HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-30-18 Public Comment - S. Johnson (Bozeman Public Schools) - Second High School Zoning Code ExemptionsFrom:Johnson, Steve
To:Agenda
Cc:Courtney Johnson; Andrea Surratt
Subject:Zoning Code Exemptions - High School 2 - Required Public Meeting May 7
Date:Monday, April 30, 2018 4:12:39 PM
Attachments:HS2, COB Agency Exemption Hearing, May 2018.pdfLandon followup.pdf
Commissioners:
We are aware that you have received some public comments on the Zoning Code Exemptionsthe School District intends to implement as part of the development of High School 2.
Courtney Johnson has done a good job of passing those comments on to us, which has allowedus to follow up with all of the folks that have expressed concern. In hind sight we should have
included the rationale for the deviations with the original notice we sent out. The notice wasvery generic and simply stated the title of the code we were deviating from. Here and attached
is the District's position on each item as discussed and approved by the Trustees. Also attachedis a followup letter from one of the original commenters that also wrote a letter to the editor
before speaking with us. Thanks for all your efforts. Steve
--
Steve Johnson, Deputy Superintendent Operations
Bozeman Public SchoolsPO Box 520
Bozeman, MT 59715406-522-6042
Bozeman School District, High School #2
City of Bozeman, Agency Exemption Hearing, May 7, 2018
Background:
In design of the High School #2 (HS2) property, located at 4455 Annie Street, the Bozeman
School District has notified the City of Bozeman of anticipated zoning and parking exemptions.
As per Montana law (MCA 76-2-402) the HS2 design and site plan have some elements that are
contrary to local zoning regulations.
MCA 76-2-402
Local zoning regulations -- application to agencies. Whenever an agency proposes to use public
land contrary to local zoning regulations, a public hearing, as defined below, shall be held.
(1) The local board of adjustments, as provided in this chapter, shall hold a hearing within 30
days of the date the agency gives notice to the board of its intent to develop land contrary to
local zoning regulations.
(2) The board shall have no power to deny the proposed use but shall act only to allow a
public forum for comment on the proposed use.
BSD7 Board of Trustees:
At the February 12 public meeting, the BSD7 Board of Trustees received an update regarding
the design of the HS2 Property. In addition, the Board discussed the zone exemptions that
would be forwarded to the City of Bozeman. The BSD7 Administration recommended that the
Board of Trustees approve the HS2 design update and the indicated zoning and parking
exemptions. After discussion and public comment, the Board voted to approve HS2 design
update as well as the list of zoning exemptions.
Here is a web link to our Board of Trustees Agendas:
http://www.bsd7.org/our_district/board_of_trustees/board_meeting_agendas/
Site Plan & Agency Exemptions:
Below is a preliminary landscape design drawing and a list of exemptions presented to the
Board on February 12, as well as District rationale for the exemption:
Flanders Mill Road is on the top of the diagram and Cottonwood Road is on the bottom. Annie
street runs through the middle of the property. The proposed high school sits at the left and
Meadowlark School property to the right.
Bozeman School District, High School #2
City of Bozeman, Agency Exemption Hearing, May 7, 2018
Parking
Sec. 38.25.040 of the City of Bozeman Uniform Development Code (COB/UDC) does not permit
off-site parking.
Rationale: The site plan / design calls for 615 parking stalls on-site. Our planning
consultants have estimated that approximately 415 stalls would be needed for students,
staff and visitors on a typical school day. Approximately 870 spaces would be needed
during occasional large school events. The District would like to use on-street parking
on Annie Street and the west side of Flanders Mill to augment the on-site parking for
large events. We estimate that Annie and Flanders Mill can accommodate 258 parking
spaces. Parking will not be permitted on Cottonwood nor Oak as these are arterials.
Parking Lot Landscaping
Sec. 38.26.050.C of the COB/UDC requires that parking lots with more than 15 spaces shall
have a minimum of 20sf of landscape area within the parking lot for each off-street parking
space in a lot.
Rationale: The primary rationale for this exemption is maintaining clear lines of site to
enhance school safety. The intent is to provide better visual access and a higher level of
Bozeman School District, High School #2
City of Bozeman, Agency Exemption Hearing, May 7, 2018
safety for the students within the parking lots. The District follows best practices to
enhance student safety and security when designing our parking lots. This practice has
been endorsed by the Bozeman Police Department. In addition, this type of design is
considered best practice by national research regarding school safety.
Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) is defined as a
multi-disciplinary approach to deterring criminal behavior through environmental design.
