HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-14-16 Public Comment - D. Canfield - Black OliveDear City Commissioners.
There are many reasons for rejecting the Black Olive development proposal. We wish to focus
on just one of them: The proposed development violates the Bozeman Guidelines for Historic
Preservation & the Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District, which say "New construction
should appear similar in mass and scale to nearby historic structures."
This unambiguous guideline is in the very first part of Chapter 4: Guidelines for the Commercial
Character Area, Section A. Mass and Size, which testifies to its importance. Nowhere else do
these Guidelines, including Subchapter 4B Guidelines for the B-3 Commercial Character Area,
specify a different relationship of new construction to nearby historic structures in mass and
scale. We realize that those whose interest is personal profit will argue that the proposed
building's mass and scale is so essential to Bozeman's growth that it dominates over the
relationship to nearby historical structures. We believe that their mothers never taught them right
from wrong.
We join the large numbers of citizens who have pointed out the gross mismatch of the mass and
scale of the proposed Black Olive structure to Fred Willson's nearby historic Blackmore
Apartments. Similarity of new construction in mass and scale to nearby historical structures is
more than just good city planning: it is integral to Bozeman's Guidelines that have given us a
very appealing and livable city.
Sincerely,
Richard C. Canfield
Deborah A Haydon-Canfield
726 S Third Avenue