HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-15-21 Public Comment - M. Casto - Canyon GateFrom:Molly Casto
To:Agenda
Subject:Public Comment (Project No 21337)
Date:Monday, November 15, 2021 5:52:45 PM
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Dear Members of the Zoning and City Commissions,
I am reaching out to share my concerns to offer some perspective to the proposed rezoning of
and development plan for Canyon Gate development (Project No 21337). I previouslysubmitted detailed public comment concerning this project so I will not repeat what I wrote in
my September letter. I did, however, want to follow up with more recent questions andconcerns regarding public safety.
I commute into downtown Bozeman from the Legends Subdivision along Bridger Canyon
Drive multiple times daily both to drop my kids off and to go to the Cannery District where Iown a small business. At least once per day, I am stopped at a train crossing. I have noticed
over the past few years that the amount of train traffic has substantially increased, resulting inmore frequent stops. I’ve also noticed that the frequency of stopped trains blocking all three
crossings at the same time(Story Mill, Rouse and Griffin) has increased. Just a few weeksago, I was stopped for 40 minutes by a train blocking all three crossings simultaneously at the
height of morning rush hour.
While it was inconvenient that my kids were 20 minutes late to school, I appreciate thatlateness is not a life or death situation. I also appreciate that living in the west means dealing
with train crossings. Sitting in traffic that morning, I did get to thinking, however, about life ordeath. The amount of high density development being proposed and approved on the “Canyon
Gate Proposal" side of the tracks will result in thousands of more people, which results inexponentially more potential for emergencies. Canyon Gate is, exponentially, the largest
development being proposed so far and could result in 300-400 units (600-700 more people). What happens if someone has a heart attack or there’s a fire but a train is blocking 100% of
access to this side of town for 40 minutes or more? How can the city justify that they areproviding adequate protection and care of its citizens if they are also approving high density
development in a corner of town that doesn’t have reliable access to emergency services?
It seems to me that the City ha a responsibility to answer to its citizens how they plan toprovide access to consistent emergency service to this area before responsibly promoting
density in this part of the city. I look forward to hearing this discussed at the upcomingmeetings related to this zoning proposal.
Sincerely,
Molly Casto
1451 Maiden Spirit Street. Bozeman, MontanaBozeman resident, small business owner and Hawthorne Elementary parent