HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-15-17 Public Comment - J. Tyler - Black OliveI’m a home owner and newer Bozeman resident in the NW part of town, so I’m not especially anti-
growth, don’t suffer from historical myopia, and the only dog I have in the Black & Olive fight is the hope
it would offer a reasonable balance between its negative impacts and its value to the downtown
economy.
I oppose the project as relentlessly proposed by the developer for these three reasons:
1. I’ve visited the site multiple times, carefully read all the coverage by Eric Detrich, and talked to both
newer residents like me and ‘old-timers’. I have heard virtually no support for this project in that
location on that scale, and it strikes me personally as aesthetically and functionally disproportionate to
its proposed location. Moreover, where is the groundswell of support for this project, if it’s so beneficial
to the City?
2. As a member of the InterNeighborhood Council (and Lead of the newest Neighborhood Association),
I’ve now had the chance to hear a wide ranging set of presentations about how Bozeman’s future is
being shaped. I’ve attended many meetings around the City over the last year, on topics ranging from
STR’s and ADU’s to the evolution of Bozeman’s new Strategic Plan and Bozeman Fiber. I’ve heard
nothing in any of those presentations that suggests this Black & Olive project is, by itself, essential the
City’s future.
3. This is obviously a highly controversial project, especially in the context of its suitability to the
location, and that compromise is unavailable. At such times, my life has taught me that setting the
choice aside is - initially and in the long run - usually the better option. In this case it's obvious, from all
the other successful downtown development projects, that the land on which this project would be
located will see interest from other developers over time. So the City isn’t losing the option of
sustaining its downtown core. OTOH approving a project that’s not welcome in its own backyard and to
a significant portion of the City’s residents is irreversible, as will be the antagonism from some of its
residents.
I honestly don’t see this decision as a pro- or con-growth issue. I believe it boils down the physician’s
oath, and that you first do no harm. That project would.
Respectfully,
Jack Tyler
1006 Twin Lakes Ave.
Bozeman MT 59718