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HomeMy WebLinkAbout(02) Cover Letter Plat App 05-14-2021 final document 4515 Valley Commons Drive #201, Bozeman Montana 59718 P: 406.585.4161 F: 406.585.6919 www.bechtlearchitects.com May 12, 2021 Chris Saunders, AICP – Community Development Manager City of Bozeman Community Development 20 East Olive Bozeman, Montana, 59771 RE: Bridger Meadows Subdivision – Subdivision Preliminary Plat Application 20351 Dear Mr. Saunders, In response to the City of Bozeman DRC review letters dated December 22, 2020, the Applicant has revised and corrected the October 16, 2020, PUD Preliminary Application (20350) and the October 16, 2020, Preliminary Plat application (20351), to address the comments and concerns brought forward by the committee. Attached please find the revised and corrected applications for your information and review. The Applicant has addressed and updated various documents throughout the submission packages. These are noted with the revised date of March 2, 2021 in the document titles. Within the written documents, modifications and alterations are generally noted in blue text for ease of reference. We look forward to moving these applications forward and working with the City to realize the completion of the Bridger Meadows Neighborhood development. On behalf of the Owner, Bridger Center LLC, Bechtle Architects, Morrison Maierle, and Design 5, we are submitting the following application materials for Bridger Meadows, a proposed Planned Unit Development (PUD) and Major Subdivision with 17 16 Residential homesites. including 2 affordable homesites. The property is located in the Northeast part of the City near Bridger Creek Golf Course, Northwest of the intersection of Bridger Drive (Montana Highway 86) and Birdie Drive. The property is currently zoned R-1. The property is bounded by commercial development accessed off Commercial Drive to the South, The Links residential development accessed off Birdie Drive to the East, by City of Bozeman Glen Lake Rotary Park to the west, and Bridger Creek Golf Course to the North. The following submission is in accordance with and in response to our Concept PUD and Pre-Application submitted December 2019, and direction provided by the City of Bozeman Planning Department responses dated March 3, 2020. This application is also in alignment with the Director of Community Development letter dated May 3, 2019. Based on these meetings and correspondence, major changes to the site layout were made with the understanding that we could move forward to the “Preliminary PUD/Preliminary Plat” stage of the review process based on the revised layout. In making these changes, of primary concern was the strong desire to protect the existing wetlands and floodplain from any significant impacts. While the 2019 layout proposed a wildlife refuge habitat as a City Park with the associated street frontage requirement, the current plan requests to would provide a “cash-in-lieu” payment rather than a dedicated City Park based on the City’s recommendation. This change allows residential lots to back up to the wildlife refuge habitat, greatly reducing traffic noise and Bridger Meadows - Preliminary Plat Application 20351 May 14, 2021 Page 2 h:\bridger meadows pud\20-0601 pud prelim plan\(02) cover letter plat app 05-14-2021 final.docx generally reducing human/public interaction to the natural preserve, which is the inherent nature and goal of a wildlife refuge. In addition, in response to the December 2019 PUD Concept Review and Pre- Plat Applications, the Applicant agreed to eliminate ten five residential lots to further reduce impacts. In total, and in comparison, to the above noted” submittals, the current plan reduces impacts to the existing wetlands, vegetation and the 100-year floodplain of the East Gallatin River: wetlands impact dropped from 0.74 to 0.08 0.09 acres, and floodplain impact area was reduced from 1.86 to 0.41 0.39 acres, with zero net reduction in flood storage capacity, and the current plan increases, and the size of the wildlife refuge habitat increases from 4.63 to 7.20 7.15 acres. Permits will be obtained for proposed impacts to wetlands and the 100-year floodplain fringe. These include a 404 permit (wetlands) (Appendix A), CLOMR-F (conditional floodplain fill permit from FEMA), City of Bozeman floodplain permit and LOMR F (final floodplain permit from FEMA). UDC Section 38.220.020 indicates that wetland and floodplain permits must be provided before work begins and/or with Final Plat Application. The Applicant is requesting that the Commission allow the CLOMR-F to be provided as a condition of Final Plat approval, along with the floodplain permit and LOMR-F. The Subdivision Team includes: • Owner/Applicant: Tom Murphy, Bridger Center, LLC (406-595-1495) • Owner’s Attorney: Alanah Griffith, Griffith & Cummings, PLLC (406-624-3585) • Engineer: Mike Hickman, Morrison Maierle (406-922-6829) • Architect: Scott