HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-25-16 Public Comment - D. Center - Black OliveAs a nearly 40 year resident of Bozeman, I am concerned about changes that affect our
quality of life. The Black Olive apartment building is turning out to be a landmark decision
on what the future of our city will be. Having closely observed the impacts of growth on
Denver-Boulder-Fort Collins, and having spent way more time than I would like in Los
Angeles this summer, I fear that current city commissioners favor a vision of Bozeman with
skyscrapers. As a nurse I used to work with in a community clinic often said regarding
patient requests, " 'No' is a complete sentence." It is also the necessary response to our
town turning into LA.
My specific concerns about the Black Olive project are:
1. It has been alleged that the developer basically disregarded the stipulations placed on
his hotel project downtown and built what he wanted, without any adverse
consequences. The City Commission should publicly address this issue with the citizens and
put it to rest. If true, the City needs to enforce it's regulations and Mr. Halloran should not
be allowed to develop any more projects in Bozeman as a result. In all cases, the City
needs to consider past performance of any developer or contractor when deciding on
variances and permissions.
2. The lot under consideration is small and is in a transitional location, situated between
downtown and the residential south side. Any structure built on the lot should be of a
transitional nature and scale. 5 stories is absurd. Even the 4 story modification warrants
serious evaluation for appropriateness. 50-60 living units is hard to figure on a small single
family home sized lot--are these all going to be 400 square foot studios?
3. As anyone doing business with the City knows, street parking is impossible to find in this
area. Allowing the developer magical short cuts, like "ride sharing" parking slots, is a recipe
for disaster. The developer should provide 1 off street parking slot for every living
unit. There will be a natural balance point between the amount of ground used for parking
and for the foot print of the building and that balance will determine how large the structure
can be.
Developers and contractors squeal mightily when anyone proposes restricting their freedom
to do whatever they want. They seem to think We the People owe them as large a profit as
they can squeeze out of every deal. We the People want you to regulate, manage, even
control or restrict development and growth, to maintain our health, safety and quality of
life. An apartment building at Black and Olive, or a refurbished office building, are
appropriate uses for the lot. If Mr. Halloran can't make enough money off an appropriate
project to justify his time, then he should move on.
Dean Center
909 S. Third Ave.