HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-31-17 Public Comment - K. Barbo - Black OliveFrom:Kari Barbo
To:Agenda
Subject:Black Olive
Date:Friday, March 31, 2017 8:40:16 AM
Dear Commissioners,
I am writing in opposition to the Black Olive project. The scope/scale of the building and thelack of parking are my main concerns as a citizen and a person directly affected by this
project.
The Black Olive does not fit into the neighborhood. It overshadows the adjacent structures.
This building is oversized, and does not allow for the City’s desire to taper intoneighborhoods. The property abuts a Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District. It abuts
single family homes. Privacy, a guaranteed right to the people of this country, is being robbed,with windows and balconies literally overlooking established properties.
Parking will be a major issue. The future residents of this property deserve their own space.The parking in this area is already taken up by the neighborhood occupants, Downtown
shoppers and employees, and anyone who wishes to enjoy the Christmas Stroll, the Taste ofBozeman, the Bogert Farmers’ Market, etc. The impact goes well beyond the immediate
neighbors. My elderly family and wheelchair-bound uncle rely upon close parking places, andavoid locations where they cannot safely or appropriately park. Dear friends who live on Main
Street, but are not supplied with designated parking, already park blocks away, includingfurther away than our house. At any time, but consistently in the winter, it can be impossible
for two vehicles to pass one another on Olive Street and Bozeman Avenue. A neighbor, one ofthe properties that literally borders the proposed Black Olive site, does not have off-street
parking. She is desperate enough to sell her home that she has taken the outrageous step ofcutting the curb down to offer a off-street parking spot. This is on her lawn on a half-sized lot.
Did you catch that? This person who is looking to sell to a single unit is sacrificing to providethe future owners a place to park! Parking between Olive and Babcock streets is practically
non-existent. That section of Bozeman Avenue, and the portion of Black Avenue south ofOlive only offer parking on one side of the street. What about the hardships for the people who
do not have off-street parking, or the poorly paid employee who parks blocks from work toavoid the two-hour time limit, or the family hoping to listen to music on Main? Why should
they suffer at the hands of a developer who has mastered the manipulation of intimate detailsand fine print and thinks he knows Bozeman’s future? It seems quite clear the existing
infrastructure cannot handle the increased number of vehicles this project will create.
The effects of the Black Olive on our neighborhood have already become quite clear. Friends
have moved away. Others will soon be following. Do you believe all the time and effort thecitizens of Bozeman have put into limiting such a structure is shallow or selfish or simple-
minded? It is because this proposal is wrong for the community. This project is inappropriateon so many levels. The developer does not care about the neighborhood, and, it is safe to say,
he does not care about the future residents, only his pocket book (ask him why he makes thechoices he does). You cannot support a project such as this in good conscience. There are
several portions of City Code and the Unified Development Code that control this, and eventhe Design Review Board, which wields no actual power, has twice unanimously voted against
it. These codes and committees exist for reasons just like this.
Listen to the people. Please do not allow the Black Olive in its current state to move forward.This is a referendum on the City, so let’s do it right.
Sincerely,
Kari Barbo
220 South Bozeman Avenue