Comprehensive analysis and development program for successful SunRail Station in Altamonte Springs.

1. El Centro
Altamonte Civic Center
A Demonstration of Altamonte’s Civic Values
Dedicated to the great people of Altamonte Springs
Altamonte
Transit Oriented Development
Planned and Designed by
Jose Carlos Ayala |Sarah Elbadri
Travis Ray|Heather Tribou

2. Designing Altamonte Civic Center
Enhancing Current Conditions
Given the current conditions
surrounding Altamonte Springs’
future Sunrail Station, within its
half-mile transit neighborhood
and especially its quarter-mile
transit core, it was clear that
one of the main goals of this
project would be to not only
create a sense of place, but
also re-establish and invigorate
Altamonte’s sense of civic pride.
Just west of the site, across
Ronald Reagan Boulevard,
Altamonte Springs City Hall,
Police Department, and Fire
Station #11 sit, nestled in
between a water treatment
facility and several, under-utilized
parking lots.
While lacking a clear sense of
esteem for government, this site
provides a strong foundation for
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a future civic center.

3. Branding
Emphasizing Civic Ideals
Altamonte City Hall
This building’s non-descript architecture
resorts to an over-sized font to define its use.
Respecting civic features of Altmonte Springs’ current logo, the logo design of El Centro,
Altmonte’s civic center and seat of government, induces a feeling civic participation and
grounded government.
The crane, reminescent of Crane’s Roost is removed, and focus is shifted to civic
engagment, represented by the central feature at the apex of the design. Taking cues Current City Branding
from Capitoline, Rome, this logo reminds government and its citizens that collaboration Altamonte employs a central architectural
structure feauring an Atlas-like globe held up
and partnerships are what move civil society forward. This theme is found throughout El
by citizens, along with a crane, which acts as
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Centro, in both its design ethos and physical manifestation.
the city’s “mascot”.

4. Orientation
Emphasis on Transit Core and Neighborhood
El Centro is located at the
intersection of State Road 436
and Ronald Reagan Boulevard.
Because of its orienation around
Altamonte’s SunRail Station, a
great emphasis was placed on
what FDOT’s TOD language calls
the “transit core” and surrounding
“transit neighborhood.”
In order to model the best-suited
program for this site, GIS studies
4 were employed to analyze the
area.

5. Site Analysis NON-RESIDENTIAL
Intensity
Non-residential uses
are oriented around
major thoroughfares
GIS Studies in the area. Ronald
Reagan Blvd and
436 are significant corridors of non-
residential activity.
RESIDENTIAL Intensity
NON-RESIDENTIAL Intensity
Dwelling units are
found behind the
commerical activity
RESIDENTIAL Intensity
corridors.
POPULATION
Distribution
Higher population
densities are found
at least one block
away from major
thoroughfares. The
greatest density is found in the SW
corner of the study area, due to a
POPULATION Distribution
concentration of multifamily units.
VACANT Land
Undeveloped
parcels are scattered
VACANT Land
throughout the
site, but are mostly
concentrated in
the north- and east-
side of the study area. A significant
amount of this vacant land is found 5
in the transit core.

6. Master Planning
Considering the Regional Context
This Master Plan is the end result
of a three-step analysis that
sought to transform the transit
core and transit neighborhood
into regional centers of activity
and connectivity. These steps
are modeled after Galina
Tachieva’s approach to
identifying sites for sprawl repair
and increased density.
1. Preserve wetlands,
agriculture, and park lands
2. Preserve historical, cultural,
civic centers
3. Identify areas of employment
Following these steps,
connections were then
6 identified and areas for
densification planned.

7. Master Planning Preserve
GREENSPACES
Wetlands, historically
agricultural lands,
and parks are
Making Connections preserved for
recreational and
environmental needs.
Preserve CIVIC
CENTERS
Preserve CVIC CENTERS
Preserve GREENSPACES
Schools, churches,
community
centers, and an
African-American
neighborhood are
the main civic centers in the area.
Identify EMPLOYMENT
The corridor around
SR-436 is a major
employment hub. A
secondary node is
found north of 436
along the west-side
of Ronald Reagan Boulevard.
CONNECT and DENSIFY
Identify EMPLOYMENT
CONNECT and
DENSIFY
These centers
of activity are
connected.
Opportunities for
density are then
identified and planned for in the
final master plan 7

8. Designing Better Connectivity
Enhancing Links
State Road 436, the major thoroughfare running east-west
through the site, is not just an auto-oriented road but an auto-
dominated arterial. In order to create a more pedestrian-
oriented experience, 436 must be civilized.
A boulevard design is proposed, transforming the 6-lane highway into a 4-lane center thoroughfare for
higher speed traffic, and two one-way side streets for local and multimodal traffic.
For an optimal pedestrian environment, 10ft sidewalks with 10 ft landscape buffers are suggested. This
neccesitates a 10ft easement for each side of SR-436. A similar design is proposed for Ronald Reagan
8 Boulevard.

