Executive Summary
Baldwin Park Redevelopment
Orlando, Florida
Baldwin Park is a mixed-use, large-scale, master-planned community built on the site of the former
Naval Training Center (NTC) Orlando Main Base in the heart of Orlando, Florida. Carefully woven into
the existing neighborhoods surrounding the old naval base, it is now a vibrant community of residences,
businesses, schools and parks. With a mix of apartments, townhomes, condominiums, cottages and
custom-built homes, Baldwin Park draws residents from all walks of life. Parks and lakes cover 450
acres of Baldwin Park, over 40 percent of the approximately 1,000-acre community.
In July 1993, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended closure of NTC Orlando.
The multi-phase closure began in 1995 and was completed in April 1999. The NTC Main Base property
had been in use as a civilian airport or military airfield from 1928 until the NTC was established in
1968. Of the 70 years of operational history, 50 years preceded the era of heightened environmental
awareness and regulation. Thus, there was much work to do before the property would be ready for
redevelopment.
The Orlando Partnering Team (OPT) was formed in 1994 to foster cooperation and collaboration among
Navy personnel and contractors, and representatives of the Florida Department of Environmental
Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 4. The partnering efforts have
resulted in this team working successfully together and with the City of Orlando and the Baldwin Park
Development Company to accomplish a common goal—cleanup of environmental contamination and
transfer of the former NTC property for redevelopment. Since 1992, over $21 million has been spent on
removal of asbestos and lead-based paint from buildings and the environmental investigation and
cleanup of soil and groundwater contaminated by pesticides, herbicides, metals, solvents, petroleum,
polychlorinated biphenyls, combustion by-products and medical wastes.
The OPT has managed the investigation of 27 individual sites on the Main Base, the removal of over
230 underground and aboveground storage tanks, and the remediation of 276 acres of contaminated
property, including ongoing work at five sites. The OPT has taken the necessary steps to protect the
public and the environment through expedited response, and development and application of innovative
remedial technologies while saving over $11 million in the cleanup process. Remediation technologies
utilized range from traditional dig and haul soil removals to in situ treatment of contaminated
groundwater via vegetable oil injections and construction of permeable adsorptive barrier trenches. All
of this has been accomplished while maintaining a perfect safety record with zero recordable incidents
and zero lost-time accidents in over 18,000 hours of environmental work.
Redevelopment began in the middle of the environmental investigation and cleanup activities when the
Baldwin Park Development Company purchased the property from the City at auction in 1999. Between
early 2000 and mid-2001, Baldwin Park accomplished remediation of arsenic-contaminated soil
throughout an existing 9-hole golf course and demolition of over 250 buildings, 200 miles of
underground utilities and 25 miles of roads. Concrete and masonry materials were crushed on site and
recycled into base material for new public streets and a stormwater exfiltration system, saving 30,000
dump truck trips. It is believed this 16-month, 400,000 man-hour success story was the largest singlephase demolition and remediation project in U.S. history.
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The OPT and Baldwin Park have demonstrated outstanding management of the environmental cleanup
and property transfer efforts, resulting in numerous accomplishments related to cooperative multi-party
efforts and use of special government initiatives and programs, including:
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Implementation of the fastest Department of Defense property transfer using CERCLA
120(h)(3)(C) Early Transfer Authority to enable Baldwin Park to secure financing needed to
complete the project.
Removal of 6,000 tons of unexpected medical waste within 45 days to ensure an on-time middle
school opening.
Coordination between the OPT and Baldwin Park to minimize construction delays and select
low-profile, passive remediation technologies for new residential areas.
Development of an acquisition strategy of subcontracting a majority of the work to local, small
and small disadvantaged businesses to meet Navy small business goals.
Baldwin Park Development Company’s investment of over $100 million in this project will provide
long-lasting social and economic benefits that will overcome the loss of approximately 800 civilian jobs
associated with the portion of the former NTC that now composes Baldwin Park. Currently, there are
approximately 580 persons employed in commercial and retail positions within Baldwin Park, and a
total of 6,000 jobs are expected upon completion of the entire one million square feet of planned
commercial space. There are also an estimated 2,000 construction jobs on site at this time with an
annual construction payroll of $100 million, and the $12 million in tax revenues now generated at the
project site are expected to rise to $40 million upon completion.
The Baldwin Park redevelopment project was purposely designed to create positive cultural, economic
and environmental benefits in line with the community’s land use planning and quality of life goals. To
ensure the community and Baldwin Park goals were compatible, about 200 public meetings were held to
give local government and adjacent residents and business owners an opportunity to provide input on the
redevelopment project. Resulting benefits to the residents and surrounding community include:
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Reducing urban sprawl via its location in the heart of Orlando and proximity to downtown.
Over 200 acres of parks and 250 acres of lakes to create viable ecosystems
Reserving lake shorelines for parks and public enjoyment.
Relocating over 100 mature trees and planting 4,000 new trees.
Incorporating new urbanism and EPA Smart Growth principles to promote sustainable
development, including mixing housing types throughout the project area, placing parks,
recreational and commercial areas within walking distance of residences, removing all walls and
gates and providing over 20 entrances to make Baldwin Park accessible to surrounding
neighborhoods.
Developing the property to blend with surrounding residential, commercial and industrial
properties varying in design and value, resulting in increased property values for all.
Further enhancing the image of the City of Orlando in the eyes of employers considering
relocation or expansion of their companies.
As a result of the collaborative efforts of the OPT, Baldwin Park Development Company and the City of
Orlando, Baldwin Park is a truly sustainable traditional neighborhood development that has created jobs,
provided public and private green spaces, opened new shopping and dining venues, increased land
values and remediated contaminated land into an environmentally sound place for Central Floridians to
live and work in downtown Orlando.
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