HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-30-21 Public Comment - M. Casto - The IVesFrom:Mary Casto
To:Agenda
Subject:The Ives- 21165 public comment
Date:Thursday, September 30, 2021 10:36:32 AM
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Dear Mayor Andrus and members of the City Commission,
Please accept this letter of public comment concerning the proposed “Ives” project. This
project is being proposed within a thriving ad established residential neighborhood in
Northeast Bozeman.
While I am in support of density, I believe that there is a balance to be had and new
development shouldn’t, by design, compromise the quality of life of existing neighborhoods.
As you can see in the proposed design, the building includes a huge, blank wall on the side
facing residential homes as well as other features that is completely out of character for the neighborhood. As large high rise buildings are rapidly constructed downtown, this same
design approach is now being pushed out into quiet family neighborhoods in other areas of the city. My concern is that this building will set a precedent for how the interface between
these quiet (still relatively dense) neighborhoods and these large and incongruent mega-developments is managed.
This is the first big project that fully uses the business zoning building envelope directly next
to residential zoning (Black Olive had another business lot zoned next to it before switching to residential).
These development companies stand to make a huge profit. I encourage the city, if you
pursue permitting such a large and congruent developments next to residential neighborhoods, to demand these developers include appropriate amounts of publicaly
accessible open space into the actual development to serve the new residents and the adjacent neighborhood (not cash in lieu!), that your require the architecture to step down
generously and appropriately to mitigate abrupt height transitions between new development and neighboring communities, and that you require developers to build out the
infrastructure needed to support these large developments including but not limited to street improvements, parking, Stormwater management, and access to emergency services in a
reasonable amount of time. Otherwise, to be frank, the city is simply selling out to high profit development companies and leaving its residents with reduced quality of life. Other
cities require that developers pay to play… and they do. But not unless they are required to. Please defend the bozeman we know and love. There’s a balance to density and quality of
life if we commit to finding it and holding that standard.
Thanks for your consideration,
Molly Casto1451 Maiden Spirit Street