HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-09-17 Public Comment - B. Clinton - Black Olive IIFrom:agenda@bozeman.net
To:Agenda
Subject:Thank you for your public comment.
Date:Monday, October 09, 2017 1:12:00 PM
A new entry to a form/survey has been submitted.
Form Name:Public Comment Form
Date & Time:10/09/2017 1:09 PM
Response #:39
Submitter ID:2355
IP address:153.90.221.53
Time to complete:1 min. , 22 sec.
Survey Details
Page 1
Public comment may be submitted via the form below, or by any of the following options.
Public comment may also be given at any public meeting.
Email:
agenda@bozeman.net
Mail to:
Attn: City Commission
PO Box 1230
Bozeman, MT 59771
In-person delivery to:
Attn: City Commission
City Clerk's Office
City Hall, Suite 202
121 N. Rouse Ave.
Bozeman, MT
First Name Bill
Last Name Clinton
Email Address wclinton@montana.edu
Phone Number 406-600-1551
Comments
Dear City Commissioners,
As a Gallatin Valley native and a long time Bozeman resident I’d like to offer my perspective on HomeBase
Montana’s Black Olive project. My wife Jean and I purchased our home on Lindley Place in 1980, and our
daughter grew up in this wonderful neighborhood.
Mr. Holloran has compared us to Portland and San Francisco, stating that he wants to accommodate the
anticipated influx of a young, tech savvy population moving to Bozeman, who don’t need a car and want to
walk or bike to work, to shop and to recreate. Equating Bozeman with those cities and making the
assumption that you can get to your place of employment (Four Corners), shop (REI) and enjoy the
outdoors (Hyalite) in the middle of a real Montana winter is a rookie mistake. Bozeman has the start of a
great public transportation system, but I’m pretty sure they don’t have a route that can take to the
Madison River to fly fish. The reality for most people who choose to stay here and take advantage of the
wonderful opportunities the Bozeman and Montana have to offer end up with a vehicle. Or two.
At a recent neighborhood meeting someone spoke up and praised Bozeman’s “diverse” downtown. The sad
truth is that unfortunately Bozeman is one of the least diverse cities in the country- ethnically, socially and
economically. If expensive high rent developments like the Black Olive project are allowed, it will only
further stratify and divide residents on opposite ends of the economic divide. As one of our neighbors said
when Andy Holloran presented this project at the Willson “most of the people in this neighborhood
couldn’t afford to live in this building”.
Much has been said about infill, and build up and not out, but if developments like the Black Olive are
allowed, the average income folks and the people who work downtown, but don’t have a high paying tech
job are going to be forced to live outside of the City, encouraging the sprawl that the Black Olive is
supposed to solve.
The bottom line for projects like this is profit, pure and simple. If HomeBase Montana was truly interested
in issues like infill, they would be offering housing that is accessible by people of modest means.
Many years ago when the 2020 forums were being held an outside analytical firm representative said-
Bozeman is at least 10 years behind other cities of its size, and went on to make the point that, in fact, that
was a good thing, since we had time to make some real changes for the better. We have a chance to really
make these changes if we step back and think about a community that truly is diverse, and not stratified
and gentrified like some of the cities who have made that mistake. We aren’t bound to follow, let’s lead!
I’m respectfully asking to consider there points when you make your decision tonight.
Bill Clinton
216 Lindley Place
Bozeman
Thank you,
City Of Bozeman
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