HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-21-21 Public Comment - C. Ebelke - Canyon GateFrom:Cathy Ebelke
To:Agenda
Subject:PUBLIC COMMENT REGARDING CANYON GATE ANNEXATION and ZONING for 21 Dec 2021 CITY COMMISSION
MEETING
Date:Tuesday, December 21, 2021 12:00:27 PM
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Dear Honorable Bozeman City Commissioners:
As a fully employed resident and co-owner of our home at 1280 Story Mill Road
for over 21 years, I would like to voice my very strong opposition to the
development-related zoning proposals requested by HomeBase Partners.
As eloquently articulated in hundreds of public comments made to the Zoning Commission
during the Thanksgiving week meeting last month, and those submitted for the Christmas-
week City Commission meeting this month, there are numerous grave issues with the scale
and nature of the proposed development as it currently stands. I would like to make it
abundantly clear that as close neighbors to the parcel in question we have always assumed
the land would be developed. I am not against development of that parcel and I am in fact
in favor of annexation of the parcel to the City of Bozeman.
Our land is immediately adjacent to the Legends subdivision and we had an extremely
positive experience with Brownstone Development who was responsible for creating
Legends. We were directly approached multiple times for our input as immediate neighbors,
as were many of our other neighbors at the time, and out input was sought regarding the
nature of the development and very significantly regarding the creation of usable and
habitat-preserving open space. We were asked and our voices were heard. The experience
still resonates as one of mutual respect and consideration.
Nothing could be farther from this experience than the way Mr. Hollaran and his associates
have treated us as future neighbors and collaborators in this process. None of us who are
not within the actual subdivisions (as well as many of those who are within those
developments have ever been approached or contacted or in any way given notice or an
opportunity for input on their extraordinarily inappropriate plans for this parcel; however he
stated publicly in the recent Zoning Commission that he had in fact sought input and that
we as a group were driven by fear and afraid to even consider or discuss development. In
that same meeting his representatives (who did not identify themselves as such but it was
learned later that they were in fact just that) also called us NIMBYs, directly stating that we
didn't want development in our vicinity - again, not at all true. His representative from
Chicago also stated at that meeting that we needed more retail closer to our homes -
nothing could be farther from the truth, and there were many comments challenging her
absurd projections.
I am attempting to make the point here that, as with many of Mr. Hollaran's projects in
Bozeman and Missoula, this proposed development could have been approached in a very
different way and these contentious issues could have been completely avoided.
The proposed development is in appropriate and endangers our safety in multiple realms.
As an actively employed Physician Assistant for over 25 years, and an EMT prior to that, the
infrastructure on Story Mill Road and Bridger Drive is already overburdened and could
never, even with modifications, handle the very significant increase in population this
project would bring.
HomeBase is reportedly seeking to "buy out" the required open space / green space. This is
unacceptable on multiple levels.
HomeBase has not even tried to present this as a project that would offer any affordable
housing whatsoever. This is shameful and inappropriate. This would not "diversify housing
options" as they and their representatives stated in the zoning meeting but rather would
simply add MORE high-end housing for those who could afford it and likely for many people
who have multiple homes here.
I echo the concerns expressed by others who are against this project and have submitted
comments, including my own for the ZOning Commission meeting. PLEASE DO NOT LET THE
DEVELOPER MAKE THESE DECISIONS! PLEASE CONSIDER THESE CONCERNS WE HAVE
CAREFULLY and let's develop this parcel in an appropriate way in harmony with the
Community Plan!
Thank you so much for your consideration and time,
Sincerely,
Catherine Ebelke
1280 Story Mill Road
Bozeman, Montana 59715
406-599-1727