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6-GATEWAYS, Wayfinding & Public Signs
GEORGETOWN ENTRANCE
The primary source of entry into the
historic downtown from the interstate is
currently by way of University Avenue,
which runs on an east-west axis. This
approach forces automobiles to have to
turn at the intersection of University and
Austin Avenues, which is not pronounced
and therefore is easily overlooked. An-
other issue, which is confusing to users,
is that the City of Round Rock also has a
University Avenue exit off I-35.
The city has recently begun dialogue
about the potential to re-sign the George-
town I-35 exits to direct visitors to enter
from the north and south, rather than from
the west, or University Avenue. This would
include a primary northbound exit from
the new service road to Austin Avenue and
a primary southbound exit from Williams
Drive to Austin Avenue.
Directing traffic into the city on a north-
south axis provides direct access to
downtown and offers natural wayfinding
opportunities with vistas of the historic
Williamson County Courthouse dome,
which naturally informs people that they
are approaching their destination.
Downtown Georgetown has a strong base of local users as well as
seasonal tourists and visitors. Many first-time visitors, and those
who only visit downtown infrequently, do not know how to get to
downtown or where individual destinations are once they arrive.
Providing a highly visible, and distinctive wayfinding system is an
essential component of a downtown plan. In response to original
master plan recommendations, the city adopted a Wayfinding and
Signage Master Plan in 2005 and subsequently installed several
wayfinding signs downtown. However the program ceased shortly
afterward, so the system remains incomplete. Prominent thresholds
into downtown should also be celebrated as iconic “gateways.”
6-GATEWAYS, WAYFINDING &
PUBLIC SIGNS
SIGNAGE GRAPHICS NOTE:
All signage designs shown herein
are conceptual, and are not intend-
ed to be exactly replicated. Actual
sign designs should be bid on and
reviewed by the City.
Vehicular and Pedestrian Signs, are
as shown in the Wayfinding and Sig-
nage Master Plan of 2005 as devel-
oped by Barbendure Design Group.
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City of Georgetown | Downtown Master Plan Update
1 inch = 1,000 feet±Georgetown Master Plan Update
Georgetown, TX
March, 2014
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MAP 15 | WAYFINDING & SIGNAGE STRATEGY
LEGEND:
Primary Auto Route
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Close-in Gateways
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6-GATEWAYS, Wayfinding & Public Signs
CLOSE-IN GATEWAYS
Close-in gateways to downtown are still
not well defined and therefore it is not
overly apparent when one has entered the
downtown. Close-in downtown gateways
should be identified with coordinated
directional signs, distinct landscaping,
iconic urban design gateway elements
and clear pedestrian crossings. These
gateways should indicate a unique iden-
tity for the city and appear as “grand
entrances” into downtown. New develop-
ment should orient to the gateways and
complement them as special places. The
two close-in gateways are identified as:
• Northern Gateway - South San Gabri-
el River Bridge (and adjacent proposed
development)
• Southern Gateway - intersection of
University and Austin Avenues (and
adjacent proposed development)
New development should orient to the gateways
and complement them as special places.
GATEWAYS
LANDSCAPED GATEWAYS
Landscaped gateways should be con-
structed at key traffic decision points.
These should serve as “previews” of
downtown and all should have a consis-
tent landscape palette that is associated
with the downtown streetscape.
Landscaped gateways should serve as “previews”
of downtown and include a similar landscape pal-
ette.
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City of Georgetown | Downtown Master Plan Update
NORTHERN GATEWAY
The northern gateway is identified as the
historic bridge over the South San Gabriel
River. There are opportunities to create
a significant identity here. Public com-
ments suggested the idea of cantilever-
ing a wider sidewalk on either side of the
bridge to accommodate pedestrians bet-
ter. This new sidewalk could incorporate
a “look-out” area with benches and other
amenities to provide views up and down
the river and overlooking the trails (also
refer to Chapter 3 North Austin Avenue
opportunity area concepts.) The existing
trails could then be accessed by a grand
staircase and ramp. The stair access
point could be a pronounced architectural
element that would accent the threshold
into downtown and therefore significantly
pronounce this area as a “gateway.” Other
ways to pronounce this area as a major
gateway is to provide lighting, perhaps
incorporated into the existing bridge rail-
ing, and to significantly landscape the
area just south of the bridge as one enters
downtown.
A “look-out” area could be incorporated into a new
sidewalk over the South San Gabriel River.
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6-GATEWAYS, Wayfinding & Public Signs
SOUTHERN GATEWAY
The southern gateway is identified as
the intersection of University and Austin
Avenues. This intersection is currently
a missed opportunity to pronounce the
major entry into downtown as something
special.
Incorporating an iconic “gateway” with a
pronounced threshold into downtown will
serve as a reminder that one has entered
a special place. This could be accom-
plished in various ways. Two possible
options are shown below: one with pylons
(or other vertical elements), and a banner
or sign overhead, and one showing im-
proved landscaping and a smaller-scaled
gateway sign.
Other streetscape and landscape im-
provements should be made along each
block face of the intersection to make
it more pedestrian-friendly and inviting
and new building should be encouraged
to orient to the streets and intersection.
The intersection of Main and University
should also include improvements as a
secondary southern gateway.
New
Bldg.
The intersection of University and Austin should
include a prominent gateway sign over Austin
Avenue and include streetscape and landscape
improvements.
University Ave.
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New
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An overhead sign establishes a threshold and lets
one know they are crossing into a special place.
Corner signs, perhaps made from area limestone,
and improved landscaping also serves as a gateway.
