HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-29-16, Public Comment, Wilkinson, GrowthFrom: Todd Wilkinson [tawilk@aol.com]
Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2016 12:59 PM
To: Chris Saunders; chris@downtownbozeman.org
Cc: Chris Mehl; Tawilk@aol.com
Subject: A couple of questions
Chris and Chris,
Many thanks for your enlightening presentations at last night's City Commission meeting.
I have several questions, piqued by what you said, that I would be grateful for you answering as I want
to write a story about growth issues in Bozeman.
best regards,
Todd Wilkinson
1. For Chris N: You noted in your remarks and in your op-ed in today's Bozeman Daily Chronicle (11/29)
that the number of people living close to downtown has declined over the last few decades as the
average number of people per home has dropped. And yet you have written or said in several different
articles that downtown is booming and as vital as it's been in decades. Could you please explain the
reason for Bozeman's vitality in spite of the shifting demographic pattern in home occupancy?
A follow-up question: the DBP does a great job of pushing to keep downtown vital and obviously relies
on a number of metrics that demonstrates the health of downtown. What are those metrics and which
ones confirm the healthy status of downtown?
Another follow-up question to that: How and why is downtown currently booming in the absence of
significant new apartment infill?
Another follow-up question: For years it has been the vision and policy of Bozeman planning to create
tech-park nodes, i.e. campus-like settings, that foster a dynamism with high tech. That's why the tech-
park west of South 19th was created. Last night, Chris, you mentioned that the goal is to now build tech
jobs downtown. Why not grow the original idea in the place where it was originally planned?
2. For Chris S: You mentioned data that says fully one-third of homes in Bozeman are inhabited by just
a single person. Could you please direct me to the source for that figure?
A follow-up question to that: Do you, as a planner, believe that this, if true, reflects a long-term trend or
merely a short-term trend involving elderly people who have lost a spouse and soon will pass from the
scene, likely to be replaced with younger couples/families?
3. For both Chrises: It seems that the three zones comprising planning in the downtown subregion of
Bozeman lay out a case for more infill but they do little to quantify what the cumulative impacts will be
of said infill. Not only is there a plan for more residential infill but there has been a push for more
hotel/motel rooms downtown. Since planning is about anticipating the future, I would like you to
address the following.
A. What is the total number of new hotel/motel rooms likely to have come/or coming on line in the
downtown planning subregion by 2026 (and since, say, 2010)? s In other words, how many more hotel
rooms in the core downtown zones are there likely to be in 2026 than in 2010 (not including the defunct
motel at corner of North 5th and Main)
B. What is the total number of new multiple resident dwellings that have already come on line in the
last 10 years in the downtown planning subregion?
C. Chris N said that the new downtown plan mentions the possibility of there being 300, 400, or even
500 new apartment units in the downtown subregion in the coming years. How many total new
downtown residents does that potentially equate to? And with each of those numbers above (300, 400,
500), what is the anticipated cumulative impacts of traffic and congestion, need for more parking and
collateral impacts on currently adjacent quiet neighborhoods? What will be the impacts of
traffic/parking congestion resulting in spill-over on adjacent residential neighborhoods? What are the
projected air quality impacts of more traffic? What are the implications for having to create more
roadway arteries to handle the traffic?
D. Please riff on what you think the downtown subregion will look like at full build-out based on what is
currently being promoted in the plan?
E. In an honest assessment, what are the upsides and the downsides?
F. In the absence of a cumulative effects study that anticipates impacts, how is planning anything but
reactive?
4. Chris N said that there has been no real discernible increase in traffic counts downtown over several
years. With Bozeman booming now—i.e. more people coming to downtown especially during high
season months—how can this be so when the perception in the eyes of many downtown users is exactly
the opposite?
5. Higher density of people translates into greater demand on infrastructure. What will be the
projected costs of having to upgrade water/sewer to accommodate infill and who will bear the costs of
replacing those lines and street repair?
6. For Chris N: You are a laudable advocate for downtown businesses and you mentioned competition
for downtown merchants coming not only from other commercial hubs but from the ever-increasing
trend of shopping online. What percentage of shoppers at non-restaurant establishments downtown
are local verses out of towners?
A follow-up question: If it is the DBP's position to support downtown business owners, how is the
airbnb phenomenon likely to impact downtown hotels and motels and is the DBP in favor of having
liberalized airbnb regulations in the neighborhoods? Does that not create direct competition and
challenge the viability of downtown hotels/motels?
Another follow-up question, this one for Chris S: Is it/would it be lawful for an apartment owner to
simply convert his building into a massive airbnb?
7. Relating to possible infill targets, is the 500 figure mentioned above by Chris N Monday night a cap or
could it be greater? Might there be 700, 800, 900 or far more apartments in the downtown subregion?
8. For Chris S: Do you think the city was crystal clear in spelling out that the B-3 changes allowed for 5-
story structures literally rising on the edge of residential neighborhoods? One widespread perception
among citizens was that 3-story structures were the standard. Did the city, in your mind, really exercise
due diligence in demonstrating visually what the revisions, relating to infill, meant for the aesthetics on
the perimeter of the downtown subregion planning district?
A follow-up: You mentioned in your presentation Monday night how height transitions were mandated
for infilll development north of Main Street—why not at Black/Olive? Does the Black/Olive project meet
city guidelines relating to how buildings in historic downtown/B-3 are supposed to reflect or be
extensions of the historic vernacular around them?
9. For Chris S: In the absence of a unified city/county land use plan, how is infill downtown having any
serious impact in reducing sprawl?
10. For Chris S: At the recent Design Review Board meeting, a Bozeman resident complained about the
height of the proposed 5-story apartment going up at Black/Olive. It literally was blocking out his view
of the Bridgers. He asked if he could erect a 70-foot wall to block out the apartment so that he didn't
have to look at it daily and have residents looking out of their windows at him. He was told it would not
be allowed because he resides in a historic district. Was that answer accurate. Is it really city policy to
allow someone putting up a structure in B-3 to impact residents in a historic district on an adjacent lot
but residents in the historic district would be forbidden from blocking out a structure they find to be
imposing and unsightly?
I appreciate your time.
Thanks.
Todd