Late in 2019, the City Commission approved the Urban Form and Density Report findings, which were a result of a study undertaken by the City’s consultant, Calvin Giordano and Associates (CGA). The report was the culmination of a process that included substantial public outreach and solicitation of perspectives.

The next step is for the City Commission to approve regulations and recommendations from the Study.  These regulations  will change the face of our transit oriented corridors - Andrews Avenue, Oakland Park Boulevard, Wilton Drive, Dixie Highway, and NE 26th Street- in order to allow for and encourage higher density development on those corridors.    The Commission is expected to consider the density regulation in late June 2021. 

What is a transit-oriented corridor (TOC)?

A Transit Oriented Corridor (TOC) is a developed, pedestrian-friendly area within one quarter-mile of a public transit system. A TOC must be within walking distance to the public transportation system and includes amenities that promote the safe movement of pedestrians. While Broward County and the state have technical rules and regulations related to TOCs, the main concept is to create walkable communities that are accessible to transit through zoning regulations.

Since the entirety of Broward County is built out, County redevelopment rules have been put in place that heavily favor TOCs.

Wilton Manors currently has four officially designated TOC zoning districts. They are:

TOC North : North of NE 26th Street and west of the FEC Railroad right-of-way along the east and west sides of N. Dixie Highway.

TOC South: South of NE 26th Street, west of the FEC Railroad right-of-way, and east of NE 11 Avenue along the east and west sides of N. Dixie Highway.

TOC East: East of the FEC Railroad right-of-way along the north and south sides of NE 26 Street, excluding the area north of 26th Street and west of NE 14th Avenue known as Wilton Station, excluding the area south of NE 25th Street and east of NE east of NE 13th Avenue, and excluding Colahatchee Park to the intersection of NE 15 Avenue/NE 16 Avenue.

TOC West: Generally located south of Oakland Park Boulevard, east of I-95 and west of NE 6th Avenue; and parcels to the west and east of North Andrews Avenue, south of Oakland Park Boulevard and north of the South Fork of the Middle River. (Pending final approval)

Wilton Drive is designated as an Arts and Entertainment Zoning District.

Here’s an example: Assume 1,000 units have been allocated to different development projects and only 105 units remain. If a 2-acre property with a hypothetical density of 100 units per acre were to be developed, then they could potentially be allowed to build up to 200 units; however, because only 105 units would be remaining and available, then that development project would be capped at the 105 unit-count. If they wanted to build the remaining 95 units, then the developer would have to petition the City to apply for more units to the County through a Land Use Plan Amendment. This would have to be properly advertised and noticed, and the City Commission would have to discuss and approve the application at a publicly held meeting with the opportunity for public input.

It should be noted that the numbers above are only for the TOC centered around 5-Points. The TOC-W has its own maximum level of development and has sufficient residential units and commercial square footage for future development.

Density, unit allocations, and height are only a few of the components of more complex formulations that allow the City to control the impact of development on the community.

Additional Details

The City has an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan underway to add 103 units requiring approval at the City, County, regional and state levels. The application must include an analysis and proof that there are sufficient facilities for water, wastewater, transportation, parks, and school capacity. Public hearings are required and in other words, the process is slow and public engagement is required at every step.

Currently, the City’s TOC District, comprised of the TOC zoning districts of TOC-North, South, and East is limited to only 519 units. These TOCs, together comprise the main TOC District, centered around the 5-Points intersection. The available 519 units are to be shared across all 3 TOC districts. It should be noted that these units are the existing units already built within the TOC, meaning that the City currently has no available units within the TOC for any new residential development. The City has submitted a request for an increase of 103 unit to the City’s TOC District which is currently going through the state review process, which would raise the number of units from 519 to 622 units within the TOC.

The City does have additional units which are known as “flexibility” and “reserve” units. These units are residential units the City can allocate to future development if approved by the City. Based on the number of available flexibility and reserve units, there are another 483 units which could be allocated to the main TOC. If the Land Use Plan Amendment gets approved by the County, then the resultant maximum total residential dwelling units would be 586 (103+483). It should be noted that currently, 121 flexibility and reserve units could be used anywhere in the City, not only within the TOC Districts.

So, what does all this mean? It means that regardless of what density the City Commission adopts for the TOC District, any and all development within the TOCs is capped and limited by the available number of units that has been allocated and made available by the County. Any maximum density number that the City adopts does not give any property owner the right to supersede the City’s zoning regulations. The cap on developable dwelling units is applied to all future developments, and they are allocated on a first-come basis. If the number of units in the pool is depleted, then any future development will only be able to build the units that remain, even if it is less than what the density calculation would have allowed them to build.

The map of Proposed Hub Building Heights can be found here: www.wiltonmanors.com/DocumentCenter/View/6548/Draft-Map-of-Proposed-HUB-Building-Heights.

  Questions or Comments?  Call 954-390-2180 or email rmoore@wiltonmanors.com