Poll: Which sign do you prefer for the entrance to downtown Edmonds?

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  1. I am an older person (not a fun statement to make) and am regularly amazed how many people want to cling to what they believe is an accurate reflection of a past that they may feel nostalgic about. Styles changes, time marches forward. I support respecting the past, especially in museums, but without keeping sometimes inaccurate representations of the past. Just because something is old (cars, furniture, signage, etc) doesn’t mean it is better. The new sign design is clean and fresh, fits a well thought-out community plan and IMHO does not look like a stack of rusted shipping containers. Also, the city of Edmonds has a person on staff and a commission to coordinate such things, we should support this group to do their job.

    1. I agree to a point. However, I walk through Downtown and see Historic Buildings. I see murals depicting a place with Character and a respect for the past. This is not saying older is always better, it is saying we need to hold onto some of the past. Some of the Character. That proposed new sign says nothing. It reflects nothing. Anyone coming into Edmonds is not going to see tgat sign and say “Oh. This looks like a nice interesting little Waterftont Town.” The won’t say anything. Then there is the absolutely obscene price tag that I guarantee will go up $10k halfway through the build.
      Some things (and places) can benefit from change but this is not one of them.

  2. The older sign has charm and character: people crave that now. The proposed new sign looks sterile and lacks any charm like the thousand other strip mall
    signs or the ugly cube look of some new townhomes
    that look cheap and no one wants beside their home.

  3. I, too, am older (a 39 year resident of Edmonds), and I love the proposed new sign. The clever design puts a new face on the city, while the city retains all its charm as a waterside retreat from concrete and traffic surrounding it. Whenever I mention that I live in Edmonds, the standard answer is, “I love Edmonds sure wish I lived there”. A new sign doesn’t mean we are changing the core elements of our city, it will just make people take notice and exclaim, “what a clever sign”!

  4. It’s very difficult to see the proposed new sign – small image etc., but I get the concept. I’m personally for an upgrade and do like the color and font chosen for the new sign.

  5. I am a 30 year resident of Edmonds and a former Chair of the Edmonds Arts Commission. Personally, I like the direction the new signage takes. A variation on this theme would be helpful in making a final choice.

  6. The new sign would be fine for a bank or a medical center, but has no warmth or personality. I would prefer updating the old sign. At least it says “Welcome.”

  7. I like the new sign. I do wish it said “Welcome to Edmonds” versus “Downtown Edmonds”. It is very much in keeping with the rest of the helpful signage that has been popping up all over town. The character of Edmonds will always be visible to visitors by the hospitality shown by our friendly businesses and residents. We feel very fortunate to call this home.

  8. We truly appreciate this forum for opinions, and wish that there had been a “neither one” option in the vote for the sign. I feel the proposed new sign would be more appropriate for a medical arts building than to welcome to our community. I feel that the old sign is “dated” but not in a good or charming way. And in the end, I don’t think any sign in that location is worth the tax money it would cost; it is not in a place where photo-op seeking tourists would be walking, the direction to downtown is clearly obvious, and we could use the money more effectively on roads.

  9. The new sign is generic and expensive. I wouldn’t mind a new sign but it shouldn’t cost that much. The old sign could get some repairs and a paint job for a fraction of the cost.

  10. There is nothing welcoming or charming about the proposed sign design, much less the price tag. Just imagine other more beneficial uses for that amount of money….

  11. Maybe we could add a town slogan to the sign…like Vegas has…

    Whatever happens in Edmonds, stays in Edmonds… or …

  12. I am relatively new to Edmonds, having moved here in 2006. I voted for the existing sign, mostly because the proposed sign is so boring. I agree the old sign is not holding up but if we have to have a new sign can’t we get one with a little more detailed.

  13. It would have been nice if the graphic of the new sign had not included all those “explanatory” bits and pieces so that one could get an idea of what it will actually look like. However, from what I could piece together, the new sign is clean and modern. The old one has always reminded me of a Wild West saloon whereas the new one is forward-looking, which is surely what we want for our community?

  14. My two children in their 20s prefer the older sign. “It has character.” The newer sign is “too minimalist” and lacks character. I like the idea of the new sign – a ferry over water, but I too wish it had more character.
    We want people to come to Edmonds because it’s charming and we have the ferry and the beautiful mountains and water. The new sign would be suitable for a cookie-cutter convention center hotel.

  15. The old sign is dated and nothing special but the new sign is just plain awful. It looks like some (untalented) 10 year old put it together with rub on letters. A standard street sign from the department of public works would have about as much charm. Why not hire a competent graphic artist to start over again?

  16. I like the old sign much better than the proposed new sign. The new sign is cold and sterile with an outlandish price tag. I would like to see the old sign style modernized with a clearer font but keep some of the waterfront imagery. Edmonds is a special town, it deserves a more unique sign than the one proposed.

  17. The old sign is charming–but it is falling apart. The new sign won’t fall apart for a LONG while, but it is–boring. Why is this an “either or” choice? If Edmonds is noted for being an arts city, can’t we come up with something better?

  18. I am all for replacing the old sign but the proposed new sign looks so generic. I thoroughly agree with Spencer Chases’ comment above about hiring a graphic artist to design something a bit more interesting.

  19. So, I think the new sign absolutely looks like something that screams “hospital next block”, the old sign is better but I too would like a seaside type coastal welcoming you to our town. Old sign or a new design

  20. Sometimes these discussions about change remind me of prior discussion about the Round About and Crumb Rubber, Library funding model, and Sunset Ave. Strong points of view on both sides. Often opinion based vs fact based. Often the issue is “what problem are we trying to solve”

    Our government, council and staff should find ways to give people a more clear understanding of what decisions are going to be made and when. What often happens is although they meet the requirement of public notice they do not want input. Affordable housing work would be a good example. We just need to do a better job of informing the public.

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