HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-04-17 Public Comment - A. Breuer - Black OliveFrom: Abigail Breuer [abreuer@3rivers.net]
Sent: Tuesday, April 04, 2017 10:22 AM
To: Carson Taylor; Cyndy Andrus; Chris Mehl; Jeff Krauss; I-Ho Pomeroy
Subject: [SENDER UNVERIFIED]Olive Black (a vision I don't want to see) vs. SOBO (a fitting next
step)
Dear City Commissioners,
I grew up in a town of 70,000—about the size I understand Bozeman is expected to become—
and witnessed ‘out of scale’ and unattractive development like the Olive-Black project take
place in near-downtown locations as my hometown of Evanston, Illinois, first encouraged infill
in the 1980’s. While likely 30 years have transpired since a full city block became the massive
Evanston Place Apartments http://www.evanstonplaceapts.com/, it remains out-of-scale and
an eyesore despite its downtown location. Attractive older buildings, reminiscent of the
apartments on the NE corner of Olive/Black, and single-family homes serve as a buffer, but are
diminished by it. It appears my hometown learned from this mistake, as no other infill project
has echoed it since. The Olive-Black Project offers to be just this same sort of non-additive
resource for Bozeman.
In contrast, I am glad to see the planned SOBO lofts. Their design, scale, and relationship to the
existing neighborhood suggest Bozeman’s future and demonstrate how contemporary design
and infill can benefit our town. As reported in the Chronicle (Jan 3, 2017): “The [SOBO] building
incorporates many strategies to reduce scale, break up massing, and to address the context.” I
hope a similar solution can be found for the Olive-Black location. Thoughtful infill will add to
our community and aid its vibrancy as we continue to grow. Out-of-scale and unattractive
development will not.
Thank you for your stewardship,
Abigail Breuer
502 N 11th Avenue
Bozeman, MT 59715