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Home My WebLink About09-21-21 Public Comment - D. Kaveney - Canyon Gate Development ProposalFrom:Dan Kaveney To:Ross Knapper Cc:Agenda Subject:Comments on Proposed Canyon Gate Annexation Proposal (# 21337) Date:Tuesday, September 21, 2021 1:26:41 PM Dear Mr.Knapper, Please accept my comments on the proposed annexation of the approximately 20-acre Canyon Gate development proposal at the corner of Bridger Canyon Road and Story Mill Road in Bozeman. If you’re reading all the comments that are coming your way you’ll discover that much of what follows will look familiar. One of my neighbors was kind enough to share a letter she had written to you about this topic, and since I agreed with most of it and couldn’t say it better myself I simply copied some of it. I’ve bolded my additions to make them easier to find. In brief, my comments focus on the inappropriate densities of the proposed rezoning, concerns about public safety and traffic that would result from those densities, and the inadequate allocation of open space in the proposed development. 1. Developer-requested Zoning -- The developer-requested zoning (R-3 Residential Medium Density District - R-5 Residential Mixed-Use High Density District - B-2M Community Business District) is inconsistent with existing zoning, which is R-1 and R-2. The proposed zoning would allow uses in an existing residential neighborhood that are more suitable for areas consistently zoned for the high-density development or adjacent to other high density-zoned areas. Further, the requested B-2M zoning is entirely inconsistent with the stated purpose of B-2M as outlined in the UDC in Sec 38.300.110 about commercial and mixed use zoning districts. This parcel should be zoned so as to require it to blend in with the surrounding neighborhoods. -- It furthermore would allow for an abrupt high-density development as the Bridger Canyon Road transitions from a rural setting to the urban core. The existing use in the area is a transition from moderate density to low density to agricultural/ forested. The proposed rezoning densities would eliminate that transition to the downtown core. It would also present an odd transition from R1 residential, to very high density, back to lower density as one proceeds on Rouse toward downtown. While the town may eventually grow that way, it should do so from the downtown area OUTWARD — not from Bridger Canyon INWARD toward town. --Residential rezoning on the proposed development should not exceed the maximum density for residential in any proposed development of this parcel with low density commercial only along Story Mill. There is no reason, or need, for this area to be more dense than its surroundings. 2. Existing Infrastructure and Public Safety --The current northeast corner of Bozeman where this development is proposed is segregated from other areas of town by the BNSF railroad, which contains major at- grade crossings along Rouse, Wallace, and Griffin. No overhead railroad exist and, based on the exorbitant cost to build, none is anticipated. Currently, it is not uncommon to experience delays of five minutes or longer at any of the crossings along Wallace, Rouse, and Griffin, depending on the train car lengths. Please consider the following examples: · On about Wednesday, August 25th a train blocked all three crossings for only about 6 minutes at 230 pm as I was headed north on Rouse. This is a fairly quiet time in the middle of a workday. I happened to be in a spot where I could see the traffic backed up all the way to Bridger Center Dr. When I finally made my way up to Peach St the traffic still hadn’t cleared and was backed up to a spot just north of the Rouse/Peach intersection. The traffic jam ran for 1.2 miles, after a short train delay at a slow time of day. · On Wednesday, September 1 at about 1 pm a train blocked all the crossings for 9 minutes while I was headed South on Rouse. Traffic backed up past Peach (I couldn’t see how far) and still reached to the intersection of Rouse and Birdie Drive by the time I made my way there. Again, a quiet time in the middle of a workday, backing up traffic for about 1.5 miles. · On Monday, September 6 at about 8:30 pm (really slow traffic time) a train blocked all three crossings for 16 minutes with significant traffic backups in all directions (I couldn’t see how far in the dark). · The road has a couple of times in recent winters deteriorated to absolute non- functionality on snowy days when Bridger Bowl traffic brought it to a standstill for a very long time (I didn’t time it) with standstill traffic extending well toward Lamme on Rouse -- effectively preventing local residents from accessing their homes. The situation is worsening with time. Please remember that this is BEFORE the new Law and Justice Center and the new subdivision at the corner of Story Mill and Bridger Canyon Dr have been made operational/built, and both of these things, when completed, will create a great deal of additional traffic in the area. This will obviously be inconvenient for local residents, but it’s also becoming a significant safety hazard. What if someone needs an ambulance or a house catches on fire while a train is crossing? One can easily imagine situations where train-crossing traffic backups cause significant delays to emergency vehicles putting lives and property in danger, and where traffic backups make it impossible for emergency personnel to access the new Law and Justice Center. -- If developed at the proposed zoning densities, the development will result in severe stress to existing traffic volumes and compromise public health and safety. Traffic along Rouse, even with the recent improvements, is affected by the at-grade crossing. Traffic from the new Law and Justice Center will further contribute to that traffic load. -- Neither MDOT nor BNSF has any plans to construct over-or under-passes for cars or rail, so further increased density in the northeastern area will further strain on essential-service response times. Current ongoing roadway improvements along Griffin serve as an indicator of the disruption and delays that occur even with planned road improvements near the at-grade crossings. The proposed development densities for the proposed Canyon Gate development would severely and adversely contribute to delays and bottlenecks at these crossings, making the northeast part of town at-risk for timely emergency response vehicles, including fire and emergency response vehicles, including servicing by police and EMT. --The Montana Department of Transportation (MDOT) has stated it is not planning to alter any at-grade crossing based on the high cost of such projects, so increased density and traffic from both high-density residential and commercial will put undue risk on the area regarding response times and public safety concerns. 3. Open Space --The developer should not be allowed to rezone in a way that reduces open space requirements or to offer cash-in-lieu for green space. The only planned open space in the proposed development is included to accommodate the existing floodplain drainage on the property and call it open space. The additional developments in the area (in-progress Bridger View and planned Story Mill) speak to the need to continue fostering open space in any planned development, especially at densities contemplated under the proposed rezoning. Existing Bozeman residents count on you, the city staff, to use Bozeman’s zoning and development laws to protect us from declines in our quality of life and property values that inappropriate development brings. The proposed annexation offers about as clear an example of bad development that one could find. Please serve our city by denying this application. Thank you very much for considering these comments. Dan Kaveney 1496 Boylan Rd, Bozeman, MT