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6.2. Purpose

This section is included in your selections.

A. The Council finds that the natural surroundings, climate, history, and people of the City provide the Sedona community with its unique charm and beauty. This Article has been adopted to ensure that all signs installed in the City are compatible with the unique character and environment of the community, and in compliance with the Community Plan.

B. The purpose of this article is to promote public health, safety, and welfare through a comprehensive system of reasonable, effective, consistent, content-neutral, and nondiscriminatory sign standards and requirements, including the following specific purposes:

(1) To promote and accomplish the goals, policies, and objectives of the Community Plan;

(2) To balance public and private objectives by allowing adequate avenues for both commercial and noncommercial messages;

(3) To recognize free speech rights by regulating signs in a content-neutral manner;

(4) To improve pedestrian and traffic safety by promoting the free flow of traffic and the protection of pedestrians and motorists from injury and property damage caused by, or which may be fully or partially attributable to, cluttered, distracting, and/or illegible signage;

(5) To protect the aesthetic beauty of the City’s natural and built environment for the citizens of and visitors to the City, and to protect prominent viewsheds within the community;

(6) To prevent property damage, personal injury, and litter from signs which are improperly constructed, poorly maintained, or made of unstable materials;

(7) To protect property values, the local economy, and the quality of life by preserving and enhancing the appearance of the streetscape; and

(8) To provide consistent sign design standards that enables the fair and consistent enforcement of these sign regulations.

C. This article is not intended to and does not restrict speech on the basis of its content, viewpoint, or message. No part of this article shall be construed to favor commercial speech over noncommercial speech. A noncommercial message may be substituted for another noncommercial message displayed on a sign, or the content of any noncommercial message displayed on a sign may be changed to a different noncommercial message, without the need for any approval or permit; provided, that the size of the sign is not altered. To the extent any provision of this article is ambiguous, the term shall be interpreted not to regulate on the basis of the content of the message.