the City Council the Redevelopment Plan shall be considered in
full force and effect for the respective redevelopment area and the City may then
cause the community Redevelopment Agency to carry out the implementation of
such Plan
Duration of Plan
The provisions of this Plan shall remain in effect, and serve as a guide for the
future redevelopment activities in the entire designated Kissimmee Community
Redevelopment Area through December 31, 2022. All redevelopment financed by
increment revenues shall be completed by December 31, 2022.
Amendment of Plan
The Redevelopment Plan may be modified, changed, or amended at any time by
the City Council in accordance with the requirements of Florida Statutes, Section
163.361.
Safeguards and Retention of Control
This Redevelopment Plan is the guiding document for future development, redevelopment and ancillary programs, projects, and activities in and for the redevelopment area. In order to assure that redevelopment will take place in conformance
with the projects, goals and policies expressed in this Plan, the Redevelopment
Agency will utilize the regulatory devices, instruments and systems used by the City
of Kissimmee to permit development and redevelopment within its jurisdiction.
These regulatory devices, etc., include but are not limited to the Comprehensive
Plan, the Land Development Code, the Zoning Code, adopted design guidelines,
139
performance standards and City authorized development review, permitting and
approval processes. In accordance with the requirements of Section 163.362(2)(b)
the City’s regulatory controls determine the limitations on building height, structure
size and use. The Redevelopment Plan sets forth proposed uses in the description of the Concept Plan and illustrates them on the accompanying maps. The
Kissimmee City Council retains the vested authority and responsibility for:
1. The power to grant final approval to Redevelopment Plans and modifications.
2. The power to authorize issuance of revenue bonds as set forth in Section
163.385, F. S.
3. The power to approve the acquisition, demolition, removal or disposal of property as provided in Section 163.370(3), F.S. and the power to assume the responsibility to bear loss as provided in Section 163.370(3), F.S.
The Redevelopment Agency shall provide adequate safeguards or any other provisions necessary to carry out the goals and objectives of the Redevelopment Plan to
ensure that all leases, deeds, contracts, agreements, and declarations of restrictions
relative to any real property conveyed shall contain restrictions and/or covenants to
run with the land and its uses.
Reporting Requirements
The Community Redevelopment Agency shall comply with the reporting requirements of Florida Statutes, Section 163.356(3)(c). This includes filing a report of its
activities for the preceding fiscal year with the Auditor General on or before March
31st of each year and with the City Council. The report shall include a complete
financial statement setting forth its assets, liabilities, and income and operating
expenses as of the end of such fiscal year. Additionally, the Agency shall comply
with the auditing requirements, as set forth in Florida Statutes, Section 163.387(8),
which mandates an independent financial audit of the trust fund each fiscal year
and a report of such audit.
Severability
Should any provision, section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase of this Plan
be declared by the courts to be invalid or unconstitutional such declaration shall not
affect the validity of the remaining portion or portions of this Plan.
140

Redevelopment Plan for the City of Kissimmee, Florida Community

Transcription

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N6 SJ Collins Enterprises LP 16 20864

Owner User / Redevelopment

Monrovia`s Symbolic Heartbeat Resuscitated with Renewed Vision

2012 Brownfields Redevelopment Fund Annual