Now that the city of Oak Ridge North has completed rehabilitation projects to the city's water and sewer systems as well as its roads, city officials continue to press forward with other projects outlined in the city's comprehensive plan.

The plan details a vision for all components of the city, including housing, transportation, parks and recreation, retail and commercial businesses as well as a planned plaza district.

Following nearly a year of resident input the city adopted the plan in June 2013.

Mayor James Kuykendall said having a comprehensive vision for the future allows city officials to make decisions that methodically advance the goals laid out in the plan.

"We serve our citizens for today, but we have always got to be planning for the future," he said. "Infrastructure like water and sewer upgrades and everything that we have done that is brand new has to be continually upgraded and maintained to service today but to also serve the future citizens of our city."

Several of the plan's initiatives—such as overlaying the city streets with new asphalt, rehabilitating the city water plant, providing maintenance to the water and sewer system—have already been accomplished, City Manager Vicky Rudy said.

She said that although some of the progress may be less evident to residents, other projects, such as a realignment and expansion of Robinson Road, adding a walking and biking trail along Woodson Road, and the development of an open space plan and thoroughfare plan, have entered the planning stages and are underway.

"We have set the groundwork for almost every aspect of this plan in two years' time," Rudy said.

As additional projects—such as the Robinson Road realignment—are completed, the city also plans to develop a plaza district where residents can commune and potentially find businesses, such as day care facilities, coffee shops, small restaurants and services, Economic Development Director Susan Cates said.

"It will take a public-private partnership working with a developer to make [those projects] happen," Cates said. "So while we have concept ideas, a developer is going to come in there and have their own design ideas and what they think is marketable, and we will work with them in a planned unit development."

The proposed location for the plaza district is along Robinson Road at the intersection of Hanna Road—where the city purchased property in January that could become the future location of City Hall, Rudy said.