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Home My WebLink About01-11-21 Public Comment - U. Neese - Buffalo Run Development eceive F- -c�Z1. Hello, This letter is to the City of Bozeman and the City Commissioners: This is a formal protest letter against the Buffalo Run Development owners Yellowstone investment LLC. application no. 20112 My property 5532 Fowler Lane is adjacent to the proposed development annexation and zoning change to R-5 change. My objections to the annexation and to the zoning change are as follows: I. Montana Code Annotated 76-2-304.2.d "The character of the district and its peculiar suitability for particular uses." The Bozeman Community Plan states that the "Commission should consider differences in allowed intensity between the districts such as differences in height, setbacks, or lot coverage. The greater the difference the more likely conflict is possible." The existing development pattern in Meadow Creek is one- or two-story single family residential homes with less than 40% lot coverage. The proposed R-5 zoning allows for up to four-story buildings with no maximum lot coverage. This would allow for the construction of large buildings, covering 100% of their lot (within setbacks), at double or triple the height of the existing, adjacent residential homeland rural homes creating a clear conflict. The proposed project is not in close proximity to residentially- supportive commercial uses, jobs, and services and does not appear to be suitable for this particular use. The extreme differences between residential densities on existing neighboring properties makes the project unsuitable for this high of density. Montana Code Annotated 76-2-304.2.e "Conserving the value of buildings and encouraging the most appropriate use of land throughout the jurisdictional area." The existing neighborhood is low density residential in a rural setting. The immediate increase to such a high density of residential will not conserve the value of buildings and does not encourage the most appropriate use of the land. 2. The proposed location for Buffalo Run as R-5 is incompatible with the surrounding area. Adjoining properties are single- family homes or farms, making high-density development unsuitable in both character and usage. • The recently adopted Community Plan Future Land Use Map does not include any mixed-use districts adjacent to the property nor commercial districts near the property. The district would be directly adjacent to Meadow Creek which is an already established neighborhood that has been developed as R-1 . This means that the highest density residential zoning district allowed by the city would be placed directly next to rural zoning and already established low-density single-family development, drastically changing the character of our neighborhoods. • Acknowledging the city's need for affordable housing, Buffalo Run proposes 288 condominiums, which would be exempt from the affordable housing requirements set forth by the city. Traffic Impact • The Buffalo Run proposal is for 288 condominiums on the 20 acre parcel. The traffic impact study submitted by the developer estimates an additional 200 vehicles during peak morning and evening hours. The developer's opinion is that this would have no significant impact beyond the proposed site accesses and key intersections within proximity to the proposed project. • An additional 200 vehicles with a single ingress and egress access will create a massive impact on the existing community. • Kurk Dr is the only city road that accesses the proposed R-5 zoned area, meaning all traffic to and from this area would be routed this way. While the property does also border Fowler Ln, this road is dirt and not built to city standards, nor does it connect with any existing city road. 3. The applicant has responded that "no substantial negative impacts to surrounding landowners have been identified due to this proposed zoning." We disagree. Potential significant impacts are obvious: The city is correctly interested in promoting viable climate change goals and protocols, yet this development will lead to an estimated 1 ,000 daily driving trips into commercial areas by the residents of these nearly 300 additional proposed units. If the city allows a zoning change to R-5, it also increases the pressure on surrounding landowners as they see the destruction of valuable open space, wildlife habitat, increased noise, congestion, and traffic. It becomes less likely they will want to continue to preserve agricultural and open space when they are surrounded and squeezed. In Bozeman, the impacts of growth and development, and the loss of natural landscape, are already alarming. this development does not address affordable housing far from it. The last thing we need is more of the same. The sacrifices required by this type of intrusive development on valuable agricultural land, all in the pursuit of financial gain, should not be Bozeman's future. Ursula Neese 5532 fowler Lane Bozeman, MT 59718 signed: