After Smyrna officials faced opposition to its early plans for redevelopment of the city’s downtown, two plans have been drawn up, including an interactive sign that could make the downtown Instagram worthy.
The city reviewed the proposed specifics of its $6.7 million downtown makeover at Monday’s meeting of the Downtown Redesign Detail Task Force.
City Council in June approved the overall concept for the downtown reboot. Smyrna will remove the iconic fountain and roundabout in front of the Smyrna Public Library and replace it with a downtown park that features kid-friendly splash pads and more greenspace.
The aim is to transform the area near City Hall and the Smyrna Community Center into a pedestrian friendly hub that attracts more visitors.
The task force was assembled by Mayor Derek Norton following complaints from residents opposed to the preliminary plans for downtown’s redesign. Members of the task force — five council members who voted for a redesign and three citizens with expertise in landscape architecture, building and marketing — were asked to fill in the details of the plan.
They’ll select things like landscaping, tree placement and where the public restrooms will be located.
Pond & Company, a Peachtree Corners architectural and engineering firm, crafted the master plan for the downtown concept last year and presented it to City Council in August 2020. That ultimately became the concept councilmembers approved in June.
Andrew Kohr, Pond & Company’s director of landscape architecture, presented a pair of options to fine tune the concept for the downtown makeover at Monday’s meeting. Both designs feature a lawn that extends from the Community Center south to Bank Street.
The first option includes a linear plaza and concrete walkway that bisects the lawn area. Architects incorporated an “Instagrammable moment” into that plaza area with large sculptural letters positioned in front of the library. The letters would spell SMRYNA without the Y.
Architects said that would give visitors the chance to pose in the sculpture, making the Y themselves.
The second design is a more traditional option with structures for shade on the east and west side of the lawn.
Several task force members envisioned the Smyrna sculpture being a big hit with visitors.
“I really do like the first option more, it feels more active,” said Councilman Austin Wagner. “There’s a potential to see more activity there than the other option. That one feels much more passive. It’s not going to bring as many people into the area.”
Norton asked if there was a way to combine the two options into one plan. Kohr suggested waiting for the public to weigh in before making changes.
There were no cost estimates for either option. The task force will consider the budget at its next meeting in September.
There was no opportunity for the public to speak at Monday’s meeting, but the task force plans to hold two public hearings on Sept. 16 so residents can give input before the committee finalizes its recommendations. City Council will then vote on the refined plan.
The concept for the downtown transformation has been panned by some residents who’ve criticized city officials for proposing to sell city-owned property to StillFire Brewing. The brewery is still a centerpiece of the downtown plan, but the sale has not taken place. City leaders hope to reach a deal to sell an acre of undeveloped land along Atlanta Road to the Suwanee brewery for a new three-story StillFire location in the heart of Smyrna.
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