HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-22-19 Public Comment - J. Bentley - AC Hotel by MarriottFrom:Jay Bentley
To:Danielle Garber; Agenda
Cc:Ashley Ogle; John Kauffman; brian
Subject:App 19078/Downtown Parking, & the AC Hotel
Date:Tuesday, October 22, 2019 2:43:30 PM
Ms Garber,: I am writing to the City Commission in opposition to the request by AndyHolloran and his associates to approve the proposed AC Hotel in downtown Bozeman. There
is a severe parking problem that currently exists in downtown due to the rapid development ofThe Element, 5 West, and the pending opening of another hotel and an additional one ( the
AC) in the planning stage.As a business owner (Open Range restaurant, I have heard anincreasing chorus of complaints by customers who have difficulty in finding parking when
they choose to visit Open Range. A number of them have decided that the parking problemhas become so acute at certain hours of the evening and on high traffic weekends such as
football games or other similar events that they are choosing to avoid downtown completelyand taking their business to the Cannery District or Ferguson Farm.
Not only is the parking an issue for potential customers but also for the 54 employees
currently working at Open Range. Because of the new demands on the parking garage, whichwas supposed to alleviate parking congestion recent developments have offset any gains that
may have been made to date.
This problem will only get worse as the Kempton hotel nears completion, as well as the ACHotel project which is currently seeking your approval.
Home Partners or whatever name the Holloran group is using for this current project attempted
to acquire 25 year leases on 80 spaces some of the spaces in the parking garage. Their schemewas to use these spaces to fulfill the additional parking needed by the AC Hotel by attempting
to appropriate these spaces in a publicly funded parking garage. Spaces that we helped pay forthrough the significantly higher tax rates in downtown Bozeman. Fortunately, this ploy was
rejected by the Parking Commission last summer.
Now they are attempting to circumvent that rejection by going to the City Commission.As a downtown businessman and employer I ask the Commission to reject this proposed AC
parking plan and have them pay there own way like everyone else.Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely: Jay Bentley, Open Range Foods Inc. 241 E Main, Bozeman, MT 59715