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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-31-17 Public Comment - J. Eisel - Black OliveFrom:Justin Eisel To:Agenda Subject:Black Olive, a misdirection for Bozeman Date:Friday, March 31, 2017 7:32:16 AM Dear City Commissioners, There has been an overwhelming amount of opposition to the proposed Black Olive project. Many of those comments have regarded parking. I would like address that as well, but from the perspective of a person who already actually uses a car- share program: my family of four has one vehicle. This is not the norm, but having multiple vehicles, even three or four per household, to accommodate family, work and recreation/specialty activities has become routine. Here’s what having one vehicle means for our family: It means being forced to walk or bike during inclement weather It means getting ready and leaving earlier than necessary to accommodate the bus schedule It means waiting on others for rides It means an enormous amount of guilt It means waking home in the dark It means going without certain items from the box stores on 19th until a car is available It means not skiing because you don’t have a ride It means missing kids’ activities because schedules didn’t line up It means limited food choices due to the distance from larger grocery stores It means burdening friends and neighbors for favors It means missing out on events and opportunities due to distance or weather It means fewer opportunities for our children It means carrying cash to somehow reimburse people for transportation It means planning your day or week or activities around the availability of your car It means long walks to and from home It means taking more time just to get places It means renting another vehicle when people come to visit because one car is not big enough It means staying around home instead of going to a trailhead It means inconveniences and challenges I think I’ve made my point, but how often are you getting the perspective of a single-vehicle family/home? Likely you are not, because they minimally exist. These are the challenges and hardships of a family of four with two drivers, how a single car for five units with an unknown number of drivers even gets a small amount of consideration is unfathomable. A handful of years ago, when our second car died and we decided to try getting by with one vehicle, life was simpler and Bozeman was smaller. Our kids are older. My job is no longer four blocks from home. There are more activities and obligations. Fewer of life’s necessities are within walking distance or Downtown. Now, we talk of what are second vehicle might be. The Black Olive developer is promoting a car-share option instead of offering appropriate parking. In fact, the man that repeatedly mentions how he met with and listened to the neighbors directly affected by this project, is now offering fewer established parking spots in his most recent proposal. Not only is this disrespectful and burdensome of the established neighborhood, but there is not even an obligation to provide the future occupants a place to park. This is an untested and unproven program being brought into our community. It is unrealistic, and the people directly affected by the Black Olive should not be an experiment. What seems to be overlooked is that the lifestyle that is being promoted by this project is also being eroded by the changes to Downtown, and, specifically, by things like the Black Olive. And what about all those top 10 lists Bozeman keeps appearing on that we love to hate? I predict the only list that we will continue to lay claim to is one of the fastest growing cities in America. This developer is literally determining Bozeman’s skyline, and now wants to determine the direction the City will go. He has even gone on to suggest his image of a “24 hour city.” Who wants that? And what gives this man the right to decide? You, the Commission, represent us, the people, the citizens, the majority, and that’s what needs to be kept in mind. I have seen Downtown change from a functional city center, where many or most of one’s needs could be obtained within a short distance or small area, to an entertainment and tourist district where bars, restaurants, art galleries and coffee shops now occupy what used to be clothing, furniture, drug and office supply stores. The executive director of the Downtown Business Partnership, the one person who repeatedly speaks on behalf of the developer, too thinks he knows what is best for Bozeman and downtown, but he does not even truly represent the people or organizations he says he does, but has self- interest in mind. The thought that you can promote walkable living and still cater to tourists’ needs are in conflict. I recently met a gentleman in his 80s at work. He expressed that, except for the time he was stationed overseas for the military, he spent his whole life in Bozeman. Growth and change were not a concern of his, in fact, they seemed inevitable. What he has noticed, what seems to changed, was that people no longer move here to enjoy what Bozeman is, but that they come here and attempt to make Bozeman into a better version of where they came from, what they want it to be. That is exactly what is happening here. We cannot stop growth and change, but we can control it. Several people who are have been directly affected by our family’s choice to decrease to one vehicle have been represented at Commission meetings and written to you and the newspaper, and no doubt will be at the meeting on Monday April 3rd. I hope the viewpoint I’ve offered from a single-vehicle household has been meaningful, and I hope you realize the Black Olive’s decision to provide insufficient parking is a detriment to the neighbors, Downtown, the community and even to the future residents of the development. I would like to live in a walkable city, but that is not Bozeman. We need vehicles, and a five-to-one car share ratio is not a solution, but a problem. Please vote against this current project proposal. With big decisions, the right decision needs to be made. You have an obligation protect the citizens and neighborhoods, and the future of the City of Bozeman, and to limit projects such as Black Olive, as outlined in the Unified Development Code. If you Commissioners don’t believe you have the authority to control this, then you need to change it. Let’s move Bozeman forward with thoughtful, intentional choices. Thank you Justin Eisel South Bozeman Avenue 587-4046