HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-26-16 Public Comment - L. Kirk - Black Olive Mr. and Mrs. Allan Kirk
Bogert Park Neighborhood Association
227 East Olive Street
Bozeman MT 59715
26 September 2016
Honorable Mayor Carson Taylor
Members of the Bozeman City Council
We have historically enjoyed a safe and relatively quiet quality of life in our charming downtown Bogert
Park Neighborhood (BPN),which roughly extends from East Olive south to Koch, and from Black east to
Wallace. We are a diverse community of middle-class, moderate to lower income homeowners and
renters. We live in restored homes in the historic overlay district, with limited off-street parking and on
narrow streets. Many structures house multiple families. In many ways, relative to the remainder of
our community,we already represent the densly populated community structure the city is trying to
create.
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An estimated one million people visit us each year, parking in our neighborhood (Bozeman's defacto
"overflow parking lot") during downtown and Bogert/Lindley park events. Workers from the federal
building and downtown routinely park at our house and walk to work. Patrons of downtown businesses,
restaurants and bars do the same. As Bozeman has grown,traffic, parking pressure, noise,trash, and
crime have as well. Increased traffic volume on East Olive (an 85 year old street in desperate need of
repair) qualifies it as a MAJOR COLLECTOR route, and recent data show times each week when parking is
filled to capacity in the outer perimeter of BPN, on E. Olive, Church, Wallace, and Curtis. Vehicles are
commonly side-swiped or hit on our narrow streets, and I often struggle to safely exit my driveway. I've
gathered up two pets killed by drivers speeding through our neighborhood. Those returning for vehicles
late at night after enjoying our"vibrant downtown culture" are often loud and disruptive, or ill, and
drive off while clearly intoxicated.
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Recent decisions to promote high density in-fill development nobly seek to limit sprawl in our valley. We
applaud this intent. We,too,value our open spaces. However, our neighborhood is being asked to bear
the brunt of growth,without the planning and financial resources needed to manage these impacts.
Issues include, but are by no means limited to, the proposed development of the high-rise Black Olive
complex on B3-zoned land, close to R2-zoned single family dwellings. This is incongruous with the
character of our historic district, due to excess height, inappropriate setbacks, lack of open space, and
especially, insufficient parking. The decision to allow only one parking space per dwelling unit for B-3
residential developments,with additional reduction credits, regardless of the number of bedrooms and
drivers in those units, directly conflicts with the national average of 2.38 vehicles per US household and
with established parking policies elsewhere in the City of Bozeman. Our recent parking count data
suggest we can handle only a limited increase in onstreet parking in the vicinity of this development.
Simply put, Bozeman's "noble" choices for high density development are unfunded mandates which
BPNA Comments to Bozeman City Council, 26 September 2016 2
threaten over-crowding and raise risk to drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians on our narrow and already
crowded streets. Where will we walk, park, and play in our densely-filled neighborhood?
Good governance requires thoughtful assessment of needs and limitations in advance of such growth.
How does the city propose to fund needed assessments (e.g., parking studies)to guide infrastructure
development (e.g.,traffic calming, public recreation areas, sewers, lighting) and define policies to
enforce parking, noise,and crime regulation to manage dense residential populations in downtown
neighborhoods?We bought and restored homes in downtown Bozeman, not Brooklyn! While we
respect that some change is inevitable,we aren't interested being Bozeman's overflow parking lot or
dense-infill repository without careful planning that respects our quality of life. By promoting such
development without adequate planning,the quality of life in the in-lying, historical neighborhoods
(which are explicitly identified for protection in the City Growth Plan) is being sacrificed to accelerating
and uncontrolled growth. With all due respect, we object.
If Bozeman expects us to continue taking one for the team, what is the team offering in return? How
will this growth be managed to add to—rather than detract from—our quality of life? We know the
developers have a plan for our neighborhood. What is Bozeman's plan and how does that fit with our
vision for our homes?
Sincerely,
Lyi6L
Lisa Bithell Kirk, Ph.D., P. Geo.
Secretary to Bozeman Park Neighborhood Association