APPROACH to INFILL Fresh ª

Simple tools are available to guide successful infill development of vacant and underused lots downtown, a common issue brought up in public input sessions with local residents. The FRESH method can be applied to any potential future infill development. Developed by Pratt Cassity, former director of the Center for Community Design and Preservation at the University of Georgia’s College of Environment and Design, the FRESH method ensures that future infill development is compatible with adjacent buildings.

Important considerations like scale, height, materials, shape, orientation, rhythm, mass-void proportion, and texture are all essential elements of new developments that feel in harmony with surrounding buildings. The FRESH method helps to break down these elements in a simple formula for new development in downtown. Following all five elements of the FRESH method ensures that new development will be cohesive and complementary to surrounding structures, regardless of the architectural style of the new construction:

FRESH METHOD: FIVE ELEMENTS

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APPROACH to INFILL Fresh ª

1. FOOTPRINT: The outline of a building as seen from above

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• The footprints of new structures should be similar to the footprints of surrounding and adjacent buildings.

• New buildings should respect the established setback line and generally should not protrude from it.

• The orientation of the proposed building should align with adjacent buildings.

APPROACH to INFILL Fresh ª

2. ROOFLINE: The profile of or silhouette made by a roof or series of roofs

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• The roofs of new buildings should be consistent with the pitch, complexity, and orientation of existing adjacent roofs.

3. ENVELOPE: The outside shape or form of a building

• New infill buildings should maintain a similar size, spacing, and massing to nearby historic buildings.

APPROACH INFILL Fresh ª

• If the infill area is significantly wide, consider a series of bays.

• New infill on corner lots should address the corner.

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4. SKIN: Materials used on a building’s façade

• New structures should be clad in visually and physically similar materials.

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• New infill façade construction should be of similar materials and colors but should not imitate features of historic styles.

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• Use building materials that have a texture, pattern, and scale similar to existing structures in the district.

5. HOLES: Doors, windows, and other openings

• Holes should mimic the style and pattern of openings used on surrounding structures.

• The size and proportion of the holes should mimic those of surrounding buildings.

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• Holes should maintain the rhythm established by adjacent buildings.

APPROACH to INFILL Fresh ª all over Carroll County see Adamson Square and downtown as the community’s living room. The dedicated public investments made downtown over the past two decades have elevated downtown Carrollton to the go-to regional destination for the arts, culture, entertainment, and

Attractions like the Amp, arts center, depot, and quilt museum draw visitors from across the region and beyond for regular events and programming. Over a nine-month period in 2023, the city hosted an astounding 69 public events, including 16 concerts at the Amp, popular annual festivals like MayFest, movie screenings, night markets, and more. The city’s many public events represent a tremendous investment of time, energy, and resources. These programs complement and bring additional foot traffic to the beloved variety of family-owned small businesses and restaurants downtown. To create the entertainment options residents want, local leaders see the need for the private sector to pick up where the public sector stops. Entertainment offerings like live music could easily complement many downtown restaurants and bars. Events like movie screenings and sports broadcasts, book and record launches, trivia and board game nights, dancing, and more could all bring more consistent entertainment downtown. Offerings as simple as cornhole or checkers outside of businesses could encourage visitors to wait a little longer for a dinner reservation and spend more time (and money) downtown. By attracting a more diverse variety of family-friendly entertainment, business owners can help downtown Carrollton become an even more engaging destination for all residents.

The sheer variety of unique retail options downtown, including two book stores, a record shop, multiple apparel boutiques, an upscale resale furniture shop, art studios, beauty salons, jewelry stores, and more, makes Carrollton an unrivaled small-town shopping destination. These dedicated local merchants provide an eclectic array of offerings unavailable in many larger cities. Combined with diverse shopping, the vibrant restaurants, coffee houses, bars, and the local breweries make downtown Carrollton the place in the region for a great meal and a night on the town. Local residents praised these elements and recognized that the city’s diverse retail and dining options make downtown a community destination. At the same time, many would like to see an even broader variety of these options. Many locals emphasized that entertainment offerings could be expanded downtown. Residents particularly felt that downtown lacks entertainment for young professionals beyond the bar scene and young families outside of programmed events.

In discussions with local business leaders during step one of the RSVP process, many noted that attracting and retaining young employees can be challenging. While the availability of housing plays a major role in this issue, it is also broadly true that younger workers generally favor walkable areas with plenty of dining and entertainment options. With easy access to the city’s GreenBelt network and a thriving downtown, Carrollton should be more of a destination for young adults. According to a study by the Segmentation Company, 64% of college-educated young adults first choose where to live, then where to work. Providing the type of environment and entertainment younger workers and early families desire could help support the local economy and preserve the qualities that make downtown Carrollton the unique community destination it is.

Participants in focus groups and interviews frequently suggested specific activities or businesses they would like to see downtown, including bowling, live music, an arcade, ax throwing, movie theaters, rooftop activities, cornhole, and more. Existing businesses could accommodate many of these offerings. Large, intensively programmed spaces like a bowling alley would likely be better suited elsewhere in town.

Concepts included elsewhere in this document, including expanded recreation options at the Amp and mixed-use developments with additional space for downtown restaurants and retail, will help to address the desire for “more to do” downtown. Other designs, included in this section, help visualize an even more engaging downtown destination for all residents.

Many of these concepts also extend public art downtown. Local residents rightly see Carrollton as a community that values arts and culture. In conversations with community members, many also mentioned that younger residents travel downtown to take pictures at existing murals and landmarks. Carrollton should see every blank wall as a potential canvas to extend the city’s creative, youthful atmosphere throughout downtown. Concentrating public art improvements around the existing arts center could help encourage more foot traffic away from the square and cultivate the ambiance of a thriving arts district, further elevating Carrollton's image as a vibrant cultural destination. The activity generated by downtown Carrollton’s thriving local businesses and the successful public investments made over the past few years have extended growth and activity down the corridors radiating from the square. In just the past few months, a new coffee shop has opened on Bradley Street. Just down the street, Crafty Rabbit Meadery will soon open in a long-vacant former warehouse adjacent to the downtown terminus of the GreenBelt. Coupled with public investments like the Depot, public parking areas, sidewalks, and the GreenBelt, this new wave of growth extending down Bradley Street will further connect and integrate the area around Turner Park with downtown. As downtown expands, this beautifully landscaped and roughly 20-acre green space will grow in importance as a prime in-town park. The space could likely accommodate additional recreation and entertainment options, including a dog park and play areas, to create an active destination for a more diverse array of local residents.

Downtown Carrollton includes a rich tapestry of arts, dining, and unique shops. The artistic spirt of Carrollton citizens fills every wall and corner with creativity. This city’s vibrant and artistic culture shapes downtown’s lively present and inspiring future—a downtown where each step tells a story, and every small business is a cherished element in Carrollton's unique charm.