Summary
Strategic Initiative 1.3 of the City of Alachua Fiscal Year 2019 Strategic Plan identifies the development of a wayfinding system as an action to support the continued revitalization of Main Street and the downtown area. Wayfinding signs direct and provide visitors information about nearby destinations. The CRA contracted with CHW Professional Consultants to develop a Wayfinding System Master Plan in order to further this objective.
The scope of work for the development of the Wayfinding System Master Plan is comprised of four (4) main tasks. The tasks are as follows:
- Inventory & Analysis: Creation of an inventory of existing wayfinding signage; review and assessment of the City's current destinations; identification of user groups, specific needs, and potential difficulties affecting new visitors to the area related to signage.
- Sign Types and Placement: Creation of an inventory of recommended sign typology to be used in the system; development of a map identifying recommended locations for wayfinding signs to be added or replaced.
- Design: Establishment of design principles, objectives, and a set of criteria; development of three (3) conceptual design styles for each recommended sign type.
- Delivery of the CRA Wayfinding Master Plan: The Plan will incorporate the materials identified in Tasks 1, 2, and 3, include action steps for implementation of the program, and provide cost estimates for the fabrication and installation of the system.
Several public meetings have been held to formulate the Plan. These pubic meetings include:
- May 20, 2019 - Wayfinding Sign Idea Generation Workshop: The purpose of the Workshop was to provide the business owners, property owners, residents, and visitors with information about the Plan and to receive public input on the project (Task 1). CHW provided the CRA Advisory Board and workshop participants with a presentation which reviewed background information about the project; explained the proposed goals of the wayfinding sign system; provided an inventory of existing wayfinding signage; identified potential opportunities to improve wayfinding signage within the CRA area; and reviewed case studies.
- June 17, 2019 - CRA Advisory Board Meeting: CHW presented information about potential sign types and placement (Task 2). This presentation reviewed the creation of an inventory of recommended sign types to be used in the wayfinding system and potential locations for wayfinding signage to be added or replaced.
- July 15, 2019 - CRA Advisory Board Meeting: CHW presented design options for each sign type. At the conclusion of the presentation and of Board discussion, the Board unanimously moved to recommend Option 2, with the following modifications: to soften the corners of the signage; to add a gateway sign for Option 2 which arches over the roadway, similar to the gateway sign for Option 1 (to be located on Main Street near its intersection with US 441); and to maintain the style of existing street lights.
- July 22, 2019 - CRA Meeting: CHW presented the draft Wayfinding System Master Plan, which included the information derived from Tasks 1 - 3.
The comments from the July 22, 2019 CRA Meeting have been incorporated into the final draft of the Plan, which will be presented at today's CRA Advisory Board Meeting.
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