SECONDARY ROADS AND ALLEYS: ENHANCING WALKABILITY AND STREETSCAPING

Although the street name changes several times, Tanner Street runs from Newnan Street south to Clinic Avenue, connecting important destinations like the Carroll County Courthouse, the South Carrollton Residential Historic District, and Tanner Medical Center.

Shown with unused striped areas and a treeless median, this important connector road could be improved between the courthouse and parking deck.

City Hall Avenue serves as an important east-west route just north of Adamson Square. Vacancies and institutional uses along this side street limit the vitality of the area. In some areas City Hall Avenue is up to 50 feet wide, encouraging speeding. While the 20 parallel parking spaces add important parking capacity on Sunday mornings, much of the area could accommodate more efficient on-street angled parking. John Wesley Plaza widens broadly near the intersection with Ward Street. Approaching 90 feet wide at some points, this two-lane road is significantly oversized. Paving lines indicating on-street parking have faded over time, making this corridor feel even wider.

Adamson Square

Proposed

This design concept reclaims the striped paving to create a pedestrian safety island planted with large-canopy willow oak street trees. Improved signage shown in the style of other examples used downtown directs visitors to the parking deck and ties this area in with the remainder of downtown.

Proposed

This concept shows 15 new on-street angled parking spaces along City Hall Avenue. Angled parking allows for deep bump-outs that reduce pedestrian crossing distances and help calm traffic speeds. These bumpouts can also accommodate large-canopy street trees as shown, bringing a welcoming shade canopy to this street. Additional improvements shown include new sidewalks and six parking spaces along John Wesley Plaza, Natchez crape myrtles installed in existing planting beds, improved signage, and new street lamps throughout the area.

Proposed

Reorganizing parking along John Wesley Plaza could bring a number of improvements to this corridor, including continuous sidewalks, landscaped bump-outs, and 37 on-street parking spaces. These sidewalks could help safely connect students with the busy preschool at the First Christian Church Preschool shown on the right.

SECONDARY ROADS AND ALLEYS: ENHANCING WALKABILITY AND STREETSCAPING

Adamson Square

EXISTING: Hotel guests frequently use this alleyway as a cut-through. This photo shows existing conditions in this space, including aging asphalt, utility boxes, and unattractive chain link fencing.

PROPOSED, SHORT TERM

Proposed

This rendering shows another option to update the alley. In this concept, planters grow Carolina jessamine on arches over the alley, creating the impression of a taller space. The cheerful yellow flowers invite people in and make it clear that the alley is a public space. Benches on either side encourage visitors to sit and stay awhile. The brick pavers subtly delineate the alley as a separate space from the road and create the feeling of a plaza.

PROPOSED, EVENING

A fast and cost-effective way to improve the alley would be simply hanging string lights. String lights could improve the appearance of the alleyway and enhance the perception of safety for visitors making their way back to the hotel from downtown restaurants. Proposed, Short Term Proposed Proposed, Evening

This night view shows the lights entwined with the flowers, creating an inviting and festive atmosphere. Lights at night increase people’s sense of safety, and incorporating twinkling string lights into the design offers a more effective and inviting option than floodlights.

Carrollton’s beautiful and abundant public parks and the city’s GreenBelt trail network are enough to make the city the envy of communities across Georgia and beyond. Particularly for a city the size of Carrollton, the quality and quantity of recreation opportunities available in the city is truly remarkable.

Carrollton’s Parks and Recreation Department lists 29 individual park facilities around the city. Just beyond the city limits, Carroll County operates impressive facilities like John Tanner Park, a former state park, and a 109-acre recreation area with a variety of athletic fields. In conversations with community members during step one of the RSVP planning process, local residents gave high praise both to the city’s parks and the dedicated maintenance staff who keep these community destinations beautiful. Local leaders deserve praise for continually investing in park development and improvement.

Constructed roughly a decade ago, the Amp in downtown Carrollton has been an overwhelming success with local residents. Citizens throughout the public input process continually ranked the Amp as one of their favorite things about downtown. The Amp provides a go-to location for concerts and programming. Carrollton residents see the Amp as downtown’s signature gathering space and a community anchor. While the Amp offers an inviting area for adults to enjoy special events and ball games on the big screen, residents see the need to improve downtown offerings for young people. Carrollton residents see their community as an inviting and family-friendly destination but recognize that downtown lacks elements like playgrounds that could help make the area more inviting for young families with children.

Many residents considered revisiting the traffic pattern at the square to return a green spaceto the area as a way to address this issue. As discussed in the first section of this report, with the space constraints and volume of traffic in the square, returning a green space to the square would not create the type of active park area residents envision. Alternatively, local leaders could look at existing park areas to incorporate the type of play areas and amenities local residents desire. Presbyterian Park, the largest park in the downtown area, could benefit from improvements that elevate this facility to the standard of the city’s other parks. Similarly, city leaders could redesign the small corner park at Rome Street and City Hall Avenue to offer a more flexible and inviting area for community events. As Carrollton grows and more residents choose to live downtown, these public spaces will become more important than ever. The concepts that follow include designs intended to bring more diverse programming and kid-friendly amenities to Carrollton’s downtown parks. Inspired by the input of local citizens, these designs envision downtown as an active and exciting recreation destination for residents of all ages.