New navigational signs proposed for Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS - Downtown Cedar Rapids could soon have more signs to help people find their way, thanks to a wave of new directional markers.

Public and private sector officials are working together on an initiative to improve directions for finding the city's different business districts and key landmarks.

'Our target audience for this is not just visitors but Cedar Rapids residents,” said Jennifer Pruden, executive director of the Czech Village-New Bohemia Main Street District. 'You'd be surprised to hear how many people don't know how to get around their own community.”

She cited as an example those attending a show at the Paramount Theatre and not realizing Czech Village is only a few blocks away with additional things to do.

Leaders of key stakeholder groups - including the Downtown District, MedQuarter, New Bohemia-Czech Village, the visitor's bureau GO Cedar Rapids, and the city - are ironing out a plan to improve 'wayfinding,” or the ease with which people can figure out where they are going.

Signs would help brand the districts and also point out how to get between the districts, Pruden said.

Phil Wasta, executive director of the MedQuarter, has been championing improvements to wayfinding since taking his post in 2015. While some signs exist, he said, it is 'not comprehensive and not great wayfinding logic throughout the city.”

'The feedback we got (from a survey) was we get them to the general area, but we need additional signage to get to specific locations,” Wasta said, noting the feedback came from residents and non-residents. 'And, when they come in off exits of (Interstate) 380, there's assistance on some exits and not on others.”

The Self-Supported Municipal Improvement District, or taxing districts, for MedQuarter, downtown and Newbo-Czech Village, along with Go CR, partnered to hire Corbin Design and Anderson Bogert for $98,000 to create the design and recommend placement and what destinations to highlight.

A public presentation of the report is scheduled from 4 to 6 p.m. July 18 at the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, 501 First St. SE.

Wasta said the expectation had been for the city to pick up at the end of the study with fabrication and installation of signs. But he said stakeholder groups may jump on the work on their own if it takes a while to get into the city budget.

Matt Myers, a city traffic engineer involved in the effort, said the plan could mean 110 to 130 new signs for the downtown, and a 'very rough estimate” for cost was around $600,000. Myers noted there's no city funding plan at this point.

Four sign concepts are being presented, including signs with six-inch tall lettering targeting vehicles; a 4-inch lettering targeting slower-moving traffic and pedestrians; boundary markers with the district logo; and pedestrian kiosks with detailed maps.

Directional signs would have consistencies, such as district logos on the top and landmark pointers below, Myers said.

'The thing about all these signs I like is you can remove various pieces without taking down the whole thing,” Myers said.

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