Finding your way in York City will soon be easier

Downtown Inc plans to bring York City's business district out of the early 2000s and into the 2020s with 53 new signs and maps this spring.

Currently, many signs are inaccurate and Downtown Inc wants to replace them to improve visitor experience, according to organizers of the wayfinding signage project.

The last time downtown directional signs were updated was around 2000, said Eric Menzer, who worked for the city during the last project. Menzer is now president of the York Revolution and a Downtown Inc board member.

"We wanted to update (the signs), not only with updated branding, but updated for accuracy, especially with the opening of the Yorktowne Hotel coming online that Jan. 31," Downtown Inc director Jonathan Desmarais said.

The nearly 100-year-old hotel, closed since 2016 for a $54 million renovation, will reopen for business with a ribbon cutting Tuesday.

Downtown Inc's mission fits with the four pillars of the wayfinding signage project: promotions, placemaking, public safety and economic development, Desmarais said.

Signs on the street catering to vehicles and to pedestrians and maps of the city will be redesigned and installed. The maps will have a QR code leading to Downtown Inc's website and will highlight what streets are within a five and 10 minute walking distance.

There will be 19 "vehicle-centric" signs, 20 "pedestrian-oriented" signs and 14 map signs.

These new signs will also match the branding on other items in the city, like the streetlight banners. Desmarais said his organization will pay for the project through grants and its own money. The total cost is estimated to be $61,000.

Desmarais presented the wayfinding project to York City Council at its Jan. 17 meeting. Downtown Inc is taking on the project on behalf of York City, which is required to have a wayfinding signage agreement with the state Department of Transportation. As part of the PennDOT agreement, Downtown Inc is required to hold a public forum presentation.

Only the downtown area will be getting new signs, as Downtown Inc is the business district authority, although other districts' signage could be modeled on Downtown Inc's project, Desmarais said.