Guide to the T6: Waterfront Zoning District in Kissimmee
The T6: Waterfront district in Kissimmee serves as the city's highest-intensity transect zone, permitting building heights up to eight stories to create landmark features along Lakefront Park. This district requires a high degree of walkability and urban enclosure, mandated by an 80% minimum primary street frontage buildout and specific ground-floor design standards. The T6: Waterfront district allows for a dense mix of multi-family residential, commercial, and select industrial uses like warehousing and micro-breweries.
Purpose and General Character
In the City of Kissimmee, the T6: Waterfront district is primarily located along Lakefront Park. The core intent of this zone is to optimize the physical characteristics of the built environment to maximize the public benefits provided by the park [Section 14-5-4.G].
The general character of the T6: Waterfront district is defined by:
- Vibrancy and Walkability: The zone permits the greatest development intensity and a diverse mix of uses [Section 14-5-4.G].
- Urban Enclosure: Buildings are situated close to the sidewalk to create a sense of enclosure for the park, with building heights allowed to be the tallest in Kissimmee to establish visual landmarks [Section 14-5-4.G].
- Pedestrian Comfort: The Kissimmee code requires plentiful shade for pedestrians and ensures that parking lots are screened from public view [Section 14-5-4.G].
Permitted Land Uses
The T6: Waterfront district in Kissimmee supports a wide variety of mixed-use developments. If a proposed project in the T6: Waterfront district includes a use that requires conditional approval, the entire development must undergo the conditional use review process [Section 14-5-6.A].
T6: Waterfront District Use Table
| Use Category | Permission Status |
|---|---|
| Residential Uses | |
| Multiple Family Residential | Permitted (P) |
| Townhomes | Permitted (P) |
| Triplexes | Permitted (P) |
| Single Family Dwellings (Detached) | Not Permitted (N) |
| Duplexes | Not Permitted (N) |
| Accessory Dwelling Units | Not Permitted (N) |
| Commercial & Service Uses | |
| Retail Sales Establishments | Permitted (P) |
| Restaurants | Permitted (P) |
| Hotels and Motels | Permitted (P) |
| Office Establishments | Permitted (P) |
| Micro-brewery | Permitted (P) |
| Financial Institutions | Permitted (P) |
| Medical/Personal/Business Service Establishments | Permitted (P) |
| Drive-through Facilities | Conditional (C) |
| Civic & Institutional Uses | |
| Libraries and Museums | Permitted (P) |
| Public Uses | Permitted (P) |
| Community Centers | Conditional (C) |
| Colleges and Universities | Conditional (C) |
| Schools (Elementary and Middle) | Conditional (C)* |
| Industrial & Utility Uses | |
| Warehouse | Permitted (P) |
| Manufacturing (Light and Medium) | Permitted (P) |
| Manufacturing (Heavy) | Conditional (C) |
| Utility Facilities (Minor) | Conditional (C) |
*Note: Schools are subject to specific population thresholds within the Vine Street CRA before they can be permitted [Section 14-5-6.A].
Technical Development Standards
The City of Kissimmee applies strict dimensional and massing standards to the T6: Waterfront district to ensure the desired urban form is achieved.
T6 Dimensional Standards
| Standard | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Building Height (Max) | 8 Stories [Table 5-2] |
| Building Height (Min) | 22 Feet [Table 5-2] |
| Front/Street Side Setback | 5' Minimum to 15' Maximum [Table 5-2] |
| Side Setback | 0' Minimum to 24' Maximum [Table 5-2] |
| Rear Setback | 5' Minimum [Table 5-2] |
| Frontage Buildout (Primary Street) | 80% Minimum [Table 5-2] |
| Frontage Buildout (Other Streets) | 30% Minimum [Table 5-2] |
| Impervious Surface Area (Max) | 90% [Table 5-2] |
| Max Block Perimeter | 3,000 Linear Feet [Table 5-2] |
Building Massing and Articulation
To prevent large, undifferentiated building volumes, the T6: Waterfront district requires specific articulation methods [Section 14-5-7.A].
| Massing Standard | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Articulation Spacing | Every 75 Feet [Table 5-3] |
| Projection/Recess Depth | 3 Feet Minimum [Table 5-3] |
| Ground Floor Ceiling Height | 12 Feet Minimum [Table 5-2] |
| Upper Floor Ceiling Height | 9 Feet Minimum [Table 5-2] |
| Ground Floor Elevation (Non-Resid) | 6 Inches Maximum [Table 5-2] |
| Ground Floor Elevation (Resid) | 24 Inches Minimum [Table 5-2] |
Site and Architectural Requirements
Developments within the T6: Waterfront district must adhere to additional design criteria to maintain the district's character:
- Frontage Types: Allowed encroachments into the setback for the T6: Waterfront district include shopfronts, forecourts, stoops, and galleries or arcades [Table 5-2].
- Transparency: Buildings with shopfronts must have a minimum building façade fenestration (windows/doors) of 60% for the ground story and 40% for upper stories [Section 14-5-7.F.8].
- Parking Placement: Parking must be located behind the primary building. If rear parking is not feasible, it may be located to the side but must be masked from the street by a street wall [Section 14-5-9.B.3].
- Buffers: When the T6: Waterfront district is adjacent to single-family residential uses (in zones like T3, T4-O, or T4-R), a seven-foot landscape buffer and a six-foot high solid fence must be provided along the shared property line [Section 14-5-11.E.2].
Sections Cited
- Section 14-5-4 Transect zones established
- Section 14-5-6 Site Standards (Permitted Uses)
- Section 14-5-7 Building standards
- Section 14-5-9 Access, circulation and parking requirements
- Section 14-5-11 Landscape, buffers and screening standards
- Table 5-1 Permitted Uses
- Table 5-2 Transect Zone Dimensional Standards
- Table 5-3 Building Massing