CPTED strategies rely upon the ability to influence offender decisions that precede
criminal acts by affecting the built, social and administrative environment.
CPTED tries to decrease the conditions perceived as unsafe and increase the conditions
perceived as safe. The CPTED school program uses six basic strategies — natural
surveillance, access management, territoriality, physical maintenance, order
maintenance and activity support.
Natural surveillance
This is design and placement of physical features in such a way as to maximize
visibility. These features include windows, walkways, assembly areas, corridors,
stairways, doors and lighting. The objective is to provide an environment in which
you can see and be seen, to eliminate hiding or hard-to-see places, and thereby
increase the perception of a human presence. For instance, in choosing
landscaping material, schools should make sure that the material provides
benefit without blocking views.
Parking Lot Screening
Sec. 38.26.050.C.2.a.(1) of the COB/UDC requires parking lot screening when adjacent to
residential areas with 4’-6’ high fence or shrub.
Rationale: The parking lots at the new High School will be more than 50’ from the public
way and screened with 3’ high berms and tree groupings. The height of the berms on the
site are restricted to 3’ due to security concerns. As stated in the previous rationale,
maintaining lines of site are a recommended practice from national experts who have
studied school safety. The CPTED, Natural Surveillance strategy encourages placement
of physical features in such a way as to maximize visibility.
Trees provided in public right-of-way
Sec. 38.26.050.E.3 of the COB/UDC requires street trees be provided in the public right-of-way.
Rationale: The proposed trees have been placed outside of the public right-of-way to
allow the tree roots to grow without damaging to the asphalt paths. In total, the
landscape plan calls for more than 200 trees. The landscape plan calls for those trees to
be located where it makes the most sense for the functionality of the school, while
enhancing the views of adjacent property owners. In addition, trees placed in the public
Bozeman School District, High School #2
City of Bozeman, Agency Exemption Hearing, May 7, 2018
right-of-way along Annie street would be a safety concern for walking students, who will
be crossing that road frequently to access the south portion of the campus.
Irrigation Standards
Sec. 38.26.050.I of the COB/UDC requires that all landscaped areas be provided with
permanent irrigation.
Rationale: Approximately 70% of the available site will be permanently irrigated lawn
and athletic playing field. The site will include several areas (approximately 30%) of
non-irrigated native grass. This design is to reduce water consumption. Seeding will be
timed to take advantage of nature’s wet cycle. All other areas will receive permanent
irrigation.
Early in the planning and design process, the Board of Trustees asked that we consider
following sustainable building design standards for the construction and ongoing
operations of the school. To this end, the District is seeking to obtain Collaborative for
High Performance Schools (CHPS) Certification. This program is similar to LEED
Certification (US Green Building Council), however the CHPS certification is specific to
school buildings.
The CHPS National Core Criteria (Core Criteria) address indoor environmental quality,
energy and water efficiency, site and materials selection, strategies for integration and
innovation, and operations and metrics.
The CHPS Core Criteria was developed to achieve three priority outcomes, in order of
importance:
●Maximize the health and performance of students and staff.
●Conserve energy, water, and other resources in order to save precious operating
dollars.
●Minimize material waste, pollution, and environmental degradation created by a
school.
The CHPS National Technical Committee has weighted the available point totals for
prerequisites and mandatory offerings in seven categories to reflect these three
priorities.
The use of native grasses, which won’t require permanent irrigation, will help the District
meet the outcome of water conservation, which is part of the CHPS priorities. In
addition, water conservation can help reduce overall operational costs.
Landscape Points
Sec. 38.26.060 of the COB/UDC outlines Landscape Performance Standards.
Bozeman School District, High School #2
City of Bozeman, Agency Exemption Hearing, May 7, 2018
Rationale: The following points are anticipated to be earned: a. The installation of
drought tolerant species for 75% or greater of the number of trees and shrubs. b.
Provide of one percent increments of lot area covered by publicly accessible pedestrian
facilities and features such as plazas, courtyards, seating areas and outdoor recreation
facilities.
As per MCA 76-2-402, the District and its design consultants from CTA will participate in the City
of Bozeman, Agency Exemption Hearing to be held on May 7, 2018 at the City Commission
Meeting.
If you have questions or comments on this proposed list of exemptions and rationale,
please don’t hesitate to contact:
Rob Watson
Superintendent
Bozeman Public Schools
406-522-6001
The City invites the public to comment in writing. Written comments may be directed to ATTN:
City of Bozeman, Department of Community Development, PO Box 1230, Bozeman, MT
59771-1230