City of Hyattsville Wayfinding Signage System Program Development and Design Approach
Sabra, Wang & Associates, Inc. 1504 Joh Avenue, Suite 160 Baltimore, MD 21227
Wayfinding Signage System
I. Goal of Wayfinding Signage Program The purpose of this document is to present a plan for the City of Hyattsville Wayfinding program. The goal of the Wayfinding Signage Program is to direct City residents and visitors to parking areas, municipal buildings, and other attractions in a manner that is both direct and friendly.
II. Existing Wayfinding Signs There is no existing system of wayfinding signs in the City. The signing for public parking along the Route 1 corridor is insufficient; there is generally no signing to public parking, and the signing that is installed for the courthouse is inadequate. There is signing to the 2 Metro stations in the city. There is no signing from US 1 to the historic district or other attractions within the City, and the historic district signing within the City is inadequate. The lack of signing on US 1 points to one of the greatest needs: directing local and non-local visitors to the existing parking and points-of-interest along the Route 1 / “Downtown” area.
Figure 1. Photos of Existing Wayfinding / Attraction Signing for the City of Hyattsville 1. Historic District Sign on street name sign post. Note the text size is too small. 2. Typical “Lolipop” sign marking the City boundary. 3. Courthouse Public Parking sign. Note the sign is too low and too far off the roadway. 4. Typical Gateway Sign marking the City boundary.
The City currently has 3 Gateway signs approaching the city from the south (northbound) on US 1, US 1 ALT, and MD 500. There are 6 “Lolipop” type signs marking the entrance to the City from the north, east and west on Ager Road, MD 410 (2 signs), Queensbury Road, Oliver Street, Adelphi Road.
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III. Hyattsville Attractions Presented in Table 1 below is a list of city attractions. The list includes attractions under development. Inclusion in this list does not necessarily mean that an attraction should be signed.
TABLE 1. List of Attractions Parking Park and Recreation 1. DeMatha Parking 25. Hyattsville-Dietz Neighborhood Playground 2. Public Parking adjacent to Franklin’s 26. Heurich Community Park 3. Visitor Parking at the City Municipal Building 27. Heurich Mobility Playground 4. County Court House Parking Garage 28. Kirkwood Park 5. University Town Center Parking Garage 29. 38th Street Park 6. Arts District Parking (future) 30. Magruder Park 31. Anacostia River Stream Valley Park Municipal / County Buildings 32. Melrose Park 7. County Court House Complex 33. University Hills Neighborhood Park 8. City of Hyattsville Department of Public Works 34. Prince George's Plaza Community Center 9. City of Hyattsville Municipal Building 35. Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park (Area adjacent to University Hills Neighborhood Park) Historic Points of Interest 36. Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park (Area 10. Historic District (private residences, churches, near Queens Chapel Road [MD 500]) parks, buildings - self-guided walking tour 37. University Hills Community Park (future) available 38. Hyattsville Dog Park (future) 11. 4318 Gallatin St. Municipal Building, contributing resource to the Historic District Schools (future) 39. Hyattsville Elementary School 12. Hyattsville Armory 40. Hyattsville Middle School 13. Hyattsville Post Office (USPO) 41. Nicholas J. Orem Middle School 14. Ash Hill / Hitching Post Hill 42. Northwestern High School 15. Hyattsville Hardware Co. Building / Franklin’s 43. St. Matthews Parish Day School Store (5121 Baltimore Ave) 44. St. Jeromes School 16. Professional Building (5200 Baltimore Ave) 45. St. Mark's School 17. Suburban Bank Building (5214 Baltimore Ave) 46. Pathways Schools-Hyattsville 47. Concordia Lutheran School Cultural Points of Interest 48. Concordia Lutheran School 18. Hyattsville Arts District 49. DeMatha Catholic High School 19. Hamilton Street Artway (future) 50. Prince George's Community College- 20. Hyattsville Farmers' Market at Queens Chapel University Town Center (UTC) Extension Town Center Center 21. Queens Chapel Town Center 51. New City Montessori School (future) 22. West Hyattsville Transit Oriented Development (TOD) (future) Transit Stations 23. University Town Center 52. Prince George's Plaza Metro Station 24. Hyattsville Library 53. West Hyattsville Metro Station
Red Color – indicates National Register listing Green Color – indicates National Register eligibility
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Figure 2. Selected Photos of the Hyattsville Historic District, from the self-guided tour 1. Benjamin F. Smith House. 2. William A. Shepherd House. 3. The Castle. 4. Hyattsville Hardware / Franklin’s Store
IV. Existing Street Network The City of Hyattsville is located in suburban Washington D.C, directly adjacent to Mount Rainier, Brentwood, North Brentwood, Cottage City, Bladensburg, Edmonston, Riverdale Park, and University Park. US 1 is the major route to and through the oldest and most- historic part of the City. MD 500 is major north-south oriented route, and MD 410 is a major east-west oriented route, both of which that bisects the City. Residents and visitors alike would use these major routes for travel to the City, and as such the wayfinding signing should start along these routes and lead motorists to the individual attractions.
