HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-16-21 Public Comment - J. Winnie - Buffalo Run App. 21076From:Janet Winnie
To:Agenda
Subject:Letter Re: application 21076 Buffalo Run for April 20, 2021 meeting
Date:Friday, April 16, 2021 7:06:31 PM
Attachments:april 16 city commission letter.docx
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Thank you for considering my comments about the Buffalo Run Proposal # 21076
I plan to also attend the meeting on 4-20-2021.
Janet Winnie
3311 S 28th Ave
Bozeman , MT 59718
406-600-6334
To : City of Bozeman Commissioners
April 20, 2021 Commission Meeting.
21076 Buffalo Run Annexation
Thank your for considering my concerns about the proposed annexation and R 4 zoning application for
Buffalo Run # 21076.
I was surprised and confused by the decision made by the Zoning Board last month to approve R4
Zoning for Buffalo Run. Though one of the zoning commissioners repeatedly voiced several well-
reasoned concerns against allowing R4 zoning for this project as he felt it did not meet the Bozeman City
Plan criteria and involved costly infrastructure improvements. I was hopeful his voice of reason and
experience would carry the day but the others landed on the course of argument that we ( Meadow
Creek residents ) are just like everyone who does not want change and called for being more resilient
and welcoming. The final decision seemed to come from a place of entitlement that 30-something
friends one of the commissioners in Bozeman can’t find places to live and suggested they would be
preventing them from getting places to live if they did not approve the R4 zoning request. There are
many 30-something families living in Meadow Creek who worked hard to find housing in Bozeman and
are concerned about others who are having difficulty because they know it is very difficult. We all do! I
was offended for them and offended by the seemingly capricious decision of the three zooming board
members who voted to approve the application for R4 zoning. This is an important process that many of
the homeowners have invested many hours in because of the seemingly blatant inconsistencies for R4
development with the Bozeman Growth Plan.
I have reviewed the Staff Report for 21076 Buffalo Run Annexation and Zone Map Amendment and
would like to add the following comments.
Regarding Page 56 , Number 3. Would the change be in the nature of “special legislation “designed to
benefit only one or a few landowners at the expense of the surrounding landowners or the general
public?
The City Manager has answered that question “No”
I disagree.
It is obvious the developer will be the greatest beneficiary especially if the zoning level is at R 4.
The losers, from my perspective : there are harms to the potential residents of Buffalo Run at R 4 density
and for the local and larger community.
While Bozeman needs housing desperately, and we know that growth is inevitable, choosing to allow R4
zoning on this parcel has significant costs associated with it.
The criteria as laid out in the Bozeman City Municipal Code Chapter 38 article 3 38.300.100 are simply
not met.
The parcel is not adjacent to mixed use districts, there are not close commercial districts, the parcel is
not served by public transportation and the parcel is not close to jobs and services.
The Criteria laid out in the Staff Report A-K ( from Bozeman 2020 Community plan page 73) are mostly
met but there are concerns.
Building for R4 density in this area will mean that many people living in densely packed residences will
have to drive for everything they need.
The reliance of private vehicles for all needs, lack of public transportation and poor access to safe biking
from this area will have a negative impact not only on traffic in the neighborhood but will impact plans
to reduce carbon emissions in the community and to encourage less reliance on personal vehicles for all
needs.
Its isolation from commerce and community services makes it a poor location to build an urban
neighborhood. Though plans for this kind of development are in the future plan for Fowler, it may be
decades away in this particular area. Fowler likely will not be an area developed with commercial
entities for some time due to limited access to arterials and collector streets.
The densely packed residents will live in an “R4 Island” with no access to walkable amenities for years to
come.
I suspect the developer does not plan to include affordable housing options so is not helping Bozeman
community make living here more affordable for our residents.
There are significant infrastructure costs that will take many years if not decades to complete.
Reduction of the zoning level to R3 would still be a very profitable endeavor for the developer and
would reduce negative impacts on the local neighborhood and broader community.
