The Downtown Crozet Initiative (DCI) recently received a $15,000 state grant to develop a plan for new “wayfinding” road signs in and around downtown Crozet. As work continues toward an eventual central plaza on the former Barnes Lumber property that will host businesses, recreation space, and a hotel, DCI board member Joe Fore said developing a cohesive and unique signage plan now is particularly important.
“The exciting projects underway here will bring more people downtown than ever before–not just Crozetians, but people from Charlottesville and beyond,” said Fore, who is a former chair of the Crozet Community Advisory Committee. “It’s crucial that they all can easily navigate the businesses, parks, trails, and other amenities in and around Crozet’s historic downtown area. At the same time, we also have the chance to create distinctive signs with a look and feel that will help build and reinforce the sense of Downtown Crozet as a destination.”
The funding is a Virginia Main Street Community Vitality Grant from the state’s department of Housing and Community Development—part of a $5.4 million distribution statewide to 30 projects meant to revitalize historic commercial districts and bolster local economies. “The Crozet Master Plan—adopted by the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors in 2021—lists ‘Downtown Wayfinding Signage’ as one of its top infrastructure goals,” said Fore, “and even suggests DCI as facilitators for this work.
“Sometimes signage can fall by the wayside in a big project,” he said. “We went after this grant to allow us to engage some professional consultants who really are nationally known experts at doing this. They will help us to develop a professional plan for locations, types, and designs [of signs], and having an esthetic component unique to Crozet will give a unique and authentic feel to the downtown area.”
Clemson used the branding firm Arnett Muldrow, which has been hired for Crozet’s wayfinding project, for its signage.
Community branding is a hot trend across the country with an emphasis on developing logos and taglines that highlight the unique qualities of a town or area. The aim is to support local economic growth by attracting a community that shares the town’s vision and beliefs and makes people feel bound together in a special place. Both Charlottesville and Waynesboro have engaged branding consultants for their street signs, and both designs emphasize the area’s natural beauty and sense of place.
Waynesboro employs wayfinding signs with a unique logo using a design that features a sunrise on curving mountain, valley, and river imagery with the idea of the town nestled into the Blue Ridge Mountains. The town’s website says the logo draws attention to its scenic location where pioneers first saw the Shenandoah Valley. On some signs a tagline reads, “Waynesboro—Where Good Nature Comes Naturally,” where the branding reflects the idea that the natural environment fosters a strong community and high quality of life.
Charlottesville’s signage was developed by Merje Design and features a background of dogwood blooms (the state flower) on a muted green background. The signs welcome visitors and locals at major city boundaries and direct drivers to the Historic Downtown and UVA as well as to parking garages and shopping destinations. Crozet’s branding could potentially make use of the “Crozet rose” that adorns its current flag—taken from the Crozet family crest—or perhaps could employ historical and environmental elements such as railroads, orchards, or the Blue Ridge foothills.
The town of Waynesboro’s branded road signs with the tagline, Where Good Nature Comes Naturally.
“To craft the plan, DCI will work with the Crozet community and Arnett Muldrow, a planning firm specializing in downtown branding, wayfinding, and economic development, with extensive experience working with Virginia’s small towns,” said Fore. Arnett Muldrow has worked with communities such as Clemson, SC, Statesville, NC, and Norton, VA on their branding concepts.
“The funding is a matching grant,” said Fore, “so the DCI is kicking in some funding itself and also in-kind contributions, such as volunteer hours. We hope to develop a plan that is essentially shovel-ready and then, in line with when the plaza will be ready either next year or the following year, we can go back to Main Street [the grant giver] to get additional funding for the actual signs in the ground.” These smaller projects are in anticipation of the DCI’s larger fundraising effort to come—a drive for $1.5 million to plan, fund, and manage the plaza site.
Fore said that public input will be key to creating signs that are both helpful and reflect Crozet’s identity. “We want to ensure that the signs are in locations where residents and businesses feel they’re most needed,” he said. “In terms of design, it’s crucial that these signs look uniquely and authentically Crozet.” The DCI will work with Crozet residents, businesses, and county staff on this project. It hopes to host a series of community meetings in early 2026 to gather input and generate ideas to inform the plan.
Construction Update
As for the larger Barnes Lumber redevelopment project, which involves Albemarle County road projects along with developer Frank Stoner’s plans for the buildings and plaza, Stoner said next up is the connector road from The Square eastward to Hill Top Street.
“My understanding is that the [connector] project will go out to bid on December 1 with a goal of starting construction in early February,” said Stoner. “Almost all of the right-of-way has been acquired [one last parcel is being finalized with a bank], and I believe utilities will be relocated as a first step in the construction process. The plaza construction timeline will be somewhat dependent on the phasing plan for the roads and the construction plans for the west side of the plaza. Our goal is to start construction of the plaza and adjacent buildings by the end of 2026.”
