By Marvin G. Cortner
Editor

Osceola County commissioners recently approved three conceptual master plans that set out how nearly 70 square miles of unincorporated land – most of it uninhabited – should be developed using “smart growth” principles.

The master plans, which the Florida Department of Community Affairs is now reviewing and which are required as part of the county’s overall comprehensive plan, cover diverse parts of the county, with one large area abutting the Orange-Osceola County line just south of Lake Nona and east of Narcoossee Road and two other large swaths running along the east and south sides of Lake Tohopekaliga.

There are mixed-use developments in various stages of planning or approval in each of the areas, but the Northeast District, which covers 17,150 acres south of the Lake Nona area and west of the Econlockhatchee River Swamp, is the most worrisome for nearby residents and environmental interests. It also is the plan most touted by county officials as a job generator, with 44,130 jobs projected at build-out. This area includes lakes Preston, Myrtle, Joel and Bullock, with a portion of it bordering the northwest side of Lake Center as well.

Residents are worried about the traffic, the potential friction between urban and rural lifestyles and a “mega-development” of 30,000 residential units, while environmentalists are worried about fracturing a “pristine” ecosystem inhabited by gopher tortoises and other animals, perhaps even the Florida panther.

Northeast District

County commissioners during a public hearing in mid-February entertained more than an hour of comments on the Northeast District plan, hearing about the potential for high wage job creation relating to the medical and research facilities going into Lake Nona along Innovation Way to the destruction of wildlife travel corridors leading to areas such as Moss Park in Orange County and the Split Oak Nature Preserve, which straddles the county line.

The largest landholder in this district – and the entity making plans for a large-scale, mixed use development – is the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints. The Mormon Church land is part of the massive 290,000-acre Deseret Ranches operation, which extends into Orange, Osceola and Brevard counties.

Church representatives said the church has a history of being good stewards of the land and that only a quarter of the acreage in the district would be developed, with 11,400 acres remaining in lakes, wetlands and other open spaces.

Osceola County officials said their goal in having the Northeast District be developed is to capitalize on its proximity to the future home of the University of Central Florida’s medical school, the Burnham Institute for Medical Research, Nemours’ Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and Orlando International Airport.

Environmentalists counter by saying any development big or small would destroy the ecosystem, since all areas are interdependent and interconnected.

“You need a different strategy for this concept plan,” Karina Veaudry, executive director of the Florida Native Plant Society, said at the public hearing. “This 17,000 acres has been identified as one of the most important conservation areas in the state and in Osceola County.”

Veaudry suggested the county partner with other entities and state agencies to buy the property to produce both eco-tourism and conservation.

“Let’s entertain the idea of making money off your natural heritage,” she said.

Worry over urban growth boundary

The only worrisome issue for commissioners – but not one that persuaded any of them to vote against the plan – was that the district as proposed would require an expanded urban growth boundary to accommodate development beyond the first phase.

Commissioner Michael Harford said county staff spent years getting the current boundary approved by the state so that development could be concentrated nearer to existing infrastructure and now the county wants to expand it because a developer is promising high wage technology and medical jobs.

“I am truly concerned about this expansion,” Harford said. “I want us to be aware that we created our urban growth boundary for a reason.”

Commissioner Fred Hawkins Jr., whose district includes the proposed development, said the county would be expanding the growth boundary to “capitalize on jobs,” not solely to allow homes to be built.

“This is different from any development we’ve ever seen. It could make Osceola County known one day for high tech, medical industry jobs,” he said.

Jeff Jones, the county’s Smart Growth director, said the way the proposed phased development would be structured is that a certain number of jobs would have to exist in the first phase, for example, before the next phase could be started.

According to county officials, the ratio of jobs to residents created within the proposed development would be 1.4 jobs for each household, compared to a ratio of 0.4 jobs per household now in Osceola County.

More on the development

The Northeast District would contain what essentially would be a new city, complete with a transportation system, schools, parks and government offices. One main thoroughfare projected to lead into the area would be the extension of Osceola Parkway, though its route has not been set. However, the Greater Orlando Airport Authority is protecting a 300-foot wide swath through its property between Boggy Creek Road and Narcoossee Road to accommodate an extension, according to county documents. No major roadways go into the Northeast District now.

Bus mass transit

Officials project that bus routes serving all three master plan areas in Osceola County would connect to the bus rapid transit corridor envisioned to run along U.S. Highway 192 from Walt Disney World to Narcoossee Road.

The Northeast District also would be linked to what is being referred to by Metroplan Orlando, the regional planning agency, as the International Drive/Orlando International Airport/Medical City Transit Corridor.

County officials said they expect it could take anywhere from three to six months for the state to review and comment on the submitted conceptual master plans.

South Lake Toho plan

The South Lake Toho plan covers 16,350 acres on the south side of Lake Tohopekaliga and includes the Green Island development of regional impact, or DRI, and the smaller Tranquility development of county impact, or DCI. The planning area extends west to the Disney Preserve, east to Canoe Creek Road and south to the end of the urban growth boundary.

The proposed Southport Connector, a main roadway that would go from Cypress Parkway in Poinciana to the Florida’s Turnpike and Canoe Creek Road, would run through this area. At build-out, the South Toho area would provide 41,200 jobs and have 40,000 housing units.

East of Lake Toho plan

The East of Lake Toho conceptual master plan covers 11,250 acres bounded by the Florida’s Turnpike, Friars Cove Road, Neptune Road and Lake Tohopekaliga. This area includes the Toho Preserve, Tohoqua, Edgewater and Friars Cove DRIs and the Bella Tara DCI.

This area, at build-out, according to plan documents, would have 33,500 housing units and provide 24,700 jobs.