HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-14-21 Public Comment - M. Morgner - Bozeman Co-Housing ParkingFrom:Michael Morgner
To:Susana Montana; Agenda
Subject:Co-Housing Development
Date:Thursday, October 14, 2021 5:45:39 PM
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I've been a licensed real broker for over 23 years and very active in the Bozeman market. I live
near the proposed Co-Housing Project off of Wagonwheel. As a real estate professional, I seegrowth as inevitable and to be expected. What I don't see is adequate parking the City of
Bozeman approved for several developments. Take for example the Cannery. It's a nightmarefor parking and a prime example that the City's parking requirement methodology is severely
flawed. Why does the city not require what's written in the code for parking? How can theygive some credit for parking to have a shared vehicle or expect people will be using a ride
share which virtually shut down in many areas during the pandemic?
Montana has a huge amount of territory and would venture to guess that every owner at theCo-Housing project will have at least one vehicle. Have you ever considered looking at
"Walkability Scores?" The location of this project has a walkability score of 7 (here's the linkto view https://www.walkscore.com/score/3120-wagon-wheel-rd-bozeman-mt-59715 ,
compared to say the walkability score of the Black Olive's score of 85 - here's the link to viewhttps://www.walkscore.com/score/110-e-olive-st-bozeman-mt-59715 ). And I've learned that
you've used the Black Olive as a comparison for the shared vehicle while it had barely been inoperation for a year, so clearly not enough data to determine if it's working or how it will work
in the future.
Having lived in neighboring Westfield Park for over 8 1/2 years, I know the traffic patternsand issues with the intersection at S. 3rd/Wagonwheel/Graf. I understand that a traffic study
was done during the summer, which is so convenient for low numbers as during the schoolyear, that intersection has a lot more traffic. It is unsafe for kids walking or riding their bike to
either of the two nearby schools. I also feel that there should be some type of requirement forthe Co-Housing to provide a sidewalk on their own side of Wagonwheel and connect it to the
intersection of S. 3rd and Graf to make it safer for pedestrians. A roundabout would be a betteroption, but it's unlikely that they would pay for that.
The City seriously needs to require parking as the code was written. This is not an attack on
the Co-Housing Project, it's about all projects moving forward. The growing pains we areexperiencing do not need to be amplified further by creating an unsafe environment and too
few parking spots. It really is baffling that the City cannot require what's written in the code.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Michael Morgner401 Lexington Drive
Bozeman, MT 59715
406.551.0713 m