Waterfront
Wayfinding Signage
For the Bayfront Business District
City Council – July 14, 2026
One-Year Pilot Project approved by the City Council (January 2015) Location
San Pablo Ave and
Sycamore (2 locations)
Fiscal Impact
Intended to be funded by
participating businesses,
with signs designed and
maintained by City staff
Code Compliance
Proposed offsite
directory-style signs not
allowed under City’s sign
code
Implementation
Signs were never
installed
Issues with Off-Site Directory Signs
Safety
Potentially distracting to
motorists
Regulatory
Not consistent with
MUTCD or City sign code
Maintenance
Expensive to maintain
and update as businesses
open and close
Funding
Pedestrian-scale directory
signs are typically funded
and staffed by a Business
Improvement District in
areas with heavy
pedestrian traffic
Signs installed at roughly
one-block intervals in a
dense, walkable
downtown with many
destinations close
together
Signs include business
names and arrows, but no
addresses
Signs are for pedestrians
rather than motorists
Sign program managed by
Downtown Napa Propery-
Based Improvement
District staff
Example Pedestrian Wayfinding Signage Sponsored by PBID (Napa, CA) Considerations
2015 Conditions
SYCAMORE AVE
Sign Location
San Pablo Ave and
Sycamore (2 locations)
Distance
Signs over 3/4 mile
from destinations
Considerations
Difficult to read
addresses from
moving vehicle
High cost and staff
time expenditure to
maintain and update
2026 Conditions
Access Routes
Sycamore Avenue and
John Muir Parkway
Destinations
Multiple businesses at
The Exchange, Railroad
Avenue, Sycamore Ave
Considerations
GPS, mapping and
review apps have
changed how visitors
find destinations
“Bayfront Business
District” provides a
consistent, permanent
destination
Signs “direct tourists and
other road users to key
civic, cultural, visitor, and
recreational attractions
and other similar
secondary destinations
within a city…”
Require adequate
spacing from higher-
priority regulatory signs
May not be mounted
overhead (over travel
lanes)
Caltrans-Approved Community Wayfinding Guide Signs
MUTCD -CA
Section 2D-55
Figure 2D-31
Considerations
Recommended Community Wayfinding Guide Sign Design
Branding
Incorporates
design element
from City’s 2024
logo library
Regulatory
Consistent with
MUTCD-CA and City
sign code
Considerations
Permanent signage,
no updates required
Recommended Wayfinding Signage Plan
Access Routes
Sycamore Avenue and
John Muir Parkway
Decision Points
• San Pablo/John Muir
• Highway 4 exit
• San Pablo/Sycamore
• Willow at off-ramp
• Willow/Sycamore
Considerations
Signs direct visitors at
main gateways to
Central Hercules
toward the Bayfront