9. Old Urbanism
The Streetcar Revisited
Connecting the dots
El Centro seeks to act as connection
between regional nodes of activity.
Bicycle connectivity
While exisiting (green) connections exist,
boulevarding (red) adds major east-west and
north connections.
Missing connectivity and
increased access are
provided by a proposed
streetcar line. The streetcar
provides a traffic-free route
to the mall (1) and hospital Bus Connectivity
(2) west, just north of SR-436, Four current routes (1, 41, 102, 103) in the
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and a much needed commuter route from a neighborhood-center northeast of El Centro. area will become part of the on-site bus hub.

10. Phasing Altamonte Civic Center
Investments and Partnerships
2
This site-specific plan of El
6 Centro utilizes public investment
and private-public partnerships
for a successful phased build-
5 5 out.
4
Major features of this plan
3 include
1. improved bus hub
2. parking garage
3. mixed-use development
4. pedestrian plaza
1
5. mirrored civic centers
-governmental center
-platform based third-
space
6. quasi-public community
center (Rife evelopment)
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11. Phasing Phase 1
The station features
about 350 parking
spots and a bus
hub.
Logistics and Style
Phase 2
Villa Vizcaya, a famous example of Mediterranean revival “One of the
architecture, is located greatest design
in Miami.
flaws of a station
configuration is
to surround it with
parking and noisy
bus areas.” Peter
Calthorpe,
The Mediterranean
Revival style The Next American
Riverside
Baptist Church
Metropolis
(1924-1925)
was the
only church The bus hub
designed
by famed
is moved and
Palm Beach oriented toward the east platform. The city
Architect Addison
Pasadena City Hall Mizner. invests in a parking garage, serving as an
was designed by incentive for private development.
John Bakewell &
Arthur Brown who
were influenced
by the early Vinoy Park Hotel
Renaissance style in downtown St.
Petersburg FL
Phase 3
of 16th century
Italian architect opened in 1925. Private
Andrea Palladio.
Construction was
development
completed on takes advantage of
December 27, 1927.
the parking garage
and adds mixed
use development
to the site. A public-
private partnership
Phase 4 is formalized and
Reconstruction of City Hall begins. This completes the other half of the El Centro jointly constructs the
development. The suggested architectural style for this site is Mediterranean Revival, with central pedestrian
regional examples from Florida and a city hall example from Pasadena, CA. plaza.
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12. Community in the Civic Center
Rife Development
Like the site itself, development within
El Centro has the potential to create a
unique node of activity with a distinctive
experience exclusive to its environment.
The Rife Site, just east of City Hall, has
the ability to leverage not only its nearness to a major SunRail station, but also its
relationship to the civic center. As a community center, with a focus on urban
agriculture and local food, it has the capacity to draw people to Altamonte
as an experience-based destination. With initially simple design changes, and
12 futher phased renovations, the Rife Site could celebrate the rustic revival of local
economies.

13. Phasing
Architectural and Stuctural
Phase 1: Architectural Changes
Transforming the face of the Rife post office
Phase 2: Structural Additions with a brick and steel facade will set off the
Restaurant space is a profitable and rustic feel of the building. Large windows
appropriate use for this site, which is close to fronting Ronald Reagan Boulevard invite
both transit and employment. Inspiration for both pedestrians and drivers to peak into the
this structure comes from Emril’s on Universal activity happening inside the the building.
City Walk. While a tourist attraction near
the theme parks, this structure serves
as landmark for the site and grounds
the original Rife building. With a menu
focused on local food, the restaurant
is likely to attract “foodies” throughout
Central Florida (especially those living
near the SunRail spine).
With the addition of a raised outdoor
patio, similar to
Winter Park’s
Farmers Market, this Adding Prato-like folding glass doors facing
site becomes ideal the interior of the site (and future pedestiran
for programming plaza) also add to an indoor-outdoor flexbility
ranging from to the space.
weddings to art
shows, to gardening A side patio with a seating
demonstrations. wall and garden boxes
present a casual feel.
By creating this
quasi-public
place, it extends
Phase 3: Residential Construction the Rife building
The final addtion of artists’ lofts complements the culture of beyond its site,
the site and adds residents to El Centro. into the adjacent 13
street life.

14. Final Site Design for El Centro
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15. Perspective of Restaurant
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