HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-21-21 Public Comment - H. & G. Nelson - Buffalo Run App. 21076From:Heather Nelson
To:Agenda
Subject:Buffalo Run Development
Date:Sunday, March 21, 2021 4:31:45 PM
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To whom it may concern,
I'm not in favor of the R-4 zoning for the proposed Buffalo Run development. The posibilityof 3 story buildings with lofted ceilings included in R-4 zoning would significantly reduce the
neighborhood's enjoyment of the Big Sky state and would make many homeowners rethinkliving near the park as these buildings would steal our sunsets. It also takes away from the
Montana way of life as the neighboring land is still being used for agricultural purposesincluding cattle and growing hay. This further shows how out of character and inappropriate it
would be to have R-4 zoning at this location. As the old Bozeman saying goes "Cows notCondos".
I believe even with the proposed improved access points for Buffalo Run, the majority of the
Buffalo Run traffic will still go through the Meadow Creek neighborhood. Many peoplewouldn't use the Fowler access point even if the City of Bozeman and the County could reach
an agreement to improve Fowler from a dirt road to a paved road. This is deeply concerningfor safety and health services as it will increase emergency response times for Fire and EMT
personnel due to an increase in traffic. I also worry about motorized traffic increase next to thepark, because of this access point, and how it could cause pedestrian and non-motorized traffic
to be unsafe. Many of us in the neighborhood love to walk and bike everyday. Children walk,bike, roller blade, skate board, and more to the playground in the park. The park is loved by
many and is used year round. The increase in traffic and increase in usage of the park wouldsignificantly reduce our enjoyment of this feature of my neighborhood.
I worry about the increased draw on Bozeman water utilities and neighborhood water
mitigation. The Meadow Creek subdivision already struggles with adequate water pressurewith many houses having booster pumps in order to get enough pressure to run sprinklers or
perform normal household chores at the same time. Some houses even have drilled wells inorder to use that water for yard irrigation. The increase in water usage and how the city plans
on addressing this has not been addressed in the planning documents. Given all of this, havinganother subdivision be downstream of mine has me very concerned that my water pressure
will decrease even more and that water conservation is no longer a priority of Bozeman Citywhen approving development zoning. Within the last 3 years the water retention ponds in
Mead Creek have undergone maintenance with the needs of this subdivision and only thissubdivision in mind. In the Buffalo Run proposed development plan there were no additional
retention ponds meaning that Meadow Creek and the surrounding areas would pick up thatoversight. Many houses in Meadow Creek have subpumps going full time in the spring as
crawl spaces are flooded with spring melt and runoff from the agricultural flood irrigation ofthe cow and hay fields around the subdivision. There was no plan for what happens to the
irrigation lines and creek around Fowler and 27th roads when these are improved. There arealready issues with the irrigation and creek along 27th. The grating constantly gets clogged
during the wet months with refuse and organic debris, now that it is piped under the road, andit requires someone to clear it out, so that 27th doesn't flood. I'm upset about what these
changes could mean regarding a detriment to the water and wildlife conservation. Wildlife
watching is a pastime of many in the Meadow Creek subdivision including birds, deer, andmore that the waterways attact. With the loss of these another enjoyable feature of Meadow
Creek is being lost.
Please do not support R-4 zoning and reconsider the negative impacts that Buffalo Run wouldhave with the current proposal on the exisiting and established Meadow Creek subdivison.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Heather and Grant NelsonMeadow Creek Resident
6193 Blackwood Road