HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-29-18 Public Comment - A. Hoitsma (NENA) - NCOD ReviewFrom:Amy Kelley Hoitsma
To:reilly@bendonadams.com
Cc:Agenda; Martin Matsen; Phillipe Gonzalez; NENA-VisionNE
Subject:City of Bozeman NCOD 2018 Update— Public Outreach #2 Sessions and Draft Policy Recommendations Document
Date:Thursday, November 29, 2018 10:42:55 AM
Date: 27 November 2018
To: BendonAdams LLC c/o Reilly Thimons (reilly@bendonadams.com)
From: Amy Kelley Hoitsma, President, Bozeman’s Northeast Neighborhood Association (NENA) and Members of the VisionNE NENA subcommittee
RE: City of Bozeman NCOD 2018 Update— Public Outreach #2 Sessions and Draft Policy Recommendations Document
NCOD Update Consultant Team:
I write as the President of the Northeast Neighborhood Association (NENA) and as a participant in a NENA subcommittee, VisionNE, which works to stay informed, understand
current codes and plans, and actively participate in community planning discussions in order to have a positive influence on future development in our neighborhood. Multiple VisionNE
members participated in your first and second public outreach sessions and read the Draft Policy Recommendations document dated October 29, 2018. We recently met to debrief from
those sessions and to discuss the draft document. Below please find our thoughts about the sessions and document.
We are encouraged by and support Recommendation 2.1: Purpose of NCOD:
Create two programs within the NCOD boundary to distinguish the two separate goals
within the NCOD. Both programs will work together, while a Historic Preservation Program will also apply to landmarks and historic districts outside the boundary of the
NCOD:
1) Preserve historic buildings that reflect Bozeman’s significant history; and
2) Enhance neighborhood character and context.
We request more information be added in the final plan regarding the definition of
neighborhood character and guidelines for distinguishing historically significant buildings.
We are also interested in Recommendation 2.4: Neighborhood design standards + guidelines:
Create design standards and guidelines for each neighborhood in the NCOD.
VisionNE has been working on a document that begins to provide guidelines for future
development in our NENA neighborhood, which perhaps aligns with this recommendation. That said, we feel strongly that such guidelines should not replace the NCOD but rather
enhance it.
We all agreed that our interest was piqued in the last few minutes of the formal presentation, when you had us vote on multiple ways that the current review process might be improved.
You presented several options that we would like to see pursued further:
§ Provide information to the area residents surrounding a proposed project
prior to the first hearing.
§ Add project information (for example project proposal, more detailed
application status, associated permits) to online maps (GIS).
§ Use social media channels to educate ways to find project information.
And especially:
§ Require a meeting with the neighborhood areas prior to formal
Community Development Department application submittal and review.
§ Require input from established neighborhood associations on large scale projects.
We also discussed a recent Bozeman Chronicle Op-Ed piece by John Vincent (former Bozeman City Commissioner and Mayor), in which he proposes several specific changes to
the City’s building review process that would provide earlier and more robust opportunities for public participation. If you read the piece I think you will find there are many similarities
between his recommendations and the options you laid out at the end of the session:
https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/opinions/guest_columnists/bozeman-s-
neighborhoods-need-seat-at-the-table/article_de3ee116-fdd4-5619-974b-4f6d2de66a35.html
It seems that at this point in the process you are floating “trial balloons” to gauge public
reaction about how the NCOD could be improved. NENA and VisionNE want to be engaged in this process. We are open-minded about change. We care about the future our neighborhood
as well as our city. While we are able to provide comment and input using computer tablets and surveys, we would like to ask you to hold an open public meeting with our neighborhood
when you are next in Bozeman. Now that you have received two rounds of input from Bozeman residents and others, we would ask you to provide an overview of your professional
recommendations and allow meeting attendees to openly engage with you and each other in a dialogue about those recommendations.
We encourage you to share your insights and what you know are community best practices that will mesh with adopted city plans, codes, and policies as well as community feedback.
We look forward to participating in the next round of the process. Please do not hesitate to contact me if we can be of assistance in planning a NENA neighborhood meeting when you
are next in Bozeman. I will do my best to involve the neighborhood as much as possible.
Best,
Amy Kelley Hoitsma
706 E. Peach St., Bozeman, MT 59715 | (406) 581-1513 | aok@mcn.net
cc Bozeman City Commissioners, Marty Matsen, Phillips Gonzales