The Village of Glenview

Gateway and Wayfinding


Signage Committee

Signs and symbols are often used to help guide people through a physical environment and enhance their understanding and experience of the space.

As part of the public input received during the 2017 Comprehensive Plan process, a number of people noted the lack of identifying characteristics that would signify the locations of major destinations and attractions within the Village. Another focus, they said, should be on ways to reinforce the civic identify of the downtown through use of wayfinding features.

Accordingly, one of the Comprehensive Plan’s goals is to create a Village-wide wayfinding program.  Currently, three wooden signs located on a few major streets generally identify the Village of Glenview’s corporate boundaries. These gateway signs at the entrances to the Village are limited to only a few locations and contain an outdated design and color scheme. Additional brown or green metal road signs provide some direction to visitors, such as civic buildings, houses of worship and major attractions.

Wayfinding elements could include gateway signage, architectural features, landscaping, paving patterns and signage that in some combination would provide residents with a better sense of place within their community and visitors a better understanding of available destinations to be explored. The goal would be to use signage at the entrances of the Village along major thoroughfares and within downtown Glenview to reinforce the civic identity of the area and foster the downtown’s unique identity.

The Wayfinding Signage Committee

In February 2018, the Village Board of Trustees appointed a six-member ad-hoc Gateway and Wayfinding Signage Committee, the members of which represent Village commissions and the Glenview business community.  The board hired Kerestes-Martin Associates to assist the committee with consulting and design services. The committee was charged with providing feedback and direction on the implementation of the gateway and wayfinding signage, and given about a year to complete the project.

The Wayfinding Signage Committee is looking at ways to create designs and plans for Village gateway signs, bicycle and pedestrian wayfinding signs and downtown wayfinding signs. On June 20, 2018, the committee received a Wayfinding Analysis, which reviews the Village's existing signage, code, vehicular traffic, graphic influences, proposed points of interest and proposed wayfinding recommendations, including sign types, gateway identification, vehicular directional, destination identifications, public parking identification and pedestrian information kiosks.

Upcoming meetings   

  • 7 p.m. Thursday, October 18 -- Wayfinding Signage Committee Meeting - Draft Gateway & Downtown Sign Designs
  • 7 p.m. Wednesday, November 7 -- Wayfinding Signage Committee Meeting - (Sign exhibits will be available by 11/02)
  • TBD -- Joint Plan Commission/Appearance Commission review 
  • TBD -- Preliminary presentation to Village Board of Trustees
  • TBD -- Final presentation to Village Board of Trustees 

Contact Us

For more information or to remit feedback regarding the proposed wayfinding signage, please contact Michelle House, Planner, at (847) 904-4307 or mhouse@glenview.il.us.