HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-20-18 Public Comment - S. Hinkins - NCOD ReviewFrom:Susan Hinkins
To:Agenda
Subject:[SENDER UNVERIFIED]NCOD Review Public comment
Date:Friday, July 20, 2018 10:50:27 AM
I live in the NCOD and it is important to me to retain the current look and dynamics of our
neighborhood. I do not want to see the character of my neighborhood lost. There are challenges to
this, due to issues of parking, traffic, and affordability. And the pressure for infill where it is notalways suitable.
I agree with the overall purpose to review the NCOD and I agree with the recommendation that we
need to consider different neighborhoods and possibly propose different Design Overlay Districts fordifferent areas with different needs or desires.
However, I disagree with some of the recommendations or assertions in the report. Specifically:
1. We should not remove the existing NCOD boundary until we have replacement(s) agreedupon and in place.
2. Infill by itself is not a solution to the affordability problem. It allows contractors to make
more money but does not ensure that the ‘added’ structures will be any more affordable. We’ve seen examples close to campus where the infill is a large, expensive house.
3. In some cases, infill is not feasible. It is a bad idea when the district already has traffic and
parking issues. Where I live, there currently is not enough parking as is. Also in the
downtown area, the addition of hotels and apartment houses, without additional parking andwith narrow streets, is going to make a downtown traffic/parking problem even worse.
4. Why would we continue or expand the affordable housing incentives (waiving fees, reducing
parking requirements) when these incentives have not produced affordable housing.
We cannot go back and make the streets wider in the NCOD to meet the needs for parking and traffic
flow and snow removal. But Bozeman is going to expand and we need to also concentrate on
planning the areas of new growth, thinking about traffic flow, snow removal, and how developmentcan include housing that is affordable not only now, but as it is resold over time.
Thank you.
Susan Hinkins1122 South 5th AveBozeman
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