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Home My WebLink About06-30-17 Public Comment - Design Professionals of the Bozeman Community - UDC Update D v�rI�1U11�� DUIN �� 2!017 DEPARl iV,E�Fl)F 30 June 2017 COMMUNIT Y Dr VELOPMEN f Tom Rogers,Senior Planner, AICP Department of Community Development City of Bozeman 20 East Olive Street Bozeman, Montana 59715 troeers@bozeman.net RE: Bozeman UDC updates SUBJECT: Prescriptive Project Design Tom - As design professional of the Bozeman community, please accept these sincere comments and feedback on the proposed Bozeman Uniform Development Code updates. While we understand that the UDC needs updating to address shortcomings, reflect current goals, and benefit from best practices, we are troubled by the prescriptive tone of many of the proposed revisions, particularly those in the newly created Article 5 pertaining to project design. We are providing broader feedback in response to the initial statement listed as the purpose of the Article 5 "this article implements the Bozeman Growth Policy." As you know,the Bozeman Growth Policy(2020 Plan) memorializes a strong vision for our community and outlines a path for future community growth and development. Chapter 4 of the Plan outlines goals for addressing important concepts in the subsequent subsections. Goal C-4: Create illustrated design guidelines to give clear direction in design and review of residential and non-residential neighborhoods without unduly constraining architectural style and innovation. Rationale:Design Guidelines allow the community an opportunity to communicate with developers and those who wish to build here. The guidelines are a way to convey to the development community who we are and where we as a community would like to go. The guidelines can be read as a list of values. Objective C-4.1:Continue to develop the design guidelines for site planning and buildings to emphasize creativity,diversity,and individuality.The design guidelines shall be based on the premise that truly creative design is responsive to its context and contributes to a comfortable,interesting community. The guidelines contained within the proposed Article 5 of the UDC appear to be in direct contradiction to Objective C-4.1 of the Growth Policy. For example,they require use of limited building exterior materials, particularly on the ground level of all buildings and strongly limit the use of other materials commonly found on buildings in the region. The guidelines also remove designers' ability to offer creative solutions to building design challenges that are not consistent with a very narrow set of massing, siting, and formal requirements. They mostly promote a recipe for postmodern style which is often characterized by over exaggerated and quasi- historic looking architecture that has become quite common across the country. If implemented in their proposed form,these requirements will likely result in a monotonous built environment lacking in the unique character that makes Bozeman such an attractive, interesting, and diverse community. It will result in a built environment which devalues the existing authentic historic character with creation of an unvaried and placeless built environment where all buildings take on similar architectural style, site positioning, scale,articulation, and forms. While we appreciate the challenge of creating design guidelines consistent with the goals of the Growth Policy,we strongly urge reconsideration of Article 5 before adoption to encourage allowance for thoughtful and creative buildings based on design merit. Sincerely, Design Professionals of the Bozeman Community (Names listed on attached page. Signatures,Addresses, Credentials and Affiliations omitted due to coordination/timing constraints.) =-I,II\�I[ -LT T' lTtPV I 1[. COMMUNITY DEVcLOPMEN 1' JUN 3 2017 IJEI-'AID I N+i.l�!i�i►i Andy Ankeny Ben Lloyd Nicole Stinel!�AU NIT YUf:VtiLOP ENI Sam Ankeny Jeff Lusin Jimmy Swanson Thor Arnold Terry McDonald Jimmy Talarico Wes Ballantyne Mark McPhie Jeff Thompson Ethan Barlow Craig Miller Tad Tsukamoto Van Bryan John Montoya Ken VanDeWalle Dean Burgess Julien Morice Alison Vasarella Kevin Burke Erik Nelson Jake Weldon Brian Caldwell Barry Newton Kasey Welles Tyler Call Taylor Noel Scott Wilson Ted Conover Aaron Overstreet Sten Witmer Sky Cook Nick Pancheau Gary Zimmer Peter Costanti Rob Pertzborn Joe D'Angelo Orlando Piva Heather Davis Brett Potter Justin Dhein Dennis Raffensperger Brad Doll Dan Reynolds Henri Foch Susan Riggs Robert Foxley Cole Robertson Scott Freimuth Mitch Robison Madison Gabig Joe Rosenwald Duncan Gilley Allison Ross Mike Guiliano Jeff Sandhom Josey Hasson Thomas Santin Meg Haughey Lindsay Schack Nathan Helfrich Jenny Scherer Nathan Heller Troy Scherer Michael Heublein Chelsey Schon Chelsea Holling Richard Shanahan Eric Horn TannerJ. Skelton John How Jack Smith Jessica Jellison Zach Spadaccini Zuzanna Karczewska Lowell Springer John Lauman Jake Steding Gabe Lawhead Lindsey Stewart Thompson Limanek Shea Stewart