Village of Cordova

Cordova Village - Mississippi Riverfront

The second of three Community Workshops was held on October 23rd, continuing the positive dialogue between Cordova residents and Village Staff about the desired community character of Cordova’s Mississippi River waterfront. Approximately 15 people were in attendance. In response to community and Staff feedback from Workshop #1, Workshop #2 focused on developing alternate plan ideas for Target Sites 1 and 3.

The second of three Community Workshops was held on October 23rd, continuing the positive dialogue between Cordova residents and Village Staff about the desired community character of Cordova’s Mississippi River waterfront. Approximately 15 people were in attendance. In response to community and Staff feedback from Workshop #1, Workshop #2 focused on developing alternate plan ideas for Target Sites 1 and 3.

At Workshop 1, Site 1 (Downtown Central) was preferred for consideration of active recreation and downtown development including a boat launch, fishing pier, gazebo, potential new municipal building, and parking. Site 3 (Shoreline West) was identified for potential development of passive/active recreation including enhanced natural environment with trails, fishing, eagle watching/birding, basketball courts, and a skate park and potential parking on Village-owned parcels along Third Street. Four alternate concepts for Site 1 and three alternate concepts for Site 3 were presented and discussed at Workshop 2.

The following are the concept-specific comments offered by Village Board members, Staff and community participants.

Site 1 – Downtown Central

Concept 1A
• Boat trailer circulation requires vehicles to back onto Main Street and onto ramp, which should be avoided; a U-drive or other turn-around would be the preferred layout

• Boat ramp layout would require frequent dredging to maintain access and could be cost-prohibitive - consider this same concept with the boat ramp removed and expanded picnic area and additional  parking

• Fishing pier along Village-owned portion of existing jetty is a good idea; consider a pedestrian bridge connecting it with proposed new picnic area

• Some expansion onto Bob VanHoerweghe’s property could be a possibility

Concept 1B
• Concerns about the feasibility/Army Corps approval of filling stagnant inlet
o A hydraulic study would likely be required

• Bob VanHoerweghe expressed an interest in considering a partnership with the Village that could involve installing transient docking adjacent to his marina and property at the northeastern edge of the Village’s property

• Parking along 6th Street - Consider overflow boat trailer parking here

• Connect proposed new picnic area with proposed fishing pier using a pedestrian bridge over stream outlet

Concept 1C
• Phasing from 1B to 1C might be desirable

• Consider filling in area shown as marina to create one larger park area

• Parking shown might be excessive – consider eliminating Main Street angled spaces and 5th Street headin spaces

• Derbyshire involvement and buy-in needs to be explored further

• Concerns about function of proposed marina - maintenance dredging could be cost-prohibitive and upstream impacts of filling should be considered due to having stream flow into marina

Concept 1D
• Boat ramp access and trailer parking minimizes backing and is the preferred layout

• Proposed Main Street realignment could be a good idea, however topographic conditions might necessitate a large amount of fill

• Derbyshire involvement and buy-in needs to be explored further

• Marketability and branding opportunities would increase with Concepts 1C and 1D

• Concerns about function of proposed marina - maintenance dredging could be cost-prohibitive and upstream impacts of filling should be considered

Site 3 – Shoreline West

Concept 3A
• Sandy beach would be a good amenity/draw but could present some prohibitive ongoing maintenance issues:
o How often would sand need to be replenished/what kind of erosion control would be needed?
o Does the Corps replenish Princeton Beach and would they help provide/replenish this beach?
o Underwater areas between lateral dams are shallow and sandy – could this sand be pumped ashore?

• Filling/improving low, wetland areas – at what point will mosquito control be achieved?

Concept 3B
• Disk golf good idea and could be a popular draw for visitors

• Dredging and slips south of 9th Street might not be cost-effective

• Consider dredging out a U-shaped marina in between the northern and central lateral dams
o Corps might be amenable to marking the lateral dams and new channel to access potential marina

Concept 3C
• Dredged channel could be a good idea – historically, water flowed along this channel prior to the construction of 9th Street over to wastewater treatment; a small, poorly functioning culvert now regulates the flow
o Concerns about how water would flow through channel and what maintenance dredging would be needed

• Consider dredging land between northern and central lateral dams and using fill to build up a beach on upland, eastern portion of Village parcel (adjacent to 2nd Street Right-of-Way)
o Could the lateral dams be extended to a new shoreline east of the current location?

Site 2 – Downtown North

Site 2 was raised at the meeting by Bob VanHoerweghe. He asked the Board to further consider the potential of this site. He suggested that while there are acquisition costs involved, they could work out to be less than the costs to fill/dredge and improve Sites 1 and 3 to meet the quality of Site 2.

• Site 2 could be considered for development of transient dockage (combined with Site 1), boat ramp, Village Hall, small retail, parking, restrooms

Summary Comments
• Concerns about whether or not boat ramp development should be a priority; TIF district was established for park and recreation development
o Recreation development opportunities for 12 to 18-year olds should be a priority

• Spreading amenities to different locations around Village will better serve residents than concentrating them in one place – Consider developing both Sites 1 and 3 and take a mix-and-match approach to amenities

• A boat ramp at 4th Avenue is the most practical in terms of parking and access

• New Village Hall seen as most feasible if leasable office/retail space is included to help offset costs

Site 1 Summary
• Expand on Concept 1B with both recreation only and Village Hall options

• Develop park/picnic area without boat ramp

• Include hardscaped steps to water

• Include Village Hall building with leasable space

Site 3 Summary
• Focus development on northern Village-owned parcels with actively programmed park
o Develop basketball court and skate park adjacent to one another

• Keep 3rd Street parcels south of 9th Avenue available for potential future sale or development

• Develop alternate concepts dredging out U-shaped marina between lateral dams and using fill to build up a larger beach on upland, eastern portion of Village parcel (adjacent to 2nd Street Right-of-Way)

Based on the community and Staff feedback from Workshop 2, the Lakota team will continue to refine development concepts for Sites 1 and 3. The Lakota team will present preliminary concepts to Village Staff and Army Corps and other regulatory officials before proceeding with final development concepts. A third community workshop will be held in January 2009 to present the final Waterfront Master Plan.