Bechtle, Bechtle Architects (406-585-4161) • Landscape: Kate Barrett, Design 5 Landscape Architecture (406-587-4873) • Legal: Alanah Griffith, Griffith & Cummings, PC (406-624-3585) The following information is included in the attached submittal: • Bridger Meadows Neighborhood, Binder Number 1 – PUD Preliminary Plan Application o PUD Preliminary Plan Application dated October 1, 2020, Revised March 2, 2020, and May 14, 2021 (Affordable Housing Removal Per MCA) o Review Fee, Check in the Amount of $TBD by Planning Dept. • Bridger Meadows Neighborhood, Binder Number 2 – Subdivision Preliminary Plat Application o Subdivision Preliminary Plat Application Dated October 1, 2020, Revised March 2, 2020, and May 14, 2021 (Affordable Housing Removal Per MCA). o Updated Review Fee, Check in the Amount of $TBD by Planning Dept. The proposal for the property consists of developing the 11.87-acre site which consists of historic upland fallow hayfields and wetlands. The project looks to develop the hayfields into R-1 Residential lots and associated infrastructure. In addition, the project looks to preserve approximately 7.20 7.15 acres of prime riparian habitat and wetlands that border the City’s Glen Lake Rotary Park to the west, Bridger Center industrial area to the south, The Links Condominiums and Village Greens Townhouses to the east, and Bridger Creek Home Owners Association Park and Bridger Creek Golf Course to the north. Historically, access has been a cumbersome issue for the property. Through the course of development of adjacent properties, this property has been left essentially landlocked both in terms of access and utilities. Over the past fifteen years this property has been presented to the City and County officials numerous times and undergone numerous discussions and layout changes to address many of the Bridger Meadows - Preliminary Plat Application 20351 May 14, 2021 Page 3 h:\bridger meadows pud\20-0601 pud prelim plan\(02) cover letter plat app 05-14-2021 final.docx access issues. With the help of the City and the adjoining developer the access and utility issues have been resolved to the best possible extent. Due to the site constraints, the Developer will be requesting a relaxation of UDC section 38.400.010.A.8 in order to provide emergency access for Bridger Meadows, and to also provide emergency access to the Bridger Center Subdivision where none currently exists. We would request the City Commission to approve this relaxation. Many of the members of the Commission are aware of the historic access issues that have impacted this county island and the lengths that were taken by Bridge Center LLC, at the encouragement of City Legal and the prior City Commission, to negotiate access to the property. The Property Owner initiated the latest review process with the City of Bozeman, Director of Community Development, which resulted in the letter dated May 3, 2109 which outlined two paths for development. As outlined in the Pre-Application Submission and the Concept PUD Application, the development team followed “proposed path 2 – Planned Unit Development (PUD) with relaxation and/or variances”. These were submitted in July of 2019 and a revised submission provided in December of 2019. This Subdivision Preliminary Plat Application responds in more detail to the direction and guidance provided by the City with regards to the property development. The design team has addressed wetlands and floodplains, park requirements and removed affordable housing requirements due to the recent State of Montana legislative changes. This Subdivision Preliminary Plat Application Plan is being submitted concurrently with the PUD Preliminary Plan Application for review and approval. The proposed improvements for the Bridger Meadows development look to create a “superior quality development.” The ultimate goal is to provide an exceptional housing development in close proximity to a unique dedicated riparian wetland referred to throughout the documents as a “wildlife refuge,” which will provide a neighborhood community amenity that is unlike others within the city of Bozeman. In addition, the development will provide two lots dedicated to affordable housing, public access to existing trail systems, and will resolve access to this once landlocked property while improving emergency access to neighboring properties. This development will expand on existing open space through by preserving a large wildlife refuge habitat and providing R-1 housing and two affordable housing units for the community, while increasing the tax base with no added infrastructure cost to the city. On behalf of the Owner, we look forward to working with the city to creating this unique and exciting opportunity for development that will enhance the neighborhood, local community and local environment. Regards, Walter Banziger, LEED AP, AIA Mike Hickman, P. E. Senior Architect Sr. Civil Engineer Bechtle Architects Morrison Maierle cc: File – Bridger Meadows 2020