HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-04-21 Public Comment - S. Wood - The IvesFrom:Susana Montana
To:Mike Maas
Subject:FW: 21165; The Ives project public comment
Date:Monday, October 4, 2021 9:03:23 AM
Ms. Woods had great difficulty getting her message below through our email security in time for the
public comment period. I sent her a secure link and she cut and paste her comment into that
message. Can you please forward this to the City Commissioners? Thanks.
From: Shana Wood <shanawood@q.com>
Sent: Monday, October 4, 2021 8:58 AM
To: Susana Montana <smontana@BOZEMAN.NET>
Subject: RE: 21165
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TO: Bozeman City Commission
FROM: Shana Wood
RE: Application 21165
DATE: 1 October 2021
Dear Bozeman City Commissioners:
I write to express my opposition to the site application plan for The Ives. Here’s why:
The building does not satisfy the Bozeman Community Plan’s Goal N-1. Very few, if any, of
HomeBase Partner’s buildings promote housing diversity. It’s highly doubtful that the structure will
house anything but luxury apartments for wealthy, part-time residents ignoring the “missing
middle”. Bozeman needs to focus on housing for working professionals: teachers, health care
workers, city planners etc. Right now, the asking price for a 1 bedroom/1 bath at Aspen Crossing is
$599,000. So, it seems we are getting infill but getting luxury condos at exorbitant prices, and still
getting sprawl to the west. I’d rather have expensive bungalow courts or townhomes than massive
6-story residential above commercial blocks.
Another goal of the Community Plan is to “encourage Bozeman’s sense of place”. The structures that
HomeBase builds are massive, ugly, and out of place with the character of Bozeman. And maybe
we’ve settled for that in the B-3 zone. But neighborhood residents opposed this rezoning. And there
should simply be a better way to re-design our urban landscape, such as using building heights that
transition into residential neighborhoods. There is no transition zone to the single-family residences
across Villard Street to the north. Just a massive 6-story building to the south. Directly adjacent to
small single family 4-squares and bungalows.
No sacrifices in safety should be made for developers at cost to adjacent neighbors on the alley and
the community at large. The city should deny the requested variance to shorten the driveway
distance from the alley intersection from 40 feet (code) to 20 feet. The developers need to adapt
their plan to meet safety codes, the city should not adapt their codes to meet HomeBase’s economic
needs. The building’s driveway is directly adjacent to single family residences and should adhere to
the code’s standard for safety. People walk, ride and drive through alleys frequently in this town.
When we built our house no requested alley or setback variances were approved and we accepted
the planning department’s reasoning.
The master plan for redevelopment of these North Central blocks calls for 9 new buildings,
associated parking, open space, and infrastructure. I request that the city does not allow the
developer to scrimp on open space in trade for cash. The long-term plan is for the area is high
density infill adjacent to residential neighborhoods with yards and parks. At the very least the
developer should provide for the minimum required open space. Doing so will only enhance the
entirety of the project and is a small sacrifice to make for the community. We all support quality of
life in Bozeman to which parks, open space, public spaces and diverse neighborhoods contribute.
This open space should be visible, inviting, and accessible, and not gated as is the open space
associated with Block M.
I ask you to reconsider this application. It’s a full city block. Whatever is built will be there for a very
long time. If it can’t be affordable or attainable housing, at least make sure it meets all safety codes,
has accessible open/public space and transitions more gently to the surrounding residential
neighborhoods.
Respectfully,
Shana Wood
506 E Cottonwood St
Bozeman, MT 59715
406.224.3133
From: Susana Montana <smontana@BOZEMAN.NET>
Sent: Monday, October 04, 2021 8:57 AM
To: shanawood@q.com
Subject:
Susana Montana
Senior Planner | Development Review, Community Development
The Department of Community Development is revising its operations until further notice to
address COVID-19. We appreciate your patience and are working hard to keep as much stability of
operations as possible. There may be delays in responding to inquiries. We continue to receive and
review development applications. Some application types may see delays in review due to
suspension of public meetings.
City of Bozeman | 20 East Olive St. | P.O. Box 1230 | Bozeman, MT 59771P: 406-582-2285 | E: smontana@bozeman.netW: www.bozeman.net/planninghttps://bzncloud.bozeman.net
New project submittal instructions can be found here:
https://www.bozeman.net/government/planning/covid-19-development-review-procedures
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