OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — The Oak Ridge City Council has approved a vision to create a downtown area.
It would be on Wilson Street in the heart of the city.
City officials say it would be much like Market Square in Knoxville.
Oak Ridge Historian Ray Smith is excited because he knows how long a plan like this has been in the making.
He said if you drive down Wilson Street now, the setting is perfect for growth.
"There's a couple of very new things there, but there's a very large empty space," Smith said.
"From a city of 75,000 people, now we're a community of 30,000 and have been for a number of years without that center draw."
The plan for that center draw would be one of the largest proposed changes in the city's history.
"It's exciting to see that type of evolution for Oak Ridge to take place," Smith said.
A vision for a downtown Oak Ridge is in the early stages. Wilson Street would become a shopping and eating area, much like Market Square in Knoxville.
A robust downtown wasn't originally in the cards for the Secret City, though. The city's Director of Community Development, Wayne Blasius, says the original city layout wasn't necessarily set up for people to be together.
"Oak Ridgers have talked about having this kind of place for a long time, and I think a lot of it's about having a gathering place," Blasius said. "A place that, if you will, is everybody's neighborhood."
This project will highlight the city's history.
"The history is very, very unique, but it doesn't show up physically," Blasius said. "We look like other towns, with arterials and a lot of chain stores along the way. This is the chance to show what's uniquely interesting about Oak Ridge."
Blasius said private developers have to take an interest in the area. The city is hosting Paint The Town in May -- where workers will paint the plan onto Wilson Street.
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The idea is to show people how much the area can grow.
"Like if there's supposed to be a restaurant here, we're going to have a food truck. If there's supposed to be a bar over here, we'll have a beer tent," Blasius said.
Paint The Town will be Saturday, May 9. For more information, head to the event's Facebook page.