HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-15-17 Public Comment - J. Walseth - Black OliveFrom:
Jim Walseth
Co-Owner with Elizabeth Darrow of 603 W Babcock, Bozeman
To:
Chris Kukulski, Bozeman City Manager
Bozeman Community Development & Planning Department
Chris Saunders, Interim Director
Brian Krueger, Development Review Manager
Jessica Johnson (Neighborhood Coordinator)
Design Review Committee & Design Review Board
Bozeman City Commissioners
Carson Taylor, Mayor
Cynthia Andrus, Deputy Mayor
Jeff Krauss, Commissioner
Chris Mehl, Commissioner
I-Ho Pomeroy, Commissioner
RE: Precedent-setting Development Project at Black and Olive
That the proposed development at Olive and Black is out of scale with its surroundings is self-evident to
any reasonable person lacking a vested interest in its construction. In addition to the negative effects on
immediate neighbors (which I understand have been painstakingly listed by those persons) the effect at
our property and throughout the Bozeman core will be more vehicular traffic, with associated impacts
on air quality, noise, convenience (parking, travel time), and safety. Bicyclists and pedestrians are
particularly effected by the last issue -- for someone like me who walks and bikes whenever possible
there is a small but measureable increase in personal risk. Furthermore, every additional car that roars
down Babcock in front of our house reduces the value of our property. In short, I assert the
development offers little value to those of us already living here -- i.e the people the city commission
represents.
I will now proceed to rebut some of the morality-laced arguments in favor of the development. Though
in various forms, they all suggest that I accept a degraded lifestyle and reduced property valuation "for
the greater good".
Argument 1. Building densely downtown will prevent sprawl.
Rebuttal: Downtown apartments and suburban single-family homes are very different products, with
very different consumers. There is plenty of demand for both. Stocking the shelves with whiskey does
not reduce consumption of beer. Quite the contrary, the economic activity associated with the
construction of large apartments will result in more demand for housing, not less. [Note: the proposed
apartments are not workforce housing.] In the absence of legally-binding regulatory limits on suburban
and ex-urban growth, or a TDR [transfer of development rights], the precedent-setting construction of
high rise residences will usher in an era of density AND sprawl.
Argument 2. Building densely downtown will create a vibrant, walkable downtown.
Rebuttal: We already have a vibrant, walkable downtown! Preserving these extant qualities should be
the commission's prime directive, not risky experiments. Exceeding the area's capacity for cars is a
threat to the status quo, and pose a threat to those of us accustomed to crossing Babcock on foot in
relative safety. If you want an even better downtown, do it with engineering. Consider "...how buildings
and parking are arranged on the street, and whether streets are designed in a way that makes walking
and biking safe and comfortable." [ref: http://www.accessmagazine.org/articles/fall-2010/density-
doesnt-tell-us-sprawl/]
I see nothing in this design that is an improvement in this regard.
Argument 3. Being against growth is selfish, people need a place to live.
Rebuttal: Do we want everyone in the world to move to Bozeman? Or just the number currently living in
the once small town of Austin Texas. That number will fill the bowl that is the Gallatin Valley from rim to
rim. I have no trouble saying no to both scenarios. It's a truism but nevertheless true that "a thing that
cannot go on forever must stop." With judicious slowing the stopping point can be pushed far into the
future.
Preserving and protecting the unique qualities of life in Bozeman is a value that every resident should
hold dear, including newcomers -- let's not put them unwittingly on the wrong side of the equation from
day one. Please think smaller.
With sincere regard,
Jim Walseth
603 W Babcock