HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-01-17 Public Comment - A. May - Black Olive IIFrom:Allen May
To:Agenda
Subject:City Commission Black Olive Public Comment
Date:Tuesday, August 01, 2017 11:17:20 AM
Dear City Commission,
I am writing today to encourage you to support the development of high density, downtown
residential housing by approving the current proposal for the Black Olive apartments. Thisproject has now garnered the full attention of the community and you the Bozeman City
Commission and now deserves your approval.
There is no doubt that this project has emerged as a flash point in the debate over what thefuture of our community will be and will thus establish whether the City of Bozeman and its
leadership is truly committed to accepting that we are a CITY and that how we manage growthand encourage investment today will determine if we will be a clean, healthy, and prosperous
city in the future.
It is universally recognized that higher density urban areas are critical to accommodatepopulation growth while minimizing the pollution and environmental costs associated with
automobile transportation and rural land development.The City of Bozeman's Community Climate Action Plan specifically highlights higher
density, walkable communities as important in limiting vehicle miles travelled. Vehicle milestravelled are a major contributor of greenhouse gas pollution in Bozeman and Gallatin Valley.
If we are truly serious about limiting carbon pollution to address global concerns and to ensurea high standards of air quality in this valley we must execute this strategy without delay.
Additionally, the "high quality of life" that characterizes our community is not and should
not solely depend on those wonderful areas that surround Bozeman but should also bereflected in our urban environment. High density, walkable communities are consistently
recognized as a high value amenity in urban areas both large and small. Establishing thiscultural "norm" and more importantly allowing private capital to work for us to reach this end
is critical at this juncture in Bozeman's history. There is no doubt we are competing with othercities with similar quality of life attributes and we must maintain our edge in this race.
The vision of downtown as our urban core has been in place for over 50 years. Investments in
infrastructure, like broadband access have been developed in an effort to incentivize a "workand live" downtown. This investment has proven positive as high tech companies have chosen
to locate downtown and are now seeking downtown housing for employees who in turn willbe proponents of a walkable, work and live community. It simply would not be prudent to
change directions with so much invested in this positive trajectory.
There are very few moments when promoting development to embrace economicopportunity while mitigating pollution and exurban development is a viable strategy.
Bozeman is very fortunate to have this opportunity. We should not however take it forgranted by falling prey to a myopic, "not in my back yard" mentality that if successful not only
empowers that paradigm but strains community relations and threatens the viability of futureprivate investment in a vision that lacks leadership to deliver.
In closing, I think it is important to recognize that high density for the sake of high density is
not the solution for Bozeman. I empathize with those neighbors whose living environmentwill change. It is important to realize however that they are not alone and that we are all faced
with this change. Now more than ever this City needs to invest in the 'walkable" side ofthe urban equation and seriously address what a multi modal transportation system and
planned walkable commercial hubs can do to ensure we maintain our air and water quality,preserve our exurban open spaces and ensure that time with friends and family enjoying this
great city and region is not wasted away while stuck in traffic. Approve Black Olive and letsmove on to the challenges we must meet to ensure Bozeman is a clean, healthy and prosperous
CITY.
Thank you for your consideration,
Allen May419 Fieldstone Drive
Bozeman MT, 59715