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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-20-21 Public Comment - E. Walnum - Buffalo Run App. 21076From:Erik Walnum To:Agenda Subject:Buffalo Run thoughts Date:Tuesday, April 20, 2021 9:33:24 AM Attachments:Buffalo Run letter April 20, 2021.pdf CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Good morning, I am a Meadow Creek resident and below I have attached a letter of concern regarding theproposed Buffalo Run development. Thank you for taking the time to hear my concerns, Erik Walnum April 20, 2021 To the Bozeman city commission, It is with great stress and worry that I am writing to you. The proposed Buffalo Run development is the topic which has been of greatconcern to us recently and below I will briefly describe the primary reasons why. Safety As a father of three young children, we love our Meadow Creek neighborhood because it is quiet and calm. It has been a wonderful place to raise kids. Our oldest is now fresh off training wheels, our middle child on her strider and youngest in a stroller. We respect the rules of the road and ride our bikes and walk along the side of our roads in Meadow Creek while not interrupting any pedestrian traffic in the sidewalks. After looking both ways, we cross Kurk and 27th on most days, year round and have enjoyed the quiet, easy nature of our neighborhood, while exchanging waves and hellos from our fellow neighbors. The thought of construction vehicles and additional traffic being forced through our established neighborhood to accommodate the demands of a development that is an inappropriate fit for this part of town seems wrong and short-sighted. It is this increase in traffic that causes real concern for safety for my family. FitSomehow, the Zoning Commission approved the developers’ plan to build high-density apartments or condominiums in an agricultural field on a dirt road. The “plan” is to use a quiet neighborhood as the throughway for this transient living space. This is highlyinappropriate, especially after factoring the lack of amenities to support this density. Building high-density dwellings next to single-family homes is a poor fit next to single family homes on every level. Fun We love our tiny park! We frequent Ainsworth park everyday. This has been an especially important space for our community through the pandemic. While Ainsworth park usually feels too small for the demand of Meadow Creek residents, it has been a great place to take our children to get them out the house through these difficult times. We have realized that the park space and play field may be in jeopardy to further accommodate the needs of the developer. This is outrageous. Thoughts for moving forward with the growth of proposed site for Buffalo Run: -Find a way to access Buffalo Run without compromising the established integrity and safety of Meadow Creek and its residents. Paving a fragment of Fowler to lower standards is short-sighted and ignores the measures which promote safety for the increased dailypedestrian, bicycle and vehicle trips going in both directions on Fowler Rd. Instead, we suggest paving Fowler Rd from Stucky Rd to Patterson Rd road to city standards, including bike lanes and sidewalks for a longer-sighted growth vision and improved access and safetyfor all of Bozeman residents. -Build lower density R1, R2 or R3. A better fit this part of Bozeman and integration with established adjacent Meadow CreekNeighborhood. -Don’t destroy Ainsworth Park and replace it with a road. Thank you for taking the time to listen to my concerns, Erik Walnum, Meadow Creek resident. April 20, 2021 To the Bozeman city commission, It is with great stress and worry that I am writing to you. The proposed Buffalo Run development is the topic which has been of great concern to us recently and below I will briefly describe the primary reasons why. Safety As a father of three young children, we love our Meadow Creek neighborhood because it is quiet and calm. It has been a wonderful place to raise kids. Our oldest is now fresh off training wheels, our middle child on her strider and youngest in a stroller. We respect the rules of the road and ride our bikes and walk along the side of our roads in Meadow Creek while not interrupting any pedestrian traffic in the sidewalks. After looking both ways, we cross Kurk and 27th on most days, year round and have enjoyed the quiet, easy nature of our neighborhood, while exchanging waves and hellos from our fellow neighbors. The thought of construction vehicles and additional traffic being forced through our established neighborhood to accommodate the demands of a development that is an inappropriate fit for this part of town seems wrong and short-sighted. It is this increase in traffic that causes real concern for safety for my family. Fit Somehow, the Zoning Commission approved the developers’ plan to build high-density apartments or condominiums in an agricultural field on a dirt road. The “plan” is to use a quiet neighborhood as the throughway for this transient living space. This is highly inappropriate, especially after factoring the lack of amenities to support this density. Building high-density dwellings next to single-family homes is a poor fit next to single family homes on every level. Fun We love our tiny park! We frequent Ainsworth park everyday. This has been an especially important space for our community through the pandemic. While Ainsworth park usually feels too small for the demand of Meadow Creek residents, it has been a great place to take our children to get them out the house through these difficult times. We have realized that the park space and play field may be in jeopardy to further accommodate the needs of the developer. This is outrageous. Thoughts for moving forward with the growth of proposed site for Buffalo Run: -Find a way to access Buffalo Run without compromising the established integrity and safety of Meadow Creek and its residents. Paving a fragment of Fowler to lower standards is short- sighted and ignores the measures which promote safety for the increased daily pedestrian, bicycle and vehicle trips going in both directions on Fowler Rd. Instead, we suggest paving Fowler Rd from Stucky Rd to Patterson Rd road to city standards, including bike lanes and sidewalks for a longer-sighted growth vision and improved access and safety for all of Bozeman residents. -Build lower density R1, R2 or R3. A better fit this part of Bozeman and integration with established adjacent Meadow Creek Neighborhood. -Don’t destroy Ainsworth Park and replace it with a road. Thank you for taking the time to listen to my concerns, Erik Walnum, Meadow Creek resident.