HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-02-17 Public Comment - C. & M. West - Black OliveHi my name is Charlie West and I live at 330 South Bozeman Ave, I also own a
business at 111 East Main St. I am personally opposed to the Black Olive project
as it is currently proposed. It may not be in the best interest of my business to
oppose this project but I tell people all the time we don’t live in Bozeman to get
rich, quality of life for myself, my family, and my friends is far more important
and I feel this project and all the high-rises proposed to encircle the Historic core
of Bozeman that are coming down the pipe behind it will detract from the quality
of life in Bozeman. I feel there should be a four-story height limit on any building
in Bozeman allowing for the once grand brick buildings of Main Street to continue
to shine as our towns landmarks. Almost every day I look down on Main Street
from Peet’s hill and am constantly nauseated by the site of the Element and 5
West, their size and scale, not to mention building materials, stands out like a sore
thumb, and finger. This trend must not continue. It is my understanding that you
5 commissioners were elected by the majority of the people of Bozeman because
of your beliefs and willingness to represent the majority views of the people of
Bozeman, so I want each one of you to think back on all the proceedings dealing
with the Black Olive, all of the public comments, all the letters to the editor and
editorials, all of your decisions concerning past developments, all of the
recommendations given to you from city design review boards and committees, all
of your collective memories of why you choose to live in Bozeman and represent
the majority views of its residents, and now tonight it is time to take a stand and
summarize all those collective thoughts and to exercise your responsibility to
represent the majority of the voters in Bozeman with your one vote. You must
decide whether you, and the majority of the people of Bozeman, think this Black
Olive as it is currently slated is an appropriate development for the transition
between Historic Downtown Bozeman and the Historic neighborhood adjacent to
the Downtown core. It is not your job as commissioners to hide behind building
codes and zoning laws, we all know that job has already been done by our fine
staff in the building department. It is time for each of you to formulate your
individual conclusions as to where you stand in deciding which direction the future
of Bozeman goes. And it is your right and duty to vote NO or Yes on the
appropriateness of this project as it is currently submitted with no changes to the
size and scale or to the ratio of possible residents to parking spots provided on site
and feel comfortable bringing this decision back to the people of Bozeman who
will ultimately decide whether they agree with you and want to continue
supporting your representation of our majority views.
Charlie & Michele West
The Great Rocky Mountain Toy Company
111 East Main Street
Bozeman, MT 59715
406-585-3322
info@mountaintoys.net