Horizon West Magazine
Orange County Vision 2050

Vision 2050 - Orange County's Comprehensive Plan

A Smart, Thriving, and Healthy Region

Orange County is fortunate to have a great diversity of environments – from urban and suburban to rural and pristine natural areas. The Vision 2050 initiative will guide how — and where — growth will occur during the next three decades.

Your Participation is Vital

Vision 2050 is a new comprehensive plan for smart, thriving and healthy growth in our region. This plan includes a public engagement process focusing on environmental preservation, community character and public spaces as guiding principles for future development.


“Community participation is vital for the Vision 2050 plan,” said Alberto Vargas, Orange County’s Planning Manager. “Orange County will engage residents in a variety of ways to understand their priorities for development. We want to collectively develop a vision that promotes economic opportunity, protects valued resources, and strikes a balance where land is used for the greatest public benefit.”


Horizon West Residents may participate in the meetings and surveys for any of the market areas, but Horizon West is within the Southwest Market Area. Some of the development and planning principles previously set forth in Horizon West are what planners are seeking to apply in other parts of the County. This puts us in a unique position to share feedback from our experiences. If we as Horizon West residents agree that creating more sustainable and meaningful neighborhoods and places is important countywide, our supportive and relevant feedback is critical during the Vision 2050 public engagement efforts.

How to Get Involved

There are many ways to participate in the Vision 2050 planning process, such as: by attending virtual community meetings and workshops, expressing your opinion though surveys and comments, becoming a spokesperson for your interest group or neighborhood, or by communicating with County staff and elected officials.


Two of three virtual Town Hall Meeting Series for Vision 2050 were completed earlier this year and provided an overview of the countywide Vision 2050 framework and a new approach to land use management using Planning Sectors & Place Types.

Attend Upcoming Virtual Town Hall Meetings

Starting in late May and concluding in early July 2021, the 3rd and final Vision 2050 virtual Town Hall Series will occur. This series will feature ‘Orange Code’, the county’s updated zoning code that implements the Vision 2050 comprehensive plan. Orange Code is form-based, meaning it will regulate development and manage compatibility by addressing building form (height, setbacks, lot coverage) ahead of building use. The code update will more clearly direct development outcomes, in line with the Place Types and other built environment goals within Vision 2050.


Unlike the 1st two Vision 2050 Town Hall Meeting Series that focused on specific market areas, each of the six (6) meetings in Series 3 will have a countywide context.


The first two meetings will be used to introduce the new Orange Code format as well as the concept and purpose of transect zones. 

• Town Hall Meeting 1:  Tues., May 25, 2021 – 6 p.m.

• Town Hall Meeting 2:  Wed., May 26, 2021 – 6 p.m. 


The 3rd and 4th meetings will be devoted to the proposed transect zones and their allowable uses. 

• Town Hall Meeting 3:  Mon., June 7, 2021 – 6 p.m.   

• Town Hall Meeting 4:  Tue., June 8, 2021 – 6 p.m.   


Finally, county staff or representatives will present other aspects of Orange Code and respond to public feedback during the 5th and 6th meetings.

• Town Hall Meeting 5: Wed., July 7, 2021 – 6 p.m.

• Town Hall Meeting 6:  Thurs., July 8, 2021 – 6 p.m.


For any questions about the town hall meeting series or registration process, please contact Planning Division staff at 407-836-5600 or via email at planning@ocfl.net.

Register for Town Halls

Complete Topic-Specific Surveys

Voice your opinion by participating in short, topic-specific surveys:


  • Survey 1 – Your Vision and Evaluation of the Current Plan (closes March 31, 2021)
  • Survey 2 – Your Policy Priorities (closes March 31, 2021)
  • Survey 3 – Your Neighborhood and Planning Priorities (closes March 31, 2021)
  • Survey 4 – Place Types (Open Now)
  • Survey 5 – What we have heard (to be released at a later date)

Join the Mailing List or Email District 1 Commissioner

Join Orange County's Vision 2050 mailing list to be notified of future Vision 2050 surveys, upcoming workshops dates and public hearings.



You can also email your questions and feedback to District 1 Commissioner Nicole Wilson at District1@ocfl.net.

How to Learn More

This 10-minute video contains additional information about the proposed planning concepts and principles behind Vision 2050 and the Orange Code.

The first virtual Town Hall for the Southwest Market area was held on Wednesday, Jan 20, 2021 at 6 PM. Watch the recording here.


The second  was held on April 1, 2021.  At this session, Planning Division staff provided an overview of the countywide Vision 2050 framework and described the tools used to reflect the unique characteristics and diversity of each Market Area.


This town hall included a new approach to land use management. “Planning Sectors” & “Place Types” were featured, including their role in the Vision 2050 strategy for guiding growth within Orange County.  More specifically, this series will demonstrate how Planning Sectors are used to identify areas that should be developed, redeveloped, or remain unchanged, and how Place Types will be used to reflect appropriate residential densities, non-residential intensities, and development patterns within various Centers, Corridors and Neighborhoods. Watch the recording below.


To read about Planning Strategies, Place Types and to learn more about Vision 2050, visit ocfl.net/Vision2050.



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