HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-30-21 Public Comment - A. Kelley Hoisma - The IvesFrom:Amy Kelley Hoitsma
To:Agenda
Cc:Nena Bozeman
Subject:Comments on Development Application number 21165
Date:Thursday, September 30, 2021 11:11:39 AM
Attachments:Screen Shot 2021-09-30 at 11.01.36 AM.png
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Dear Mayor Andrus, Honorable City Commissioners, and Community Development Director Matsen:
I would like to briefly comment on application number 21165—“The Ives”—a proposed 6-story, 171,654 gross square foot (gsf) mixed-use development at the corner of N Willson and W Villard. I will limit my comments to the west elevation, which borders the alley that is shared with several single-family homes on N. Grand.
The drawings provided by the developer (and contained in the Design Review Board Staff Report of September 8, 2021) are less detailed for the west elevation than for the other three elevations, and imply that the property to the west of the alley consists in three large, vacant, grassy lots. This is not the case. There are six single-family homes in that block of N Grand, which use the alley for various purposes.
If constructed as proposed, those residents will have to look at one to three stories of virtually unbroken brick wall. This feature has been common to other Bozeman mid-rises built by Homebase Partners, including the One11 Lofts and the Merin:
My concern is that—while I assume they are allowable by code—these are very tall walls that do not have much in the way of articulation or variation in material usage. It is massing, which should be discouraged in all cases, whether residential or commercial. It also diminishes the character of the alley, which within the NCOD and the NE neighborhood in particular contributes to a “sense of place.”
I would like to see the developer submit a streetscape elevation showing how the proposed structure will look from the perspective of a homeowner on N Grand. I believe this is required of residential submittals (see below).
Streetscape for renovations proposed for 312 N Grand renovation (which shares the alley with the proposed development):
Why are commercial developments not required to submit a streetscape? This would better show the real scale and context of the development, as opposed to the 3-d “artist renditions” that can easily be distorted.
Thank you for your attention to my concerns.
With my best,
Amy Kelley Hoitsma706 E. Peach St.Bozeman, MT 59715
Amy Kelley Hoitsma
406-581-1513aok@mcn.net
aokworks.com