Phase One of a Tanner Street landscaping project included in Carrollton’s updated Downtown Master Plan was recently completed in the area surrounding the county’s courthouse parking deck. 

Parks Superintendent Carrie Burnette, also known as “The Plant Lady” around the community, was the primary point person in the design and implementation of the project. According to her, Phase One included 250 carex ornamental grass plants, 30 Aeryn trident maple trees, five magnolia green shadow trees and several boulders for aesthetic purposes and for people to sit on.           

“I’ve already seen people sitting on them, reading books and papers and such,” Burnette said. “The maples will be very colorful in the fall while the magnolias are evergreens that will bloom nearly all summer.”

The city’s marketing and downtown director, April Saunders, said one goal of the Downtown Master Plan is to make downtown more parklike in general.

“This beautiful addition to Tanner Street is among the first of many improvements included in the master plan,” Saunders said. “These streetscapes, traffic improvements and building plans – suggested by our stakeholders and citizens – will continue building our awesome downtown into one of the most popular commercial, residential and visitor destinations in the southeast.”

Parks and rec employees did the work.

“Doing this in-house saved the city money,” said Burnette. “The whole thing was done for less than $11,000.”

This project was designed in February, constructed in March and finished April 2.