Downtown Garland welcomes the next wave of revitalization with one of the most highly anticipated projects from the 2019 bond program starting construction: the redevelopment of the Downtown Square.
Members of the Garland City Council, staff and Downtown business leaders held a groundbreaking ceremony to kick off the Downtown Square revitalization project Thursday, Nov. 18. Watch a video showcasing the event.
Upon completion, the Downtown Square will be the destination for our community’s many interests and needs, along with larger festivals, live music and other events. Key features will include a large recreational and event lawn, a treehouse within a larger imaginative play area, a shade pavilion for smaller impromptu performances, starlit patios, and a distinctive gateway feature.
At the ceremony, City Manager Bryan Bradford traced the history of the Square to a Thanksgiving Day 1899 fire that burned the businesses and homes that lined the site and the decision then to create a shared public space.
"This Square has a long history of change and adapting to different community needs and community desires," City Council Member Deborah Morris said.
"The ways we use the Square have changed," Mayor Scott LeMay said. "But it has always been a gathering place. For all the progress, all the change, we keep coming back to the Square."
Businesses will be open throughout construction, so you can still visit your favorite shops, organizations and restaurants. Signs and maps will lead you to available parking. But it might not be storefront parking and it might require a detour. Still enduring a pandemic, the businesses now face lengthy construction.
"They're going to need help. They're going to need your support," LeMay said.
"What's happening Downtown is changing the image of our entire city," said Cary Hodson, president of the Garland Downtown Business Association. "We know the risks. We're open for your business. Please continue to shop Downtown and support our businesses."
For updates throughout the construction, which is expected to take 18 to 20 months on the Downtown Square and up to 24 months on the streetscapes in the broader area, visit GarlandTX.gov/DowntownConstruction.