The City and Urban Renewal District are jointly preparing a plan for wayfinding signage in the city.  To complete the plan, Merje Design of West Chester, PA was brought in as a consultant.  The City then formed a steering committee made up of stakeholders, including the Hermiston Chamber, Hermiston School District, ODOT, and Good Shepherd Hospital, among others.  

The City utilized a public involvement program in crafting the plan.  Online surveys, as well as a public open house were conducted.  The public response to the draft designs was well received with 90% in favor of the design presented.  The city council also conducted a work session with staff and Merje and the city council directed staff to move forward with finalizing the designs presented here.  Based on feedback provided by the public, steering committee, and city council, minor changes were made to the wayfinding program.  Specifically, Spanish language options were developed for the downtown signage plan and the gateways to the city now incorporate the inclusive community language present at the existing gateway near the Hermiston Airport.

The wayfinding program incorporates elements which the city will use for future development.  The plan identifies three districts within the city.  These districts are intended to shape future development and function to help visualize how businesses may wish to locate in the future.  The first district is the downtown district and encompasses roughly the same area as the urban renewal district.  The downtown is the most developed district at this time and future signage will help identify this area for travelers and shoppers.  The second district is the medical district.  This district encompasses Good Shepherd Hospital and the surrounding land and development.  This area has a considerable inventory of vacant land.  The intent is to brand this area as a medical area and as new medical providers look to locate in Hermiston, there is a ready-made area where those businesses know they will have compatible neighbors and a built-in client base.  The third district is the south Hermiston industrial district.  This district encompasses all of the land south of the airport and the new industrial park.  Branding an area as an industrial district helps focus and direct new businesses and customers to the area.

For the city council's reference, wayfinding of this sort does not typically direct to private businesses, nor does it incorporate advertising.  Signage of this sort is intended to have a 20-year lifespan.  Incorporating private businesses is likely to result in outdated signs over such a long time frame.  By limiting signage to public properties and districts, the geographic locations are unlikely to change.  Signage which directs travelers to the downtown for example is always going to direct customers to the district where restaurants and shopping are clustered, even if the individual business names change over time.  Wayfinding is separate from the banner program the city is implementing which does incorporate sponsorships.  However, the banner program will utilize a modified version of the banner standard developed for this plan for consistency.

The plan develops multiple new signage standards.  Gateways intended for development at all major points of entry to Hermiston are planned.  Signage standards for each district are developed.  Banner standards are also developed.  Additionally, and most importantly, the wayfinding plan develops new signage standards for vehicle and pedestrian traffic.  These signs will guide travelers and residents to points of public interest.  Athletic fields, EOTEC, city hall, public library, senior center, parks, and trails are all planned for wayfinding signage.  Each sign is identified specifically in the plan.  In most cases, signs can be located in existing right of way.  Where a sign will fall outside right of way, the city will work with private property owners to obtain signage easements if necessary.

The first phase of the plan will be to install signage for public parking in the downtown.  Previous workgroups have identified that downtown parking is not clearly signed and it is not always evident what lots are public versus private.  The parking signage plan will identify all of the public lots in the downtown which comprise nearly 400 parking spaces.   This is an urban renewal project which has been planned and has been waiting for adoption of the plan for execution.  Upon adoption of the plan, the city will begin soliciting for parking signage proposals.

Pedestrian kiosks are identified in the plan.  There are ten kiosks planned for various locations around the city, focusing on areas which are heavily visited by tourists.  Initial planning for kiosks centered on static kiosks.  The potential for interactive, variable message kiosks, capable of displaying bilingual messages, is also being explored.

A new park standard for all city parks is also developed as part of this plan.  A complete park signage plan was not part of the scope of work for the project.  However, this plan creates a new standard for park signage which can be implemented as needed when park signage requires replacement due to age or other park improvements.

The plan has been through numerous revisions and is ready for adoption by the city council.  Attached to this report is an executive summary of the report detailing signage locations, messaging, and design elements.

The urban renewal district has budgeted $48,000 for the installation of wayfinding signage in the district.  Urban renewal funds may be used only for physical improvements within the boundaries of the district.  This money will be focused on installation of parking signage and interactive kiosks.

The overall plan is not intended for construction at one time.  This plan is intended to identify sign locations, standardize sign design, and identify messages.  The city will develop phasing to complete the plan as funds allow.

Future signage will be developed as funds permit from the both the urban renewal district and the city's general fund.  The city council may wish to consider setting aside a fixed amount each year for installation of signage.

The city council may choose to:

• Approve the plan
• Recommend modifications to the plan
• Reject the plan