Figure 3. Street Map of the City of Hyattsville 1. US Route 1 2. MD Route 410 3. MD Route 500
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V. Maryland State Highway Wayfinding Signage Program In order to meet the goal of the wayfinding signage program, the City would need to implement a comprehensive, City-wide, program on City-owned, State-owned, and County-owned roadways within the city limits. In order to implement wayfinding signs on non-City roadways, permission would have to be obtained from the operating jurisdictions. The State Highway Administration (SHA) has a state-wide wayfinding signage program currently in development called the Tourist Area Corridor (TAC) signing program. Based on the TAC program guidance, the SHA would not approve city-owned wayfinding signs on state-owned roadways as it would conflict with the TAC program. This constrains the options the City has in approaching a comprehensive wayfinding signage program.
The TAC program is planned for development in northern Prince George’s County (which includes Hyattsville) in the near future. The SHA develops the TAC program based on their established criteria. Attractions are grouped into corridors and areas. Motorists are directed to the attractions via selected routes through the corridors in a safe and effective manner by providing the right amount of information on a minimum number of signs. The TAC program utilizes a standard sign art, which creates a TAC ‘brand’ that will be easily recognized throughout Maryland. The SHA places TAC signs on interstates and state roads, as well as county and municipal roads in coordination with the county or municipality. The SHA through the TAC program would pay for the design and installation of all signs, including signs on SHA, County and City roadways (with prior approval of the City and County). Because the TAC program has not been designed for northern Prince George’s County, the attractions within Hyattsville, the number of eligible destinations and the locations of TAC signs are not yet know.
Based on previous SHA TAC programs in other Maryland counties, only the Hyattsville Historic District may qualify under SHA’s TAC criteria. The TAC program may also provide some parking signs for the public parking lots along US 1 as well.
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Figure 4. Sample of TAC Wayfinding Signing in Centreville Maryland 1. Example of a Parking Lot sign that may be used for parking on US 1 2. Example of an Individual Attraction TAC Wayfinding sign 3. Example of a Conventional Road TAC Sign – designates areas and/or major attractions
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VI. Wayfinding Signage Program Options The City has several options for approaching a wayfinding signage program as summarized in Table 2.
TABLE 2: Wayfinding Signage Program Options Option Advantages Disadvantages City ¾ Comprehensive. ¾ High cost to the City. Wayfinding ¾ Immediately ¾ Not feasible. Signage implementable. o The State would not approve the City installing Program on ¾ City can select Wayfinding signs on SHA roadways. City, State sign-art. and County ¾ Meets goals. Roadways City ¾ Immediately ¾ Not comprehensive Wayfinding implementable. ¾ Does not meet goals. Signage ¾ City can select o Many City destinations could not be signed Program on sign-art. because they are located on State and County City ¾ Provides routes. o Can not install signs on state roadways such as US Roadways wayfinding 1 and MD 500, thus leaving major gaps and Only signing to potential incongruities in the system. attractions on City-owned roadways. SHA TAC ¾ No cost to the ¾ Not comprehensive. Program Only City. ¾ Does not meet goals. ¾ Provides o The TAC program usually only leads motorist to wayfinding one or two destinations within the City such as a visitor’s center and/or a major attraction. The signing to TAC program assumes that the motorist will find limited adequate guidance to additional destinations at attractions and the City/Town visitor center. possibly parking o Most of the City of Hyattsville’s individual in the City. attractions would not qualify for signing under the TAC program. The TAC program would probably only sign for “Historic Downtown.” ¾ Would not be implemented for another 2 to 10 years.
