HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-25-20 Public Comment - B. Loftis - Perspective on CIP Street Impact Fee for 10_29 IFAC MeetingFrom:Brooke Loftis
To:Agenda
Subject:Perspective on CIP Street Impact Fee for 10/29 IFAC Meeting
Date:Sunday, October 25, 2020 3:23:55 PM
To the City Commission and my neighbors: As members of this community, we are granted the opportunity to sustain
Bozeman as The Most Livable Place. It's likely we share in pride knowing
that this is not a self-proclaimed title. Rather, it's one endorsed by our
value-based actions.
While I can appreciate the desire to expedite the Cottonwood Road
projects (Street Impact Fee Project Numbers 138 and 186), it would comeat the expense of critical needs addressed by HRDC's Griffin Place (Street
Impact Fee Project Numbers 113 and 110) and a shuffling of our strong
priority of values. If anything should be accelerated, it is our response to
the dire impacts of Covid-19. We are facing an unprecedented surge inthose seeking support and access to both the year-round shelter and
expanded food bank being developed on Griffin Drive is contingent upon
intersection improvement. November 1st is the opening day for our
current seasonal shelter. That means as I write this, there are 100+ of ourneighbors trying to survive amidst a high of 10 degrees. To compound
their challenges, most public buildings formerly used for daytime respite
are now closed as a result of the pandemic. Prioritizing Griffin Drive means
prioritizing our people.
Covid-19 simultaneously heightened the demand for HRDC services and
diminished the urgency for the proposed Cottonwood Road projects. Tocite a specific example, Gallatin High School and the Sports Complex were
outlined as reasons to push the Cottonwood project forward and improve
the connectivity of the street network in that area. Gallatin High School
was built in response to an overcrowding caused by all students reportingto a single school. As such, even during a traditional school year withouthybrid and virtual offerings it will see half the traffic that Bozeman High
experienced before its opening. Bozeman Sports Park is in a similar
position of limited capacity (groups of 10 or fewer according to theirwebsite) and, therefore, limited traffic.
Griffin Drive is not a site for recreation. It is the future home of vitalsolutions – the only home for many. I stand as an advocate for ourneighbors in need and support street improvements for Griffin Drive taking
precedence (FY 2022) over those for Cottonwood Road. Thank you for your leadership and consideration, Brooke PooleHRDC Board Member