The South Waterfront should be an active, attractive and distinctive part of downtown Knoxville and a gateway to a mix of uses, diverse neighborhoods, waterfront recreation, revitalized businesses and places of work.

That statement reflects the hundreds of comments, e-mails, and interviews collected by the Hargreaves Associates consulting team over the past three months to create a draft Vision Plan for the South Waterfront.

"The consulting team has done a great job capturing what makes the waterfront special and how those things can be conserved and enhanced to make this a great asset for our city," said Mayor Bill Haslam. "We have a great framework from which to start making this vision a reality."The draft will continue to be refined based on reaction from citizens, costs and market conditions, he noted. The plan is expected to be implemented in phases over the next 20 years.

"My goals for this plan are two-fold - that it reflect what our community wants and that it be doable," the Mayor said. "This is not a plan that will sit on the shelf - it will continually be updated and made current based on what we learn from the community, the costs and technical requirements of implementing the plan and private market forces.

"Next steps in the process include assessing market conditions, estimating infrastructure costs and identifying catalyst projects. "We have a great foundation to begin this work and that's because of the people who took the time to participate in creating the vision," Mayor Haslam said.