GARLAND, TX — Downtown Garland welcomes the next wave of revitalization with a project from the 2019 bond program starting construction: the redevelopment of the Downtown Square.
Upon completion, the Downtown Square will be the destination for the community’s 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 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."
"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."
Construction is expected to take 18 to 20 months on the Downtown Square and up to 24 months on the streetscapes in the broader area.
Garland Breaks Ground on Downtown Redevelopment Project
