Shaping our communities in a meaningful way is at our core. That’s why the City of Orlando turned to us for help with preparing the Parramore Comprehensive Neighborhood Plan—because we understand how to balance the conservation of cultural heritage with the need for economic development.
Parramore is an historically underserved African-American community that experienced significant depopulation and unemployment due to extensive roadway construction and slowing economic growth. Our team worked with the City of Orlando, education leaders, public and private leaders, and the community to create a plan to revitalize the area, guided by 10 Healthy Community Design (HCD) Principles, such as promoting access to healthy food, investing in people and not cars, and encouraging mixed-use development. We led numerous community forums and extensive public engagement to encourage buy-in and build a shared solution. Together we planned for transit-oriented development built around a new SunRail station with short, mid, and long-term action items. The new, vibrant Parramore community is teeming with activities and industries that enhance the physical environment, employment, housing and infrastructure. A significant aspect is the new pre-k to college pipeline comprised of a new Community Partnership elementary and pre-school, and a vibrant urban campus for the University of Central Florida and Valencia Community College downtown. The VHB team is committed to delivering creative, practical solutions that can preserve, revive, and reconnect the Parramore neighborhood to the city at large.
