HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-06-17 Public Comment - J. Tufte - North Grand HousingFrom:Jesse Tufte
To:Addi Jadin
Cc:Agenda
Subject:Thoughts on infill and support for Project #17186 - N Grand Housing
Date:Tuesday, June 06, 2017 5:16:18 PM
Dear Addi and Commission,
Recently, my partner and I sold the property at 301 N. Grand to Jason Delmue after several years of living there, raising two
little girls, and making the house a home, piece by piece (despite its structural quirks and old age). While I’m nostalgic about
those years, I always knew my antique, non-conforming house would someday transform into an infill project. I knew the
city, wisely, had planned for the growth and change of downtown neighborhoods to accommodate a growing/morphing
population, increasingly drawn here by the outdoors and vibrant downtown.
Bozeman can survive this period of intense growth with its unique character intact, but only if we protect some open space,
design smart neighborhoods, and encourage diverse infill projects. As vast swaths of cookie-cutter houses sprawl further and
further West across the valley, creative infill becomes even more of a necessity to truly 'save' Bozeman from becoming bland,
car-centric, and indistinct from other Western cities. I think congestion, traffic, smog, and bad parking are the products of
sprawl, not infill.
I don't expect Jason’s modern aesthetic for this project to suit everyone’s tastes, but the density and use make sense to me.
This five-unit development will serve as a reasonable transition from the Mendenhall behemoth buildings into single family
homes further north. My partner and I still own a house in the neighborhood, and we would welcome Jason’s project as an
improvement (and a best-case scenario for that B3 lot given some of the contentious development projects south of Main).
Lastly, it might be worth noting that I was born and raised in Bozeman in the 80s, and have navigated motherhood, home
ownership, college, and career fulfillment in this rapidly changing place. I’m still here, happily. Passion for infill doesn’t only
come from wealthy investors and hobby developers…it also comes from residents who have grown up with the city.
With that, I support this project and hope you'll approve it. Thanks for welcoming input from the community!
-Jesse
Jesse Tufte
jessetufte@gmail.com
(406) 599-0188