Lakeshore Park shares updated master plan, seeks public input on enhancements
By Lauren Miller
Published July 2, 2020

Lakeshore Park Conservancy has announced that it has completed a major update to the Lakeshore Park Master Plan and is seeking the public’s comments and input through an online survey.

The update also reflects the Conservancy’s commitment to providing appropriate landscapes for mental, physical and cultural health by concentrating park improvements into separate athletic, civic and natural zones. The updated master plan and survey can be accessed on the Lakeshore Park website at lakeshoreparkknoxville.org. The survey will remain open through July 31, 2020.

“As we celebrate Lakeshore Park’s 25th anniversary, some of the original park improvements have begun to need renovation or replacement,” said Lakeshore Park Conservancy Executive Director Julieanne Foy. “That’s why the Conservancy Board decided to take a fresh look at the park’s master plan to ensure optimal placement and planning for future improvements and enhancements within the enlarged area of the park. The Board is excited about the updated plan and anxious to receive the public’s comments and feedback.”

Lakeshore Park is Knoxville’s largest, most centrally located and most visited general recreation park, and the Conservancy hopes to receive input on the master plan from across the city.

“Lakeshore Park has something for everyone, and we hope to hear from a wide range of community members, including those who regularly visit the park and those who have seldom or never visited the park but are looking for recreational opportunities,” Foy said. “People come to the park for different reasons – relaxation, exercise, picnics, family gatherings, youth sports, socialization and or special events or just to enjoy nature and take the views – and the Conservancy Board wants to make sure the park will continue to meet the needs of every visitor.”

Master plan changes for Lakeshore Park include updated layout and proposed locations for new park elements and improvements, such as relocated baseball fields, enhancements to the soccer area, new extensions of the walking trail and new gardens, event venues and play areas. Survey participants also can give feedback on existing park facilities and operations, including restrooms, picnic areas, parking, safety and security, accessibility and maintenance.

The community is invited to review the plan online and complete the survey to provide input on the updated layout and proposed locations for new park elements and improvements, such as relocated baseball fields, enhancements to the soccer area, new extensions of the walking trail and new gardens, event venues and play areas. Survey participants also can give feedback on existing park facilities and operations, including restrooms, picnic areas, parking, safety and security, accessibility and maintenance.

“Our goal is for Lakeshore Park to continue its role as Knoxville’s central recreational park, serving the recreational needs of families, individuals and organizations from across the city. This plan will help achieve that goal for generations to come,” Foy added.

Lakeshore Park opened in 1995 on 60 acres of leased land at the Lakeshore Mental Health Institute and has grown and evolved over the years to 185 acres owned by the City of Knoxville and managed by the Conservancy. Lakeshore Park is the only general recreation park in the City of Knoxville developed through a public-private partnership. With contributions from the general public and friends of the park, the Conservancy manages day-to-day operations at the park, supplements the basic services provided by the City and builds new park improvements. Over the years, friends of Lakeshore Park have contributed more than $25 million to the Conservancy for improvements to the park.

The Conservancy engaged Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects of Charlottesville, Virginia, to study the history, ecology and existing uses of the land and to make appropriate revisions and updates to the master plan to guide long-term development of the park. The 2020 master plan update takes into account the substantial increases in the size and usage of the park and will be presented to City Council later this summer.

Comments received during the public input process will be particularly useful in the implementation of the master plan and development of more detailed plans for future park improvements. The Conservancy will pursue a variety of public outreach efforts to obtain input on the plan, including a public meeting allowing community members to observe and participate either safely in-person or through a virtual connection. The details and date of the public meeting will be announced at a later date on the Lakeshore Park website.

About Lakeshore Park Conservancy
The Lakeshore Park Conservancy is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation responsible for the operation, management and enhancement of Lakeshore Park, a general recreation public park located in Knoxville, Tennessee on the banks of the Tennessee River. The Conservancy’s mission is to manage, preserve and enhance the park and to build a community dedicated to conserving the park for the future.

The 185-acre park includes three miles of walking trails, baseball fields, soccer fields, playgrounds, pavilions, riverfront piers, restrooms, picnic areas, special events fields and other facilities. For more information, please visit lakeshoreparkknoxville.org.

About Thomas Woltz and Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects
Over the past two decades of practice, landscape architect Thomas Woltz has forged a body of work that integrates the beauty and function of built forms with an understanding of complex biological systems and restoration ecology. As principal of Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects (NBW), a 45-person firm based in Charlottesville, Virginia, and New York City, Woltz has infused narratives of the land into the places where people live, work and play, deepening the public’s enjoyment of the natural world and inspiring environmental stewardship. NBW projects create models of biodiversity and sustainable agriculture within areas of damaged ecological infrastructure and working farmland, yielding hundreds of acres of reconstructed wetlands, reforested land, native meadows and flourishing wildlife habitat.

In the founding tradition of landscape architecture, NBW is committed to aesthetic and environmental excellence, social commitment and innovation. The firm has been instrumental in steering landscape architecture towards integrated, ecologically performative design, relying on science-based methodology and collaboration with a wide range of systems experts. NBW has dramatically expanded the traditional role of landscape architecture into the areas of restoration ecology, urban planning, civil engineering, and agriculture. In the past two years, NBW has been entrusted with the design of significant public parks and cultural institutions in the United States, Canada, and New Zealand, placing 30 years of design innovation in greater service to the public.

For more information, please visit www.nbwla.com.