HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-31-17 Public Comment - C. Parker - Black OliveFrom:Carolyn Parker
To:Agenda
Subject:BO Project
Date:Friday, March 31, 2017 12:46:43 PM
Dear City Commission:
1. When the BO project was announced, its scope and size was shocking to me. It has turned my life
upside down and I have had sleepless nights. This isn't just about the CODE, this is about integrity vs.
greed and people's lives.
2. This is why. I am one of 4 homeowners who will be directly affected by the project, as it will literally
be only a few feet from my back door. We share a property line. It will tower over my house and yard,
blocking light and views and sky. I will be inundated with noise and exhaust fumes and traffic and
additional parking issues.
3. Recently I heard Any Halloran taking condescendingly to two neighbors, as he said no one had been
hurt economically by the project. I told him to his face that I had been harmed and why. My words fell on
deaf ears. I have written letters, attended meetings and talked to people, but it seems the residents
affected surrounded by this project are a low priority. The City Commission is our last defense.
4. I have owned my home for 24 years. I purchased it as a single parent raising a large family, and I
knew someday my house would be part of my retirement plan. I put my head down, started my own
business, and worked to pay down my mortgage.
5. Now I do not want to live beside this gigantic building which is too large for the lot and for which I
have heard will not last over time due to the materials and construction. And I can't sell it for market value
because no one else wants to be crushed up against that building either. Oh, yes. I did receive an offer
from Andy Halloran for less than the tear down value without the house. As if my property was worthless.
He thought he could force me out on the cheap.
6. So I have been economically harmed and I want to know who will make me whole.
7. Our homes are not large and expensive. Some are old. But we are proud to live in the neighborhood,
I am not a high profile person, I am not well known in the community, and I am not important by some
people's standards. But I deserve protection. So do the other 3 neighbors who share property lines with
the project and other neighbors who will feel the burn of loss of privacy, light, view and space.
8. What is happening is a form of "taking." The city may allow someone for profit to come into an
established community and take what is already ours. And take what is mine after 24 hours of work. I
thought the City Commission represented the best interests of the residents and citizens of the city.
9. I am asking for some integrity. I am asking for protection of an economic asset I worked hard for. I
will let someone else argue the CODE. You are playing god and I am suffering.
10. I am asking the City Commission to do the right thing and deny the BO project as proposed.
Sincerely,
Carolyn S. Parker
406 579-2265
205 South Bozeman Ave