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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-08-18 Public Comment - R. Canfield (South Central Association of Neighbors) - NCOD ReviewFrom:The Canfields To:Agenda Cc:Reilly Thimons Subject:NCOD Review Public Comment -- South Central Association of Neighbors Date:Wednesday, August 08, 2018 3:53:55 PM Attachments:Combined Input to BendonAdams 2018.07.08.pdf Dear City Commissioners and City Staff, The South Central Association of Neighbors has formed a NCOD Review Working Group. This group has sent the attached talking points to consultants BendonAdams, along with comments from SCAN residents gathered using Nextdoor. Both our talking points and the comments are contained in the attached document. We have found the schedule for coherent neighborhood input during this Visit #1 to be challenging, but appreciate the flexibility and openness in communication shown by BendonAdams. Sincerely, Richard C Canfield, SCAN Steering Committee President, for the SCAN NCOD Review Working Group: Richard Canfield, Tammy Minge, Mark Ringer, Jon Wirth, and Victoria York To: Bendon Adams From: SCAN NCOD Working Group Re: NCOD Review Talking Points for Visit #1 Date: August 8th, 2018 The South Central Association of Neighbors (SCAN) is large (over 1000 households) and historic (including the Bon Ton, South Tracy / South Black, and South Tracy Avenue historic districts). It abuts downtown on the north and the university neighborhood on the south, and is centered on South Willson Avenue. We have written the following document to help you learn about SCAN and our priorities. We have also solicited comment from all SCAN Nextdoor subscribers, and we attach all comments we received in time for your schedule. The NCOD review is very important to us, and we appreciate your commitment to understanding existing conditions and impacts of potential changes. We hold the following views: 1) SCAN Character a) The SCAN neighborhood is very eclectic -- from small one story homes to large mansions -- spanning many historical time periods and patterns of growth b) The older homes, street trees and lighting make Willson Avenue one of the best streetscapes in Bozeman. c) Long-term residents, newcomers, and visitors all love SCAN’s neighborhood and historic character 2) NCOD/Preservation a) Most of the members of the SCAN community are supportive of historic preservation b) The NCOD preserves the character of Bozeman neighborhoods c) Hundreds of homes have been brought back to structural and design integrity via the NCOD d) Credit is due to the property owners who are taking part in the preservation process 3) Historic Preservation is About More than Structures a) It preserves neighborhood character in the form of mature landscaping, sight lines, gardens, traditional lot development patterns, etc. b) Active sidewalks with people strolling about increase the sense of community c) Alleys are also an important part of the neighborhood character 4) Flexibility is Key a) Flexibility is key, but at the same time the NCOD provides base guidelines and offers a structure for the area within its boundaries b) Involvement and communication between the preservation board, preservation officer, architects, and community members can help make preservation proceed smoothly 5) Larger Issues and Unintended Consequences a) Conflicts arise over transitions between zoning districts and types of use b) Growth is a regional issue but can be helped by infill growth within the NCOD c) Parking spillover from downtown and MSU causes conflict within the NCOD d) Reuse & rehabilitation can support affordable housing 6) Community Awareness and education a) Additional outreach is necessary to educate the public about the NCOD, neighborhood associations, historic districts, etc. b) An up to date inventory is an important part of preserving our neighborhoods Richard Canfield, South Central Association of Neighbors98 Your comments, please The City of Bozeman recently hired consultants BendonAdams <http://bendonadams.com/> to carry out a comprehensive review of the Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District (NCOD), its Design Guidelines and the Historic Preservation Program. They have recently completed the first of three visits to Bozeman, during which their primary task was information gathering. Your neighborhood association, the South Central Association of Neighbors (SCAN) <https://www.scanbozeman.org/> formed an NCOD working group, and the five of us listed below volunteered to help the consultants in this task. In that spirit, we drafted what we believe is a thoughtful and balanced list of talking points about SCAN and the NCOD, its Guidelines, and the Bozeman Historic Preservation Program. Before we submit our talking points to the consultants, we invite you to add your comments by replying to this message here on Nextdoor. Whether you agree or disagree with any of our points, in any case reply with your comment(s), so that a good sample of views is represented. We plan to collect all replies received by the end of the day on Monday, August 6th, along with our talking points, and send them to Bendon Adams and the City. Dick Canfield, Tammy Minge, Mark Ringer, Jon Wirth, and Vicky York SCAN NCOD Review Working Group • Input to BendonAdams.pdf Edited 5d ago · South Central Association of Neighbors in Documents Reply Gene Goldenfeld , South Central Association of Neighbors·Edited 5d ago Re the point that "Growth...can be helped by infill within the NCOD." This oft-repeated claim, frequently pushed by an MSU faculty member and picked up by local leaders, is that infill lessens "outfill." The claim is bogus. That is, 1) there is no research evidence to support it; at a city meeting, I questioned the MSU prof/researcher specifically