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Option Advantages Disadvantages City ¾ Most ¾ Circuitous Routing for Some Attractions Wayfinding comprehensive o City attractions directly accessible from SHA Signage of the feasible roadways would most likely not be signed with the TAC program due to the strict qualification Program on options. criteria. These attractions would have to be signed City ¾ Meets goals. from City-owned roadways, which may be an Roadways indirect route. + ¾ Sign art on City wayfinding signs should be SHA TAC similar to TAC sign art for quick recognition Program and seamless integration with SHA’s wayfinding signs. This limits the options the City has in selecting sign art. ¾ Limited “Entry Points” into the City. o The TAC program usually only leads motorist to one or two destinations within the City such as a visitor’s center and/or a major attraction such as “Historic Downtown.” For example, the TAC program may lead motorists destined for Hyattsville to Gallatin Street and the Municipal building. From this point, the City wayfinding signage program would take over. ¾ City would need to wait for TAC Program to be designed. o The TAC program will only provide limited “Entry Points” into the City, and will only sign for a limited number of City attractions. These entry points and attractions must first be determined prior to the City starting the design of their portion of the wayfinding signage system.
The option “City Wayfinding Signage Program on City Roadways + SHA TAC Program” would include coordination with the State and County in the development of the wayfinding signage program. The SHA’s TAC program would design and construct a wayfinding signage system that includes all State and County routes, and possibly some locations in the City. The City would design and construct the remainder of the wayfinding signing system. Of the feasible options, this is the most comprehensive approach.
The disadvantage of this approach, however, is that the City would need to wait for the TAC program to develop, and that the TAC program would only sign for a limited number of attractions and “entry points” into the City. For example, the TAC signs may lead all motorists to use US 1 to Gallatin Street to enter the historic district. If so, there my not be any TAC signs for motorists on MD 500, Ager Road, or MD 410.
The design of the City’s wayfinding sign system must be coordinated with SHA’s TAC program. Prior to finalizing the design of the City’s wayfinding sign system, the attractions that will get signed under the TAC program, and the locations and messages of the TAC signs related to Hyattsville attractions must be identified and approved by SHA.
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VII. Attraction Eligibility Criteria The purpose of the attraction Eligibility Criteria is to provide a rational and defendable basis for why and how each destination was/will be selected to be signed. An Eligibility Committee should be formed to review future additions and deletions from the wayfinding program. One of the major bases for the Eligibility Criteria is the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), which dictates standards for signing. The MUTCD is approved by the Federal Highway Administration and the State of Maryland and applies to all roadways that are open to the public. The eligibility criteria presented below is based on the SHA TAC guidelines, but adapted for the City of Hyattsville
Individual attractions must meet the criteria in Section 1 below. Certain types of attractions are eligible for generic symbol signs if they meet the criteria in Sections 1 and 2 below. The City of Hyattsville Eligibility Committee shall determine the eligibility of an attraction for signing based on its procedures. All signing is subject to space availability based on MD MUTCD and AASHTO requirements. City-operated or designated Visitor or Information Centers and automatically qualify for signing.
1. ATTRACTION CRITERIA An eligible attraction must primarily provide amusement, historical, cultural, or leisure activities to the public and meet or adhere to the following: • MUST BE PRIMARILY A NON-RETAIL BUSINESS - no more than 20% of the interior square footage of the attraction may be devoted to retail sales; and • MUST BE OPEN TO RANDOM DAILY VISITATION - the attraction does not require advance reservations or extended attendance; and • MUST APPEAL TO VISITORS; and • Be open at least six hours per day; and • Be open five days per week including Saturday and/or Sunday; and • Be open at least eight months each year (Seasonal attractions such as community pools may be exempt); and • Provide an interpreter or guide, printed self-guided tour, or interpretative signing during the hours of operation; and • Meet ADA (Americans with Disabilities) requirements for handicapped accessibility. • Historic Sites must be listed on an historic register or equivalent list, such as the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) (Federal level), the Maryland Inventory of Historic Places (MIHP) (State level), or another county or local list.
