FEBRUARY 2006

Wayfinding Signs for Wilmington

At the February 10th unveiling of the Wayfinding Signs in Wilmington, Beverley Baxter noted that this day tested the saying, "Good things come to those who wait."  The unveiling of the Wayfinding Signs is a very good thing.  The wait has been testing.  The process that led to installation of over 100 Wayfinding Signs in Wilmington began in April 1994 with the Wilmington 2000 Transportation Working Group, which included directional signage as one of its seven priorities.  One year later, the Directional Signage Subcommittee was created, and that same year DelDOT, under former Secretary of Transportation Anne Canby, contracted with Leslie Gallery Dilworth of City Image Group and the Foundation for Architecture to conduct a three-year wayfinding process with a Wayfinding Committee, WILMAPCO, and the City of Wilmington.  The process included multiple meetings with stakeholders, businesses, neighborhoods, and elected officials, including City Council, as well as multiple public meetings.  Literally, a cast beyond hundreds.

The result of the multi-year process was a design for the signs, by Steve Yarnall of Mitchell Associates, based upon Delaware's historical colors and architecture; a plan and map that determined the basis for inclusion and location of signs; and a program for maintenance of the signs by Downtown Visions after installation.  Problems with the bid package delayed the process through the election of new administrations at both the City and State.  However, both Mayor Jim Baker and Secretary of Transportation Nathan Hayward saw the value of proceeding with the Wayfinding program and, after a brief (in transportation time) delay, the program got back on track.  After an updating process for renamed locations (e.g., Bank One Center on the Riverfront to Chase Center; the Playhouse to the DuPont Theatre), the next hurdle was dealing with the multiple installation problems inherent in the City, such as vaults below sidewalks, that significantly complicated installing the sign bases.

Beverley Baxter served on the initial Wilmington 2000 Transportation Working Group, the Directional Signage Subcommittee, and the DelDOT Wayfinding Committee that led to the bid package.  Following City and State administrative changes, Beverley then chaired the Wilmington Renaissance Infrastructure Committee which revived the program and saw it through full funding from DelDOT and the City.  John Tylee and then Bonny Anderson at Wilmington Renaissance provided crucial staff support under the leadership of Bill Wyer and Carrie White.  Jim Eversmann, Executive Director of the Wilmington Parking Authority, and Gwenneth Kaminski-Rivera, Planning Manager in the City Planning Department, provided essential guidance.  Joe Cantalupo, from DelDOT's Planning Division, has seen the program through from DelDOT's initial involvement in 1995 through installationBwhich is ongoing. 

At the unveiling, Beverley also noted that this was intended as Phase I.  Although there are a few signs West of I-95, most of the Wayfinding Signs are in the Central Business District.  Phase II should take the signs beyond the CBD, especially to the West side of I-95.  In addition, the design was intended to be applicable throughout the State.  The signs include Delaware's historic colors, which also represent the blue of its waters and the beige and brick-red of its historic buildings, and are designed so that the "W" for Wilmington can be replaced with an "N" for Newark, "M" for Middletown, "R" for Rehoboth, or "D" for Delaware.  Indeed, Claymont used the Wayfinding design for its signage and actually beat Wilmington in installation.  It is the Wayfinding colors and the Wayfinding "W" that were painted and installed on the protective barriers along I-95 through the City, replacing the dull grey, when the viaduct and bridge improvements were made several years in advance of the Wayfinding Signs installation. 

While the process has been a long one, the Wayfinding Signs will be a tremendous enhancement within the City of Wilmington.  The hundred-plus signs will enable visitors and Delaware residents to make their way through the City to find Wilmington's attractions and destination points, from the train station to the Grand Opera House, from the Chase Center to Government Center, from the Kalmar Nyckel to Del Tech, from the DuPont Theater to the Christina Cultural Arts Center, from the Wilmington Library to Old Swedes, from Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park to the Brandywine Zoo, from Rodney Square to the Shipyard Shops.  There is much to celebrate in all the revitalization that has been invigorating Wilmington.  This is the latest.

Redevelopment Ordinance Amendment

With the passage of the Redevelopment Ordinance (Ord 01-098) in April 2002, New Castle County took the most important step in addressing some of the most serious problems in the Unified Development Code since the UDC was approved by Council on December 31, 1997.  County Executive Chris Coons has made redevelopment, especially of brownfields, part of his vision for New Castle County.  To advance that part of his agenda, he hired Karl Kalbacher as Director of the Office of Economic Redevelopment.  Karl has been participating in the Comprehensive Development Plan Update Process and has provided important comments regarding the impact of various Comp Plan goals on economic development.

Karl used his brownfields background to strengthen Ordinance 06-007, the latest ordinance to modify the redevelopment process, introduced January 24, 2006.  The third to tweak the redevelopment process, this ordinance modifies the UDC to apply "substantially the same standards and conditions to both Brownfields and other redevelopment sites."

Ord 06-007 removes multiple impediments to redevelopment: just as with brownfields, redevelopment plans need not provide a site resource capacity analysis on any site containing no natural resources; redevelopment plans can be qualified beyond S, ST, or TN zones; rezonings on brownfields or redevelopment sites are not subject to the triannual rezoning dates; major land development plans that are not subject to a rezoning may proceed directly to record plan submission following exploratory sketch plan approval; reconstruction of nonconforming buildings destroyed by more than 50% must begin within 10, rather than 5 years; there is a redevelopment density bonus in any zoning district up to 25% of the maximum nonresidential GFA or multifamily dwelling density allowed in Table 40.04.110A or 25% of the legally established nonresidential GFA or multifamily dwelling density on the site, whichever is greater. 

Most significantly, "in any OR, BP, I or HI zoning district on lots containing at least fifty-thousand (50,000) square feet GFA of existing development, any size expansion of an existing industrial or manufacturing use provided no TIS is required by DelDOT" will be a minor land development plan.

Beverley Baxter