Brentwood city staff presented proposed changes to the city code to address electronic scoreboards at athletic fields after outreach by Brentwood Academy to nearby residents. The briefing covered maximum heights, message area caps and a proposed allowance for a small permanent commercial message on scoreboard structures.

Todd (city staff) said Brentwood Academy reached out to about six adjoining residences, held a meeting on the 17th and that most contacted residents did not oppose the proposal. Staff provided comparisons showing Brentwood High School’s video board at 680 square feet and Ravenwood at 704 square feet; Brentwood Academy’s proposal was described as just over 600 square feet for the video portion. Staff said the existing city ordinance capped scoreboard height at 30 feet and the proposed language would increase the cap to 40 feet so that Brentwood High, Ravenwood and Brentwood Academy would all be in compliance under the revised limits. The proposed maximum for an electronic message display incorporated into a scoreboard was described in staff materials as 710 square feet (staff clarified that this figure refers to the video/message portion of the board, not the entire structure).

Staff presented an allowance for a permanent commercial advertising panel at the bottom of the board; the draft text included an example cap of 60 square feet. Commissioners discussed broadening the permanent advertising allowance to be similar to the 102 square feet used by Brentwood High (a number noted from staff notes), and asked staff to consider uniformity so private and public schools have comparable options. Commissioners emphasized that any such allowance would be a maximum, not a requirement.

Commissioners also asked staff to limit the ordinance changes to SI (special institutional) zones and to athletic fields, to avoid creating a pathway for digital billboards along major corridors. Staff said the draft language is narrowly tailored to athletic fields in SI zones and to one scoreboard per campus, single‑sided, and to prohibit video display during practices except for score and timekeeping (no video other than score/time). Staff discussed sound as a separate system and confirmed no audio would be part of the electronic scoreboard proposal. Staff said they will adjust the draft language to reflect the commission’s direction on the size of the commercial message and return with a final draft.