2. ATTRACTIONS SIGNED WITH GENERIC SYMBOLS Certain attractions are eligible for trailblazing with generic symbols if it meets the appropriate requirements below as well as the above criteria (except as indicated in (a) below). Special Case: If the direction to one attraction differs from another at a decision point, trailblazing may include the name of the attraction above the generic symbol from that point. a) Visitor Centers – Official visitor centers shall be eligible for signing. b) Arts District – are eligible for trailblazing from the mainline if, • three or more art-oriented stores (such as a art supply store, art galleries, or artists’ studios) are located within the same block; and • the arts or crafts for sale must be original work of an artist, not mass-produced, and
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• subject to approval by the Eligibility Committee c) Town Centers – are eligible for trailblazing starting from the corridor only if • it has a combination and variety of commercial spaces (a diversity of retail stores , i.e. apparel, electronics, and other goods, both quick-service and sit-down restaurants, a grocery store, pharmacy, and office spaces); and • the range of businesses must collectively be open all day (from morning to evening) • it has adequate public space for visitors to congregate and rest; and • provide a minimum of one (1) weekly event (April to October for outdoor events or year-round for indoor events); and • it provides parking. d) Civic areas and centers – are eligible for trailblazing starting from the corridor only if • hosts one (1) or more events a week for the surrounding community, which is open to the general public; and • it provides parking. e) Parks – are eligible for trailblazing starting from the corridor only if • it has recreational facilities, such as playing fields, a playground, or nature trail(s), which are open to the general public; and • the park itself must be open dawn to dusk; and • it is open to the public without reservation; and • it shall not be closed to public use other than for a single period of up to 120 consecutive days between November 1 and April 1; and • it provides parking; and • it must appeal to the community members located more than a half-mile radius from the park. • Special exceptions, where the park can be signed by name, will be made for unique amenities typically available at most parks, such as a swimming pool, or dog park area.
Note that it is not recommended to sign individual historic houses because many are private residences.
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VIII. Qualified List of Attractions Presented in Table 3 below is the revised list of city attractions, in consideration of the Attraction Eligibility Criteria. On the following pages, Figures 5 and 6 show maps of the qualified attractions. The number of the attraction in Table 3 corresponds to the numbers on Figure 5.
TABLE 3. Qualified Attractions Parking Recreation 1. DeMatha Parking 25. Heurich Community Park 2. Public Parking adjacent to Franklin’s 26. Heurich Mobility Playground 3. Visitor Parking at the City Municipal Building 27. Kirkwood Park 4. County Court House Parking Garage 28. 38th Street Park 5. University Town Center Parking Garage 29. Magruder Park 6. Arts District Parking (future) 30. Melrose Park 31. University Hills Neighborhood Park Municipal / County Buildings 32. Prince George's Plaza Community Center 7. County Court House Complex 33. Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park (Area 8. City of Hyattsville Department of Public Works adjacent to University Hills Neighborhood 9. City of Hyattsville Municipal Building Park) 34. University Hills Community Park (future) Historic Points of Interest * 35. Hyattsville Dog Park (future) 10. Historic District (private residences, churches, parks, buildings - self-guided walking tour available Schools 11. 4318 Gallatin St. Municipal Building, 36. Northwestern High School contributing resource to the Historic District 37. DeMatha Catholic High School (future) 38. Prince George's Community College- 12. Hyattsville Armory University Town Center (UTC) Extension 13. Hyattsville Post Office (USPO) Center 14. Ash Hill / Hitching Post Hill 15. Hyattsville Hardware Co. Building / Franklin’s Transit Stations Store (5121 Baltimore Ave) 39. Prince George's Plaza Metro Station 16. Professional Building (5200 Baltimore Ave) 40. West Hyattsville Metro Station 17. Suburban Bank Building (5214 Baltimore Ave)
Cultural Points of Interest 18. Hyattsville Arts District 19. Hamilton Street Artway (future) 20. Hyattsville Farmers' Market at Queens Chapel Town Center 21. Queens Chapel Town Center * It is not recommended to sign 22. West Hyattsville Transit Oriented Development individual historic houses because (TOD) (future) many are private residences. 23. University Town Center 24. Hyattsville Library
Red Color – indicates National Register listing Green Color – indicates National Register eligibility
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Downtown See Figure 6
Figure 5. City of Hyattsville Qualified Attractions
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Figure 6. City of Hyattsville Qualified Attractions-Downtown
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