Orange County, Florida Adopts Largest US “Sprawl Repair” Code

Orange County, Florida has adopted what could be the nation’s largest form-based code (FBC). The ‘Orange Code,’ as it’s being called, was adopted at the same time as the county’s Vision 2050 comprehensive plan.

“The code covers land containing approximately 900,000 residents in unincorporated areas of Orange County and is designed to accommodate and direct growth toward walkable urbanism.” In a piece for CNU’s Public Square, Robert Steuteville explains that the code update does not apply to cities, which have their own zoning codes, and is geared toward suburban retrofits.

The code, which streamlines development applications and reviews and reduces the document from 1,200 pages to 400, is also being dubbed ‘Sprawl Repair’ for its goals of reducing outward expansion and encouraging infill development and increased density (although it doesn’t entirely eliminate minimum parking requirements, for example). 

According to Matt Lambert of DPZ CoDesign, a consulting firm that spearheaded the new code’s creation, “The focus is to redevelop the county’s suburban arterials and collectors to create walkable urban centers connected by urbanized corridors that support public transit—this is 6 percent of the county’s land area.”