One of the major negative impacts for the local neighborhoods is of course the traffic that comes with
an R4 development.
The Traffic Impact Study for the initial R5 zoning request for proposed 288 Buffalo Run units was
estimated, including peak times, up to 2287 trips per day, a bit more than 7 trips per unit per day.
In that original proposal the traffic would have been accessing Buffalo Run via two access streets in
Meadow Creek subdivision, Kurk Drive and S. 31st Ave then to Graf via S 27th Ave.
The traffic associated with current Buffalo Run R4 plan would now be split between Fowler Lane and
Kurk Drive. In the current proposal, it is not clear what the number of units is.
Use the 7 trips per day per unit , if there are 150-200 units, the trips per day could be 1050 to 1400.
Kurk Drive would likely be the choice route for Buffalo Run residents as it is closer to S 19th , MSU, trails,
commerce, work, and avoids the unsafe and congested Fowler Lane to Stucky Road route.
If ½ to 2/3 of those trips are via Kurk Drive, that could be an additional 525 to 933 trips via Kurk Drive
per day.
The Bozeman Community Plan states on page 75 ( b) The effect on motorized and nonmotorized
transportation systems: “ … The impact of additional development is not excessive so long as the
planned capacity of the road is not exceeded. “ I am not sure the capacity of a local residential street in
actual numbers but Kruk Drive would bear the full impact of traffic moving to and from Buffalo Run
through Meadow Creek subdivision until reaching the collector S 27th Ave.
Kurk Drive according to the Bozeman City Plan is designated as a Local Residential Street. It is not
intended to serve as a Collector Street but with the potential of R4 density traffic funneling through
Meadow Creek on Kurk Drive alone, Kurk might be handling excessive traffic more like a Collector Street.
Residents living along Kurk Drive and the 100 or so residents per day who walk, run, bike, and play along
Kurk Drive will be impacted significantly. We have concerns about safety associated with high traffic
volume, traffic emissions, noise, speeding and littering. Kurk Drive has only one sidewalk on the south
side of the street.
The burden this proposal puts on to Kurk Drive seems excessive.
Regarding Section 2 – Recommended Terms of Annexation, Staff Report for 21076 Buffalo Run
Annexation and Zone Map Amendment
I see that Kurk Drive is not included in the list of planned street improvements in this Section 2 list while
Fowler, Blackwood, S 27th , West Graf are listed ( number 4. Under Recommended Terms of
Annexation).
If the City approves the Annexation and R4, Kurk should also be provided the mechanism to require
improvements to make it safe for all uses including bikes and pedestrians to be able to safely manage up
to ~ 1000 addition car trips per day.
I see in the plan that Fowler development is still 5 years out. Kurk Drive would bear the brunt of the
impact for many years to come.
Additionally , Buffalo Run at R 4 zoning will pour those ~1000 vehicle trips onto Graf which is already
congested with traffic from Grand Cielo ( R 3 density development , still only under construction) and
the high density R5 units along Graf to S 19th. Traffic at the intersection of Graf and S 19th is increasingly
congested. Because of the high-density dwellings along Enterprise, the traffic along Graf and from Graf
to Stucky is dangerous and congested. We have recently become aware how dangerous the intersection
at Graf and Enterprise is. I have had several close calls from traffic ignoring the stop signs on Enterprise
at Graf and you may have heard a Meadow Creek resident was recently T-boned at that intersection.
Adding a significant amount of traffic in this area is going to be untenable.
I do and I know many of my Meadow Creek neighbors support the plans for smart growth, carbon
emission reduction and increased density for growth.
Please consider the possibility of limiting this parcel’s zoning to R3 for all the many legitimate concerns
raised by my neighbors and here by myself.
Thank you for your time and efforts to carefully direct the course of growth in Bozeman.
Janet Winnie
3311 S 28th Ave
Bozeman, MT 59718
406-600-6334