HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-01-19 Public Comment - R. Zimmer (on behalf of PTSC) - Nelson Meadows Subdivision Preliminary PlatFrom: Ralph Zimmer
To: Cyndy Andrus; Chris Mehl; Jeff Krauss; I-Ho Pomeroy; Terry Cunningham
Cc: Andrea Surratt; Chuck Winn; Greg Sullivan; Martin Matsen; Tom Rogers; Shawn Kohtz; John Vandelinder;
Mitchell Overton; Brian Close; Candace Mastel; Kent Merselis; Matt Ekstrom
Subject: comments on Nelson Meadows Subdivision preliminary plat
Date: Friday, February 01, 2019 3:28:38 PM
Friday, February 1, 2019
Honorable Mayor and City Commissioners,
Monday evening the Bozeman City Commission will be considering the
preliminary plat application for the Nelson Meadows Subdivision
located on the northwest periphery of the city. I am writing on
behalf of the Bozeman (Area) Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee
(PTS) which as you know is an official advisory board for the City,
County, and Bozeman School District. While I personally am also an
officer in the Galla10 Alliance for Pathways (GAP) and PTS (along
with RPAB and BABAB) are Associated Partner Organizations of GAP, my
comments are exclusively those of PTS.
The developer is to be commended for his obvious commitment to
providing quality infrastructure for the movement of both motorized
and non-motorized transportation. However, PTS feels it needs to
lift up a couple of matters which hopefully the Commission will
address Monday evening.
Our first concern is with the width of the paved path "along" the
frontage road. Ken Merselis (the developer's representative)
verbally told our committee the path would be ten feet wide. The
City's PROST plan calls for the path to be 10-12 feet wide. However,
page 38 of the application says the path will be six feet wide. We
hope that six foot dimension was an oversight which fell through the
cracks, but please make sure there is a legal obligation for the
developer to build a ten foot wide path.
There are some other apparent disparities in the application. For
instance the landscape plat and the plat map depict Prince Lane
differently. We hope the plat map is the correct depiction and will
be the design the Commission approves.
One of our biggest concerns is the connection from the subdivision
to the intersection of the frontage road and Valley Center
Spur. THIS connection is absolutely critical for non-motorized
users and of high importance to vehicles. That connection will
require two things: (1) MRL/BNSF will have to grant a short easement
and (2) the Montana Department of Transportation will have to agree
to, within its existing easement, allow the connection. Until both
of those things occur, the developer should be required to construct
Prince Lane and its sidewalks all the way to the MRL/BNSF property
line and to somehow be legally obligated to complete the construction
of Prince Lane and its sidewalks all the way to the existing
intersection whenever those two roadblocks I mentioned are removed.
I want to make a point about that short easement mentioned in the
previous paragraph. I have met personally with the relevant MRL
officials in Missoula. I was told the railroads would be most
receptive to a request from MDT for such an easement, they would
reluctantly consider granting such an easement to al local
government, and would be very unlikely to grant such an easement to a
non-governmental body. This tells me that we cannot reasonably
expect the developer to acquire the needed easement. The City would
need to take an active and probably aggressive role in securing the
needed easement and the City needs to commit itself to doing that.
We assume City staff has verified that internal roads and sidewalks
fully comply with City requirements and a suitable sidewalk or path
along Nelson Road will be promptly constructed to address already
existing ped/bike concerns at the earliest possible date. Based on
those assumptions and based on the assumption the Commission will
address the concerns raised above, we would gladly support the
transportation components of the developer's application.
Ralph W. Zimmer, Chairperson
Bozeman (Area) Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee
Thank you for your consideration.
cc: Andrea Surratt (City Manager)
Chuck Winn (Assistant City Manager)
Greg Sullivan (City Attorney)
Marty Matsen (Community Development Director)
Tom Rogers (Planner)
Shawn Kohtz (City Engineer)
John Van Delinder (Street Superintendent)
Mitch Overton (Recreation and Parks Director)
Brian Close (RPAB Chairperson)
Candace Mastel (BABAB Chairperson)
Ken Merselis (developer's representative)
Matt Ekstrom (developer's engineer)
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