HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-30-20 Public Comment - W. Swearingen - Comments on Bozeman Community PlanFrom:Will Swearingen
To:Agenda
Cc:Will Swearingen
Subject:Comments on Bozeman Community Plan
Date:Wednesday, September 30, 2020 12:11:09 PM
Community Plan Team,
I am writing to point out what I consider to be serious problems with the BozemanCommunity Draft Plan (BCP) and particularly the Future Land Use Map (FLUM). I
summarize these problems below:
1. The BCP/FLUM does not consider the fire risk from extending the FLUM boundariesso close to the national forest. We've seen how rapidly wildfires in the West can sweep
through forests and wipe out adjacent residential communities. The FLUM replacesAgricultural Suburban and Suburban Residential land-use categories with a high-density
Urban Neighborhood category and extends the FLUM boundaries practically up to theforested foothills south, southeast, and northeast of town. A wildfire that started in the forests
could readily spread to the adjacent high-density Urban Neighborhoods and would be nearlyimpossible to stop. The city needs a bigger open-land buffer between the forest and the built-
up area.
2. The BCP/FLUM does not consider wildlife. The agricultural lands south of town haveserved as important winter range for elk herds for many years. Extending high-density Urban
Neighborhoods practically up to the forested foothills will be detrimental to elk populations inthe area.
3. By eliminating the Suburban Residential category, and replacing it with the high-density
Urban Neighborhood category, the BCP/FLUM will have the unintended consequence ofdriving suburban development outside of the city into the county. Many people will not
choose to live in high-density Urban Neighborhoods without yards, especially if they havechildren or plan to have children. The BCP/FLUM should reinstate Suburban Residential as
one of the land-use categories.
Sincerely,Will Swearingen