HomeMy WebLinkAbout2-3-2020 Public Comment - P & N Yorwerth - Wagonwheel Road Annexation1 February 2, 2020
Dear Mayor and City Commission, We are responding to Application 19-468 and to the Community Development Memorandum regarding it. We have reviewed the information in that memorandum and we are sending a second
letter of protest in response. We will not repeat all the details we included in our previous letter of January 16, 2020 on this subject, sent to the attention of Chris Saunders before the January 21 meeting (we have added it to the end of this document for reference). After reading the staff report on application 19-468, our
concerns still hold. Please understand that we are not against cohousing developments. However, Wagon Wheel Road is simply not the right location for this kind of development for a number of important reasons
that matter to the people who live in this area. This type of project is much more compatible with other areas of Bozeman. Bozeman needs good housing solutions, but not to detriment of the people who have long lived here and worked hard to keep the established character and value of their neighborhoods.
We are asking you to deny this application for rezoning and the proposed cohousing development
for that acreage. This is a serious matter and we have serious concerns. Inadequate time to respond: All the neighbors who have spoken with us about the proposed rezoning and cohousing project are concerned. If you have not yet received their feedback, it is probably because they did not know
about the latest report. We did not know about the Feb. 3 agenda item and memorandum until we
wrote to Chris Saunders last Thursday, Jan. 30, asking if there was an update. Fortunately, he informed us late Thursday afternoon that the newest information had just been uploaded that day. That has left just one working day for anyone to respond.
We elected you as representatives of the citizens of Bozeman, and it is your duty to give the people you represent and serve adequate time to respond to proposed major changes that will deeply affect their lives. Please do not rubber-stamp written recommendations without personally understanding that these proposals for rezoning and for creating a cohousing development on
Wagon Wheel Road will negatively affect the lives of the real people who live next to and near the proposed cohousing development.
To respond to some specifics in the community development report on this application:
1. Inconsistent zoning — Section h of “Form ANNX Appendix” says that “the proposed zoning is consistent with existing zoning in the area.”
We must disagree. The residents of this area of Bozeman have chosen to live here because it is a quiet residential area made up almost exclusively of single-family homes—not apartments or other kinds of dense, compact housing.
2 It is disingenuous to bring up the assisted living units at Brookdale Spring Meadows, which the report does, as an example of a similar kind of development in the area. The elderly residents of
Spring Meadows do not drive for one thing. They obviously do not generate the added motor vehicle traffic, non-motorized traffic, pedestrian traffic, activity, noise level, etc. that would be generated from the proposed cohousing development on Wagon Wheel Road. Spring Meadows is an entirely different kind of housing development than the proposed cohousing project, and it is in
a different neighborhood that is not even within the line of site of Wagon Wheel Road. As the website for the cohousing project says and its pictures show: “Cohousing creates a village.” https://bozemancohousing.com/about-cohousing/
The pictures on this site show how very different in character this development would be from the character of the established neighborhoods already here. Please take a drive around our streets and you will see that for yourselves.
—Section 2, Recommended Terms of Annexation (bottom numbered page 112, also labeled at the top as page 8 of 28), point # 7 talks about improvements to Wagon Wheel and S. 3rd Ave. including lighting and signalization.
Adding a cohousing development to this area that would help create the necessity for a traffic light and additional lighting in itself shows that such a proposed development is changing the character of the neighborhood.
The fact that this quiet neighborhood area should now need a traffic light and street lighting (more light pollution, which our neighborhood has already been trying to reduce with adjusted outside lighting fixtures) is very telling. It shows that the approval of this development would negatively impact the character of the surrounding neighborhoods and inevitably the home values as well.
2. Negative impact on the character of the area and home values —Section H of the report, “Character of district” (page 21 of 28 of the report; bottom page
numbered 125) once again references a community residential facility (Spring Meadows) and also an apartment building in the area. That is misleading. There are no large apartment buildings nearby. The immediate area around this development has
single-family homes. The Spring Meadows assisted living facility, again, does not add additional traffic and busyness to the area in the way a new cohousing development would. We disagree with the portrayal in the report that this cohousing project would maintain “the predominant residential character of the area.” This project is, in fact, very different than the
predominant residential character of the area. —Section J “Conserving the value of buildings” (page 23 of 28 of the report, numbered at the bottom as page 127) acknowledges “potential negative impacts to the value of surrounding
buildings” but says the setback and other protective requirements will “help alleviate” those negative impacts. However, setting a development back on a property is not the only thing that is taken into
consideration when determining home values. The traffic, busyness, noise, extra lighting, and
3 character of the area are, of course, key factors in the desirability of an area and home values. Taking all of this into consideration, we believe the value of established homes in the area will be
negatively impacted. And that is patently unfair to existing residents. 3. Traffic
—Under section “f. The effect on motorized and non-motorized transportation systems” (page 20 of 28, bottom page numbered 124), the report says that the effect on transportation systems will be
neutral.
How can the additional motorized and non-motorized traffic from 40 new home units (most families have at least 2 cars) and visitors going in and out of that area have a neutral impact? And if that were truly the case, why would extra lighting, traffic signals, and improvements to the nearby intersections be needed, as the report says is the case?
—This section of the report also says “compact development” generates “a greater share of non-motorized trips per capita than suburban sprawl.” A compact development, in and of itself, does not reduce the number of vehicles in and out of a given area. In fact, it just concentrates additional traffic on Wagon Wheel and nearby roads—negatively impacting the infrastructure, safety risk, and
the character of the area. (And as noted in our earlier letter, the increased traffic is a problem with the configuration of the streets here. See letter attached.)
—Children do walk to school in this area, as there are schools nearby and the streets are safe. Part of the value of the homes in the immediately surrounding neighborhoods and the desirability of this area is that it is a safe place to walk with minimal traffic.