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City of Georgetown | Downtown Master Plan Update
WAYFINDING AND SIGNAGE
Georgetown’s current signs begin to con-
vey a distinct image for the downtown, but
more signs are needed for the wayfinding
strategy to become truly effective.
The public critiqued the existing signs,
saying that a more unique identity is
needed. Community members expressed
ideas about adding graphic icons such
as an historic courthouse dome or poppy
emblem to signage or changing the color
scheme to be more vibrant. Moving for-
ward, there may be ways to use the al-
ready implemented signs while sprucing
up the design of new ones. The important
thing is to propel the existing system, not
start over.
Georgetown should also consider inte-
grating technology into new signs. Includ-
ing QR codes on pedestrian signs that
sync to the city’s smart phone application
or website. Other ideas about interactive
kiosks throughout downtown, especially
around the square, were also expressed
through the public process. This type of
technology could allow user interaction
through touch screen options and would
also allow information on upcoming
events to be updated in real time.
The wayfinding and public signs strategy
should include the following components:
• Identification signs at major entries
into the city.
• Vehicular signs that lead autos to key
community resources and public park-
ing and improve overall circulation.
• Pedestrian signs that orient users
with maps of downtown, give informa-
tion about a particular place, or note
the direction and walking distance
or time it takes to walk to a specific
destination.
Map #15 illustrates locations for the way-
finding strategy elements. At this point,
the locations shown are approximate,
and more detail would be needed moving
forward.
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6-GATEWAYS, Wayfinding & Public Signs
IDENTIFICATION SIGNS
Provide large signs in combination with
landscaping and streetscape elements
at key locations to call out the entry to
the City of Georgetown. This level of sig-
nage should be placed at predominant
intersections or locations along major
vehicular routes into the city. They should
be designed with a grand appearance and
large enough text to be read at higher
traffic speeds.
Identification Signage Plan
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Identification Signage Elevation
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City of Georgetown | Downtown Master Plan Update
VEHICULAR SIGNS
This level of signage is the majority of
what has been implemented since the
2003 Master Plan. These signs provide
information to help visitors locate broad
resources within downtown. These signs
are located in close proximity to the actual
site and consideration for turning and en-
try points should be integrated into circu-
lation framework actions. Consideration
should be given to redesigning them for
higher visibility and identity.
There are different levels within the ve-
hicular signage package, as identified in
the Signage and Wayfinding Master Plan.
Vehicular Directional
These signs are larger to accommodate
higher speeds of vehicles. They should
be placed on major arterials, such as
University and Austin Avenues. The text
on vehicular directional signs should be
generic, such as to direct visitors to “park-
ing,” “shopping,” or “historic downtown”
as opposed to identifying specific busi-
ness names.
Vehicular Trailblazer
These signs should also be used on major
arterials. These allow single destinations
to be called out, such as “post office” or
“courthouse.”
Small Vehicular Directional
These signs should be placed on minor
arterials within downtown. They include
similar content as the larger signs, but
can be smaller in scale based on lower
traffic speeds.
Vehicular Directional Sign - major arterials
Vehicular Trailblazer Sign - major arterials
Small Vehicular Directional Sign - minor arterials
EXISTING WAYFINDING DESIGNS
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6-GATEWAYS, Wayfinding & Public Signs
PEDESTRIAN SIGNS
This level of signage should be provided
where the highest level of foot traffic is an-
ticipated. Therefore, placement of these
signs should coordinate with Map #11 in
Chapter 4. As in the vehicular category,
there are multiple levels of design within
the pedestrian signs. Refer to the Signage
and Wayfinding Master Plan for more de-
tailed information.
Pedestrian Directory
Provide orientation maps at key gathering
points in the downtown. Areas such as
parking facilities, government offices and
other key pedestrian destinations should
provide maps of downtown that identify
important civic, entertainment, dining,
emergency and personal facilities.
There is potential to make these signs
interactive through the use of high-tech-
nology. These signs could use touch-
screen technology to engage the user and
provide more detailed information when
prompted. Local advertising could be in-
tegrated into the system as well.
Pedestrian Interpretive
These signs should be used to iden-
tify significant buildings or events/places
within downtown. These signs could help
elevate the heritage tourism sector that
has been mentioned throughout this plan.
Pedestrian Trailblazer
These signs are intended to notify pe-
destrians of a singular destination. These
signs could also indicate the distance to
or time it takes to walk to certain destina-
tions to give people comfort in walking to
such places.
Pedestrian Directory Sign - major destinations and
pedestrian ways
Pedestrian Interpretive Sign - historic locations
Pedestrian Trailblazer Sign - major pedestrian ways
EXISTING WAYFINDING DESIGNS
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City of Georgetown | Downtown Master Plan Update
RECOMMENDED ACTIONS
Installation of the major gateways and
wayfinding system should have high prior-
ity, because it yields substantial benefits
for reasonably low investment costs. Ini-
tial funding may come from the city’s CIP
program, although a more comprehensive
system could be better accomplished with
an improvement district, using tax incre-
ment financing and assessments.
IMPLEMENT IMPROVED DESIGNS AT THE MAJOR GATEWAYS
Close-in gateways, as identified previ-
ously, need to be called out with im-
proved designs to accent the arrival into
downtown. Designs for gateways should
incorporate notions of the public wayfind-
ing sign system, as well as incorporate a
familiar landscape palette and perhaps
include notable public art installations.
RE-IMPLEMENT AND IMPROVE SIG-NAGE PROGRAM
A well-designed, cohesive signage
program will make visitors feel at ease
and could boost tourism and therefore,
economic development. The city should
re-implement the signage and wayfind-
ing plan, but with refined designs that
provide a unique identity for Georgetown.
The city should secure funds to assure
that a complete signage package can be
implemented.