HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-16-19 Public Comment - C. Naumann (Downtown Bozeman Partnership) - Downtown Bozeman Improvement Plan Boundary ClarificationFrom:Chris Naumann
To:Chris Saunders
Cc:Agenda
Subject:Clarification about Downtown Plan boundary
Date:Monday, September 16, 2019 3:23:37 PM
Chris,
As you requested last week, I would like to offer the following clarification regarding the
Downtown Bozeman Improvement Plan boundary in relation to several public comments
regarding the Medical Arts parking lot ZMA.
The map on pages 10 and 11 show the study boundary which is described as follows:
“While there may be a red dashed line to define the study area, the plan looks
beyond these boundaries to understand Downtown in the context of the
community. The DBIP considers Downtown in relationship to surrounding
neighborhoods, existing regulatory boundaries and historic districts. At the same
time, it is focused on a specific area that is defined by combining the City’s B-3
zoning district with the Urban Renewal District…Downtown is not a homogeneous
area so there are sometimes discrepancies between zoning boundaries and the
underlying growth policy land use designations.”
The specific property involved in the Medical Arts ZMA is identified on pages 110 and 111
of the Downtown Plan under the section titled “Adjust the B-3 District Boundary to Eliminate
Land Use and Scale Conflicts”. The property in question is identified on the map as “A”.
“For the most part, the Downtown B-3 zoning boundary contains designated
community core or public institutional land uses, consistent with Downtown’s mixed
use and civic setting. Lower density residential uses exist in the residential districts
surrounding the B-3 zone. However, along the perimeter, there are a few locations
where land uses and zoning designations are in conflict.” The map above points out
key areas of conflict: Three sites where a small amount of commercial core land uses
extend beyond the B-3 zone (A, B, C).
The Plan goes on to state on page 111:
“Each of these areas should be addressed through careful study and strategic relocation of the B-3
boundary line. Care should be taken to keep the changes to the boundary as minimal as possible so
that they maintain and reinforce the existing downtown and neighborhood areas on either side.
Fundamentally, the Downtown district should not be reduced in area. Likewise, this
recommendation is also not intended to meaningfully expand the district. Rather, the hope is that
minor boundary adjustments will address potential land use conflicts and reduce the potential for
future challenges.”
It is my understanding that the 2009 Community Plan Future Land Use map identified the
north half of this surface parking lot to be designated with the same B-3 zoning as the
southern portion because the entire parking lot is associated by ownership and use with the
Medical Arts building to the east which is also zoned B-3. Therefore, I believe the intent is
clear in the Downtown Plan which suggests “making a strategic relocation of the B-3
boundary line” to resolve “the discrepancies between zoning boundaries and the underlying
growth policy land use designation”.
Chris Naumann
Executive Director
Downtown Bozeman Partnership
222 East Main Street #302
Bozeman MT 59715
406-586-4008
www.downtownbozeman.org