Minnetonka staff recommends denying Hopkins High School scoreboard variance
City planners recommended rejecting Hopkins High School's request to build a scoreboard that exceeds local height and size limits, citing concerns about impacts on nearby residential neighborhoods.
Riley Rooney, a city planner, presented staff's recommendation to deny a variance application that would allow Hopkins High School to construct a 41.5-foot-tall scoreboard with a graphic area of 1,034 square feet at the school's stadium.
The proposed scoreboard violates Minnetonka's code requirements for residential districts, which cap sign height at 35 feet and graphic area at 1,000 square feet. According to staff, the larger scoreboard would be visibly obtrusive and increase light pollution affecting homes near the school.
"The proposal is inconsistent with the comprehensive plan as the proposed scoreboard would impact the existing residential neighborhood by increasing the light while introducing a structure that is visibly obtrusive to nearby homes," Rooney said.
Staff also found that Hopkins Public Schools could reasonably build a new scoreboard that meets existing code requirements, meaning there is no practical difficulty justifying an exception. The school's requests for signage on a ticketing booth and concession stand did not require variances and were not part of the denial recommendation.
The planning commission was recommended to adopt a resolution denying the variance application. The meeting document does not indicate whether the commission voted on the recommendation or what the final outcome was.
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