Members of the community give their feedback during the wayfinding signage public meeting on Feb. 26.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo.
HOLYOKE — On Feb. 26, the city’s Office of Planning and Economic Development hosted the first of two public meetings to discuss the process and progress of a comprehensive wayfinding signage study for the downtown area.
Effective and distinct wayfinding signage plays an important role in supporting downtown Holyoke’s economy and vitality. The city has been working with consulting firm Stantec to develop a wayfinding plan for the downtown, an effort which began in October 2024.
The goal of the plan is to establish an approach for a new wayfinding signage system that could replace the existing city owned signs over a period of time.
The new system would create a more navigable downtown for users of all travel modes using a simple but distinct and cohesive signage strategy.
Other goals included a better way to direct visitors to key destinations downtown, create a sense of arrival for visitors using various modes of travel, use historical context, visual influences, and community input to inform the development of an authentic city brand.
The presentation asked what destinations should be included on signs that aren’t already, should Holyoke name/point to different districts on signs and if so, how? By text only? Different colors?
The group is also looking to create cohesion and consistency of the town brand in signage and digital formats, establish an inventory of signage to help inform future wayfinding needs and priorities and develop a strategy for integrating or improving the unity of existing wayfinding.
The city will be using this wayfinding plan to develop and fabricate signs soon for downtown Holyoke.
The meeting discussed the process and progress of a comprehensive Wayfinding Signage Study for the downtown, which began in October and continues through the spring.
It also featured information about downtown Holyoke’s existing wayfinding signage inventory while providing an opportunity for attendees to share comments and provide input about how best to ensure that the signage supports navigation to key downtown destinations for visitors using different modes and is designed to accurately reflect the character of Holyoke’s community.
The workshop was designed to be interactive, but will also feature a presentation by members of the project team.
Planning and Economic Development Director Aaron Vega talked about the event and feedback he received from the community so far. He said, “It is important to hear from the community as to what are important points of interest in the city to them and to learn what areas of the city are challenging to navigate, by all means of transportation. Additionally, as we work to brand our downtown area it’s key to understand how the community values our history but is also looking to the future and how we can incorporate that into our design elements.”
A public survey is also now open for another form of community feedback about wayfinding signage that may help with the development of design-related components of future signs in the city.
Readers can find the survey at tinyurl.com/holyokesigns. The survey will be open until Wednesday, March 12.
Vega talked about the timeline for the projects and said, “Next steps are first promoting the survey that is now live and to continue working with Stantec and the working committee to review the public comments, narrow down our design options and prepare for a second community meeting in the spring.
Vega said he plans to put the materials from the on the city’s website. Any further questions can also be directed to vegaa@holyoke.org.
A second public meeting will be identified later this spring or summer to present the proposed wayfinding sign designs and overall strategy.
