New Digital Welcome Sign Goes up at WeHo Boundary on Sunset Blvd and Phyllis St

A new West Hollywood Welcome Sign has been installed at the city’s boundary line at Sunset Boulevard and Phyllis Street. The metallic digital sign allows public rotating messaging for commuters entering the city. The current rotating messages include the city’s COVID-19 safety campaign asking community members to cover that face and maintain a safe space.

The City of West Hollywood awarded a construction agreement to Alfaro Communications Construction in July 2020 at a cost of $129,350 for the Sunset/Phyllis sign.

The project dates back to November 2017, when City Staff met with the Street Media Council Subcommittee to review potential new designs for the replacement welcome signage. Additional meetings were held to review pedestrian wayfinding and landmark gateway entry signage. The findings and conceptual designs of the Street Media Council Subcommittee and work with Selbert Perkins Design (SPD) were presented to and approved by City Council on December 4, 2017.

Staff from the Public Works Engineering Division worked to develop construction documents for the replacement welcome sign components of the Street Media Project. The City of West Hollywood currently has 17 welcome signs on major streets around the boundary of the city to greet the public as they enter WeHo’s city limits. These blue and yellow signs are mounted, in a banner appearance, on blue poles located in the sidewalk. The signs are non-digital and display a fixed text that is unchanged since their installation. The signs are located at either end of Sunset Blvd, Santa Monica Blvd, Melrose Ave, Beverly Blvd, La Brea Ave, Fairfax Blvd, and Crescent Heights. They are also installed at the southern end of Doheny Dr, Robertson Blvd, and La Cienega Blvd.

There is also an old Welcome to West Hollywood sign on a cobble stone wall at Sunset Boulevard and Marmont Lane.

The Council approved the replacement of the existing citywide welcome signs with new digital messaging welcome signs that enhance the arrival experience and provide the opportunity for public messaging. of installation of the single sign located near Sunset & Doheny will be followed by a period of review and testing. Staff will test the messaging capabilities of the new digital platform. This will also allow the City Council and the public to comment on the effectiveness and aesthetics of the new digital sign. If successful, staff will then return to council with a project to complete the replacement of the remaining 16 signs.