The City of Carmel unveiled plans Dec. 6 for the Flower District, an area already home to a large rose sculpture and soon to include other floral features.

The district is generally a triangular area between Pennsylvania, Old Meridian and Main streets. It will also include areas to the east to Guilford Road. Gateways into the district are planned in the roundabouts at Old Meridian and Pennsylvania streets (already home to the rose sculpture), Main and Pennsylvania streets and Main and Old Meridian streets. Eventually, all three roundabouts are set to include sculptures and district-branded stone walls.

The city is working with Studio M Architecture and Planning to add floral landscaping in the gateways, medians and elsewhere.

During Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard’s first term, he established a committee co-chaired by local businessmen Paul Reis and John Schuler to study what could be done in this area. Over the years, their work resulted in improvements to Old Meridian Street, the construction of a new Grand Boulevard and a land-use plan that called for future hotels, townhomes, condominiums, apartments, shops and restaurants.

As improvements were made and the area experienced rapid growth, new discussions were held to determine how to identify the area and give it a name.

“When we first put this plan into place in the late 1990s, we referred to this as the Old Meridian district, but I felt that that name was overused and we could come up with a better name,” Brainard stated. “Then, with the addition of sculptor Arlon Bayliss’ ‘Grace, Love and Joy’ in 2019, a 35-foot, pink flower sculpture, the term Flower District became the appropriate choice.”

The plan calls for future improvements and the potential activation of special events to gradually come within the next few years.