Downtown Cotter Development
The location of this design project is in the center of historical downtown Cotter, Arkansas. Cotter is on the western border of Baxter County along the White River in Northern Arkansas. The area in Cotter that is being focused upon is around Combs Street, Second Street, and McLean Avenue. The purpose of this project is to redefine the center of activity for Cotter and create a focal point and sense of community in the downtown area. This will ideally bring commerce to the city and create a tax base that will support the town and allow it to prosper. Downtown Cotter is located on a peninsula created by the White River. The streets are organized in a grid oriented to the natural shape of the river bend. Since this section of the river is in the Bull Shoals Tailwater, it is some of the best trout fishing in the world. In fact, the city has adopted the official title of "Trout Capital of the U.S.A." The highest elevation point in the city is located in the northeast corner. The elevation drops 100 feet to its lowest point in the southwest corner of the city. The waterside is densely vegetated with wild brush and small deciduous trees. The downtown currently has no plantings, but there is some unwanted overgrowth in town. When in downtown Cotter, one is surrounded by views of the historic buildings, the mountain sides, and river bluffs. The history of the town is similar to that of many railroad boom towns. Cotter was supported originally by the commerce that was brought in from the river traffic and the railroad. In its beginning, Cotter's lots were given away in a lottery system. Cotter was once the largest city in Baxter County, but has since dwindled to just a sleepy little bedroom community. This was caused by the moving away of the railroad industry. This project focuses on the downtown area of Cotter. It includes the improvements of areas such as streets, sidewalks, and storefronts. It also involves the addition of street lamps, a central city park, and street trees to improve the overall appearance of Cotter. The design has been divided into three phases of development. Each phase contains certain goals to be completed by the end of a selected period of time. The first phase of the design process looks at the first five years of development. Streets should be repaved or repaired first. At the same time, power lines should be buried, and sidewalks are to be corrected and completed as needed. Also in this phase, street trees are planted in either planters or grates in the sidewalk. Vintage street lamps on bridge should be continued from the bridge into downtown. These simple improvements will hopefully draw outside buyers and merchants into Cotter. To focus this infill of new merchants into a certain area in town, a central city park is included in this phase of design. This park will create a focal point for Cotter's downtown. The park is designed to be located on the block stretching from Combs Street to McLean Avenue and facing Second Street, but could be adjusted depending on the situation. The second phase of the design involves the development of downtown Cotter in the next 15 years. This phase includes more commercial infill on Second Street facing the park. The park may become smaller to allow for a few more smaller merchants to move in. Some residential infill along Combs street next to the park area may also be needed to complete the entry sequence into downtown. In the third phase, the design goes into the next 25 years of development. This phase completes the infill of businesses along Second Street and around the park. Also in phase three, the city hall acquires an addition facing the new park with a more traditional facade to give the city another focal point. [Note: Please remember. The photos here represent Cotter as projected in the year 2025. -jrs]
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Cotter, Arkansas - Trout Capital
U.S.A.
