HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-01-17 Public Comment - L. Damon - Affordable Housing COVERED WAGON MOBILE HOME PARK, LLC
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P. o. Box 370
Laurel,MT 59044
Phone: (805)501-0996
e-Mail: lindahollandl@aol.com
April 25,2017
Mayor Carson Taylor
Bozeman City Hall
P. O. Box 1230
121 North Rouse g
Bozeman,MT 59771
Dear Mayor Taylor:
I am the principal owner of Covered Wagon Mobile Home Park on 19th Street and Oak Street in
Bozeman, and I have recently been informed of your presentation regarding the need for
Bozeman to address what was called the "housing crisis."
I
I am sure that you are aware that Covered Wagon Mobile Home Park provides rental space and
rental mobile homes for approximately two hundred families and satisfies the criteria for "low
income housing." We work very hard to try to keep our rents at a level that is affordable for our
residents. This has become much more challenging in recent years for many reasons such as the
age of our facility needing much more deferred maintenance, increasing taxes, increasing costs
for employees,new required expenses for water, sewer and trash disposal, etc. For over a
decade,every rent increase has been used exclusively to meet the economic challenges and
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needs of maintaining the facility.,
In the article I read regarding your presentation,I understand that it was also a consideration of
yours to look into forcibly annexing county property into the city. Needless to say,this is of
great concern to us, as it would mean another significant increase of our expenses with increased
taxes that we would have to pass on to our renters.
I
I have been approached by many developers regarding this property for commercial
development. I have declined any consideration,partly because I know this property provides .
much needed low income housing. However,with the growing costs to maintain this business
and now the possibility of more taxes, I am very worried that a decision of annexation would
greatly affect our future ability to continue our current operation and survive as a business. I
could anticipate that this could result in a hardship to our 400+residents to be forced to relocate.
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I am requesting that any consideration given to annexation also consider the consequences to the
people living at Covered Wagon Mobile Home Park, as well as many other such properties and
how this decision would be creating a negative impact on MANY citizens of Bozeman. The
rents are raised periodically because of the need to cover the many increased expenses but a new
tax would definitely require another increase, which again,would have many negative
ramifications.
I would welcome a conversation with you and I am available for any questions you might have.
Please feel free to contact me by email at "lindahollandI@aol.com" or by cell at(805) 501-0996.
Sincerely,
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Linda Holland Damon
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