HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-19-21 Public Comment - B. Schoessow - Buffalo Run App. 21076From:agenda@bozeman.net
To:Agenda
Subject:Thank you for your public comment.
Date:Monday, April 19, 2021 1:04:13 PM
A new entry to a form/survey has been submitted.
Form Name:Public Comment Form
Date & Time:04/19/2021 1:04 PM
Response #:1070
Submitter ID:37259
IP address:174.45.92.49
Time to complete:18 min. , 25 sec.
Survey Details
Page 1
Public comment may be submitted via the form below, or by any of the following options.
Public comment may also be given at any public meeting.
Email:
agenda@bozeman.net
Mail to:
Attn: City Commission
PO Box 1230
Bozeman, MT 59771
First Name Beth
Last Name Shirley Schoessow
Email Address beth.j.shirley@gmail.com
Phone Number 406-589-7074
Comments
I am writing regarding the proposed Buffalo Creek development, specifically the R-4 zoning request. As a
young, soon-to-be parent firmly rooted in Bozeman, I empathize with the issue of the lack of affordable
housing in Bozeman. However, this development will NOT be providing affordable, quality housing in town.
This area will not be accessible by bike or by foot to amenities, it will be an eye-sore smack between
farmland and what is essentially functioning as an R1/R2 zone, and it will create unnecessary traffic and
noise to an otherwise quiet part of town. This type of development is well-suited to the downtown area or
places in North Bozeman, where similar developments have gone into place, but it does not belong in the
area the developer intends to build it.
The Grand Cielo development was also marketed as "affordable housing," but have you looked at what
homes there are listed at? $800K for a pre-fab, copy-pasted townhome. How is that "affordable"? The
better question: "For whom is that 'affordable'?" The Buffalo Creek development is going to devalue the
existing properties and make it impossible for local ranchers and farmers to continue to use their land as
they have done for generations, and in the meantime, the people buying these "luxury" condos will not be
locals who have been forced to rent due to a lack of affordable housing. No, the people buying these
condos will be the people who can afford $600K for a 2-bedroom 1.5 bath condo: people from California
and Colorado looking for their summer home/ski chalet. Especially given that the location is not accessible
to most of the town (MSU's campus, downtown, grocery stores, most places of employment), this
development is only going to serve to encourage more out-of-towners with more money than locals to buy
their second homes here, driving up the cost of housing for locals even further. What will happen, I would
bet a million dollars (if I were from Colorado and could afford such a "luxury" condo for a second home), is
that while the condos may be listed at an "affordable" price of around $500K, locals will be less interested
in these homes because of the far-out location, and those who are still interested will be out-bid by
wealthy, seasonal out-of-towners with no regard for the community, and this will drive up the cost of
housing even further beyond the range of most local paychecks, making us an increasingly disconnected
community.
I understand the plight of renters in this town, and I want to see more affordable housing. This is not the
way to do it. This is destructive to the existing community without providing any local benefits. The only
person who will actually benefit from the Buffalo Creek development is the developer himself, who has
demonstrated that he has no regard for the community's interests. I urge you not to rezone and not to
allow this development to move forward as proposed.
Sincerely,
Beth Shirley Schoessow
If you would like to submit additional documents (.pdf, .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .gif, .jpg, .png, .rtf, .txt)
along with your comment, you may alternately address agenda@bozeman.net directly to ensure
receipt of all information.
Thank you,
City Of Bozeman
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