Thanks to a new initiative, Osceola County is committed to a smart growth future. That means they will plan to build complete communities complete with a balance of uses including residential, retail, education and recreation, instead of simply approving development projects like they have in the past. The county has designated the area adjacent to the budding medical city in Lake Nona as the “Northeast District” and they have big plans for the 17,000-acre property.

County leaders believe the move toward smart growth concepts can evolve the county’s character from a mainly service-driven economy into a high-tech environment fueled by the medical industries located a mere six miles away.

“Our smart growth emphasis is on walkability within an urban setting that provides opportunity for easy access to day-to-day needs of residents and businesses,” says Jeff Jones, smart growth director for Osceola County. All activities necessary for successfully pursuing this novel approach to growth are being coordinated through the county’s various departments including economic development, growth management and public works.

The Northeast District, located roughly two miles east of Narcoosssee Road beginning on the Orange/Osceola county line, is designed to be a large regional employment center supporting the bioscience cluster just down the road. According to Jones, approximately 44,000 jobs are expected to be located within the Northeast District when it is fully built-out. It will house an estimated 60,000 residents.

To date, approximately one-third of the land area is already designated as mixed-use development. The future land use is being processed through an amendment to the County’s Comprehensive Plan as of this printing.

As for encouraging developers and businesses to move into the district, the county is prepared for that as well. “We provide numerous incentives through our Economic Development program that is made available to qualified developers and businesses in the area,” says Maria Toumazos, economic development administrator for Osceola County.

The county is currently processing the conceptual design for the Northeast District and anticipates its adoption in August, 2010. “The goal is to create a major regional employment center focusing on high-wage, high-value jobs,” says Jones.

Achieving smart growth goal will require higher population densities, a unique mixing of uses and an area transit plan. Once all of those pieces are in place, the County will begin to move forward on construction for the district.

“The Northeast District will, by design, bring significant employment opportunities to the county, and support other economic development initiatives to diversify the County’s economy,” says Jones.

Article by Corey Gehrold