The Mount Vernon City Council approved a downtown and waterfront master area plan last Wednesday giving the OK to more than two years of discussions.

Jana Hanson, Mount Vernon’s director of community and economic development, said the green light will allow city staff to move forward with the final engineering phases and secure more funding for the project.

Master plan construction will focus on the downtown core, including the addition of a certified 100-year flood barrier, which will not only offer physical protection but make development west of Main Street possible. The development process will take a total of 20 years to complete.

The waterfront, currently used mostly for parking, will be replaced by a promenade. Buildings for business centers, office space, housing and even lodging will be built along the promenade and within the core.

The master plan is expected to bring 1,190 new and ongoing jobs to the area. Annual city taxes could reach $1 million by 2028, including 60 percent from retail sales.

“It will give a real nice public feeling for downtown,” Hanson said in a telephone interview.

The 350 displaced parking places will be replaced with the construction of a multi-level garage built between South Second Street and South Third Street.

Certain properties must be acquired before construction can begin. Andy Bennett, project consultant manager, said that purchases will be made and all sellers are on board.

Renovations are also in the works for the Kincaid and Division street entrances. Hanson said the construction is designed to give downtown a stronger and more welcoming presence.

Under the master plan, crosswalks within the core are designed to be as pedestrian friendly as possible so both residents and visitors can do most of their traveling on foot.

The added traffic from these changes is expected to bring both the First Street and Division Street intersection and First Street and Kincaid Street intersection to a level of service of “E.”

The level of service is a traffic determination based on an “A” through “F” scale, “A” being little to no delays and “F” being gridlock. Hanson said the current level of service can be maintained with changes to street-light timing.

The project will cost about $33 million during the 20-year process including $18 million for flood-control construction and $14.6 million for a parking garage.

Although the initial amendments to the comprehensive plan have been accepted, the Council made it clear that changes to the proposal could be made throughout future planning and construction.