Route 132 Corridor Report - Cape Cod Commission

4. Land Use Issues and Opportunities
Issue 1: Gateways
There are several gateways located within the study area. On the western
end of the study area, the intersection of Route 132 and Bearse’s Way
serves a dual purpose. This intersection marks the path to the Hyannis
Main Street Waterfront area Growth Incentive Zone (GIZ) and also serves
as a gateway to the regional retail area along Route 132. The intersection
of Bearse’s Way and Route 28 also serves as a gateway intersection to
the Hyannis Main Street area. On the eastern end of the study area, the
airport rotary serves as a gateway to several areas: the regional retail area
along Route 132, the Hyannis Main Street area (down Barnstable Road),
and the Barnstable airport. While these areas function as important gateways
to destinations within the town, they have few character-defining
features other than signage to reinforce this purpose.
Opportunity 1A: Reinforce Gateways
Well-defined community gateways are important to people’s
ability to navigate through an area and also provide
sense of transitioning from one distinct area to another.
To reinforce these gateways, the town should aim to
coordinate signage, street improvements and public art to
better define the important gateways within the study area
and to differentiate them from one another. For example,
future plans to make improvements to the Airport Rotary
and to construct a multi-use path along Bearse’s Way
should acknowledge this important role. The town should
implement and build on the “Informational Sign Strategy”
prepared for the town and explore using additional wayfinding
techniques geared to identifying specific areas of
town. For instance, branding the regional retail area in a
way to make it distinct from Main Street Hyannis or the
waterfront area could provide an opportunity for district
specific signage to guide travelers into the area. See Figure
E for an illustration of gateways within the study area.
Directional Signage in San
Francisco, simple color-coding
and iconography makes way
finding simpler for visitors.
september 2010 | route 132 corridor Report 13