Sedona, AZ — When Keep Sedona Beautiful (KSB) was founded in 1972, the city was filled with ugly signs that contributed to what the Arizona Republic called “honky-tonk cluttered Sedona”. Sedona was unincorporated, governed by the land use codes of either Yavapai or Coconino County, as the city is split between the two.
Using the power of persuasion, KSB convinced businesses to replace many of the worst signs with more tasteful ones. In 1974 KSB created an “Outline for Business Signs” with voluntary suggestions for businesses, followed in 1977 by a more formal “Guidelines for Effective Signs in the Sedona Area,” and in 1979 by “Guidelines for Architectural Designs.” That advocacy earned KSB a certificate of appreciation from the Governor’s Commission on Arizona’s Environment in 1981.
Since Sedona itself had no zoning power yet, KSB worked county-level: it lobbied both Yavapai and Coconino Counties, and in 1980 succeeded in getting Coconino County to prohibit billboards along interstate highways and light-commercial
(C-1) zoned areas — keeping billboards off Highways 89A and 179.
After incorporation in 1988, KSB was instrumental in creating Sedona’s first sign ordinance. In the years since, the ordinance has evolved, but remains the reason that our restaurants, gas stations, hotels and other businesses don’t have towering signs marring our red rock vistas.
You can read more about the early work of KSB at: www.keepsedonabeautiful.org/our-history.