As noted in our earlier letter, we are concerned that this new development would increase the safety risk to our children by the sheer number of vehicles it would add to Wagon Wheel and South 3rd.
• For the reasons above, we strongly believe you should not approve the proposed rezoning and should not approve the cohousing development for Wagon Wheel Road. Again, we, along with our neighbors who may not yet have had the opportunity to write to you, are very concerned about this proposed development and what it would mean to our
neighborhood, safety, home values, and quality of life.
• As we said on page 1 of this letter, you have not given enough time for those living in this area to respond before the Feb. 3 meeting. And you have not given sufficient notice for them to arrange to attend this meeting. We just found out about the agenda item and report late
Thursday afternoon, the day it was posted. Why are you rushing to push this through without finding out how it will impact the people you serve in Westfield Park and surrounding neighborhoods? And how can you even consider
voting to approve such a significant proposal without having read the responses that are just starting to come in?
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• Please also take the time to read the letters of objection that were submitted prior to the January 21 meeting from actual residents of the area who will be adversely affected.
• It is unfair to those who have lived for such a long time in the surrounding neighborhoods, and
invested their life savings in their family homes, for you to even consider the approval of a development that is so unlike what is already here and that would add a lot of traffic, light, and increased noise levels. It would irreversibly change the character of this area for the worse and harm our real estate values as well.
Approving such a change also sets a bad precedent that the City of Bozeman can decide to change the character of long-established and well-maintained neighborhoods and consequently depress home values when there are other areas of Bozeman where such developments would be
much more appropriate. Thank you for this opportunity to send these important comments and concerns. We trust you will
take these concerns seriously. Nigel and Patricia Yorwerth 410 Fieldstone Dr.
Bozeman, MT 59715 (Previous letter attached)
5 City of Bozeman Department of Community Development
ATTN: Chris Saunders PO Box 1230 Bozeman, MT 58771-1230
January 16, 2020 RE: Application 19-468 Letter of Protest
Dear City of Bozeman Department of Community Development, On January 15, we heard for the first time about the proposed application for a 40-unit co-housing development for Wagon Wheel Road in Application 19-468.
We, along with our neighbors, are very, very concerned about this proposed development and what it would mean to our neighborhood, safety, home values, and quality of life. We strongly object to it.
A 40-unit cohousing unit is out-of-character for this area and would bring a variety of challenges and negative impacts. We and the residents here have several serious concerns:
—NOISE LEVELS AND ESTABLISHED CHARACTER OF THIS AREA OF BOZEMAN
The residents in this area of Bozeman moved into the neighborhoods here specifically because of their unique charm; quality of life; quiet, family atmosphere; and nearness to schools (where children often walk to school). A new development such as what is being proposed is very much out of character with what all of
us here worked hard to achieve and have invested in. It is simply not fair to the people already living in the surrounding neighborhoods to add in a housing unit that is unlike what is already here and that would add a lot of busy traffic and noise. It
would irreversibly change the character of this area for the worse and harm our real estate values as well. —TRAFFIC
This development would negatively impact the traffic. Adding probably at least 100, if not more, people and their cars would certainly place a burden on the infrastructure of the area, especially at the corner of Wagon Wheel and South 3rd, where there is currently a three-way stop sign. That is a very busy corner all around the year now with
increased vehicle traffic and lots of children and families walking.
6 The new cross street of South 3rd (turning into Graf) that now goes across to 19th Ave. has already generated a lot of extra traffic at the corner of Wagon Wheel. Traffic is especially heavy in the
mornings and afternoons because of the nearby Sacajawea Middle School and during work rush hours. Adding more traffic to this area would be irresponsible and endanger children and families, who
would have to dodge all the added traffic such a development would bring. — SAFETY Sacajawea Middle School is nearby and many children from the surrounding developments—which
are right across from where this proposed new development would be—walk to and from school. The greatly increased traffic from such a development would increase the safety risk to our children by the sheer number of vehicles it would add to Wagon Wheel and South 3rd.
In addition, children frequently bicycle along these roads. The area of South 3rd going up to Wagon Wheel from Kagy Blvd. is a frequently used, bicycle-friendly area. Not only many children but also many families and adults use those bike lanes for biking and walking. Many people also walk that road to access neighborhood hiking trails nearby.
Adding a new development such as the one proposed would totally change that atmosphere and, again, impact the safety of the people using the streets and bike lanes. It is dangerous.
—HOME VALUES: Approving a development that is unlike the other homes in the area would assuredly devalue the value of the long-established homes in the area.
Again, that is unfair to all of us already living here and is not a logical way to introduce new housing.
—LIGHT POLLUTION The Westfield Park development across from this proposed development over the past few years has encouraged its members to invest in special lighting to reduce light pollution in the area. People have spent a lot of money doing this.
This proposed new housing development, its lighting, and the extra traffic it would bring will effectively negate the effort and the expense people have gone through and adversely change the character of the area.
We understand that Bozeman is a growing area. However, new developments should be consistent with the infrastructure and character of what is already in an established area.
One of the key reasons we elected you as our Bozeman officials is to protect Bozeman from
harmful overdevelopment and to safeguard the unique character of this city. Wagon Wheel Road and this area of Bozeman are not the right location for this kind of development.
7 Both of us—as well as our neighbors who may have not been able to write to you in time— implore you not to approve this kind of development in this area. It puts at risk our safety, home values,
quality of life, and the integrity of the established neighborhoods nearby.
Nigel and Patricia Yorwerth 410 Fieldstone Dr. Bozeman, MT 59715 Emails: nigel@publishingcoaches.com ; py@publishingcoaches.com