HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-08-17 Public Comment - E. Tenney - Black Olive II1
Robin Crough
From:Eileen Tenney <edmonia308@yahoo.com>
Sent:Sunday, October 8, 2017 12:23 PM
To:Agenda
Subject:Black Olive
Categories:Public Comment
To the members of the City Commission, and all others concerned,
We have called 308 South Bozeman Ave since 1975. The house was in disrepair but it suited us well. We like older
homes with character and it was within our price range. After we purchased our new home, we found it to be perfect for
us. Our children walked to Longfellow school, we walked our dogs on Pete's Hill. The bank and post office were close.
The original Farmers Market was in Bogart Park. It didn't matter, that we didn't have a shower and the kitchen was
outdated, and if you placed a ball on the floor, it rolled on its own. We loved the neighborhood and our neighbors.
In 1977, when Samuel Lewis's obituary was discovered, the history of our home became more important to us and very
important to Bozeman. Our home is now called The Samuel Lewis House. It is on the Historical National Register. If you
haven't heard the story of Samuel and his half sister Edmonia, you haven't been paying attention to the History of your
community.
Our street should be listed as Historical. We should have a sign stating so, but for some reason it has been left off. Which
to me makes no sense. Everyone thinks of Willson Avenue as the most important district, but South and North Bozeman
Ave and South and North Rouse Ave were the first streets in Bozeman. Bozeman Avenue and was named after John
Bozeman, after all.
Now an out of town developer wants to enrich his bank account by adding an eye soar to our Historical area. These
residential neighborhoods should remain as the are. It's what makes Bozeman unique and homey. Mostly single family
homes, with hard working parents with children, dogs and cats.Young people choosing this neighborhood for the same
reasons we did so many years ago.
Now let's talk about parking.There is a problem already. I can't imagine how bad it will get if this apartment complex is
allowed. The city of Bozeman deserves better. We deserve character, not a contemporary box, adding far more residents
than this area can sustain. Listen to the residents of this historical area. We are the people who will pay the price for a
wrong decision, not the members of the City Commission who do not live in our neighborhood.
Black Olive is just a bad idea, no matter what new option is proposed. We are utterly against it!
Very sincerely, and hoping for the right outcome, Richard and Eileen Tenney