about it and he admitted there is no evidence to support it; and 2) the claim doesn't make sense on the face of it. that is, those whose needs fit or require them to be in or near the city center will want and need to build there, and those whose don't will want to build elsewhere. The two dynamics are largely independent of each other. The outfill fear is being falsely and demagogically used by city officials and others to justify changes to zoning and other permissions that effectively give (large) builders a free hand. The result is an undermining of the character and aesthetic of neighborhoods in the infill areas. Tammy Minge , South Central Association of Neighbors·5d ago If you live within the SCAN neighborhood please get online and fill out the BentonAdams survey. They are collecting data now. Now is the time to make public comment on the NCOD. Richard Canfield , South Central Association of Neighbors·5d ago As we said above: "We plan to collect all replies received by the end of the day on Monday, August 6th, along with our talking points, and send them to Bendon Adams and the City." Henry Happel , South Central Association of Neighbors·3d ago I am writing to provide comments concerning neighborhood preservation, historic preservation, and Bozeman’s NCOD. The NCOD has value just by setting forth that it is the City’s general policy to preserve its well established and well functioning neighborhoods. The boundaries of the current NCOD extend to neighborhoods that I’m not sure can be described as well-established. I don’t have any views about those boundaries, but it’s worth careful thought whether the one-size-fits-all nature of the NCOD is really appropriate for all the areas of the City it encompasses. The neighborhood in which I live, (which I will define as bounded by 8th Avenue, Ollive Street, Church Street, and the MSU campus) is well- established and well-functioning and deserves to be preserved. By preserved, I don’t mean left unchanged, but I do mean that it’s feel and function should be preserved. Here are elements that I think are most important to accomplish that: the current layout of streets and alleyways, current lot coverages, current building heights, and established trees. (You will note that this list does not include architectural styles.) To illustrate my point, imagine that every house in the neighborhood is architecturally mid-century modern. That would not change the character of the neighborhood all that much. Now imagine the neighborhood with winding streets and cul-de-sacs, or with big houses pressing close to each other and the streets, or without large numbers of mature trees. Any of these changes would drastically alter the character of the neighborhood, and not for the better. I like old houses. My wife and I substantially remodeled and lived in two 1920’s houses. But a legal requirement that almost all old houses be preserved strikes me a bit like requiring all owners of 1950’s cars to install seatbelts, airbags, soft plastic dashboards and a fuel efficient engine rather than send the car to the junkyard and buy a new one. The neighborhood certainly has homes that, because of the craftsmanship employed or the events that occurred there, deserve preservation. However, it is full of houses that simply cannot be made as safe, efficient, functional and comfortable as a new house. The City should not, as a matter of principle, be discouraging new construction in the neighborhood. Joe Minicozzi, a planner with Urban3, has argued that the primary driver behind historic preservation is the fear that new structures won’t be as aesthetically pleasing as what they replace. I think that is a perceptive comment. The NCOD has additional value because it addresses this by requiring architecturally reviewed Certificates of Appropriateness for substantial remodels and new construction. For me, the criteria for the issuance of such Certificates should simply be whether the proposed new architecture plays nicely with its surroundings. I have the feeling that the City in some circumstances has been too stringent in applying this standard to small remodels and too lenient in applying it to major new constructions. There is an assumption in many of the comments submitted that the NCOD has been the driving force behind the preservation of Bozeman neighborhoods. I am not sure that assumption is correct. I think for the most part neighborhoods have been preserved because people like old houses and are willing to expend the time and money to fix them up. Preserving neighborhoods requires the deployment of wealth. If Bozeman becomes poor, neighborhoods will deteriorate. It follows that those of us who care about neighborhood preservation need to care as well about the prosperity of the community as a whole. The prosperity of the community will not be enhanced by freezing neighborhoods in an as-is condition. It would not have been a good idea 40 years ago and it’s not a good idea now. Thank you for the opportunity to comment. Henry Happel 608 South Grand Avenue Jane Klockman , South Central Association of Neighbors·2d ago Jane D. Klockman. South Central Association of Neighbors. The NCOD has boosted the maintenance of residences in the Bon Ton and other neighborhoods for almost 30 years. It has encouraged neighborliness and pride. The NCOD aids greatly in preserving the soul of our city. Prior to its establishment in 1981, many buildings in Bozeman suffered neglect of paint, roof repairs, etc. Then with the NCOD in place, the movement to repair, restore, re-use took hold and spread spurring the "discovery of Bozeman" as the "last best place." Now that we've become the belle of the ball and the dance card of growth is nearing "filled". let's be very selective of suggested change to the NCOD--the program that got us here.