HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-03-2020 Public Comment - D. De Bode - Parking Benefit DistrictsFrom: Debra De Bode
To: Agenda
Subject: Not supportive of Parking Benefit District in Downtown Area
Date: Monday, February 3, 2020 6:26:44 PM
Dear Commissioners:
The proposed new parking district in downtown Bozeman has just come to my attention, even
though I read the local paper daily and am active in the NENA neighborhood group. In
conversations after publication of an article in the paper this past week, I learned that my
immediate neighbors did not know of this proposal either. Further, the low attendance
recorded at the three public engagement sessions should indicate that the affected property
owners probably have not heard of the proposal.
My main reasons for asking that you vote against this proposal are as follows:
* The MSU and BHS residential parking districts were requested by a majority of the residents
-- this proposed district is being imposed upon property owners. Those of us who live in the
downtown area are used to dealing with increased traffic and parking during special events
and some business-related parking use on our neighborhood streets -- this is a minor issue, in
my opinion.
* The older neighborhoods lack garages and even driveways for some residences and so
necessitate parking on the streets. The need to buy a permit or permits to park (somewhere -
with no guarantee of being able to park in front of our residence) in our neighborhood could
be seen as an additional tax that is not charged to residents and property owners of other
Bozeman neighborhoods.
* The City has been approving higher density housing and multi-use building projects in our
general neighborhood without requiring sufficient parking spaces. This encouragement of in-
fill and density has its pros and cons but must be a driving factor in this parking district
proposal. Long-term residents should not be forced to pay for the City's willingness to allow
developers to push parking off into nearby neighborhoods.
If this proposal is adopted, I predict that property owners will successfully petition to dissolve
the parking district. It makes more sense to formally ask (through a vote) those affected
whether the majority supports the specific proposal before going forward. Doing otherwise
will cause discord in our community as well as waste time and money.
Thank you for your consideration of my comments.
Debra De Bode
527 N Montana Ave
Bozeman