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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-27-22 Public Comment - K. Wester - South 3rd Avenue Annexation and ZMA 21161 CommentsFrom:Kimberly Wester To:Agenda Subject:South 3rd Avenue Annexation and ZMA 21161 Comments Date:Thursday, January 27, 2022 9:27:13 PM Attachments:South 3rd Avenue Annexation and ZMA 21161 Comments.pdf CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. 1 January 27, 2022 Dear Mayor and City Commission, RE: South 3rd Avenue Annexation and Zone Map Amendment 21161 The proposed property in consideration for the zone map amendment is currently a single-family home on 1.17- acre parcel next to an historic farm that will eventually become part of the Museum of the Rockies. The proposal to annex and re-zone this property to an R-3 medium-density zoning does not match the R-1 “residential single-household low density” of the adjoining neighborhoods and should not be approved for the following reasons based on the criteria set forth in the Staff Report for the 21161; South 3rd Avenue Annexation and Zone Map Amendment document: 1. The zone map amendment must be in accordance with the growth policy (criteria A): The site-plan proposal shows that as many as eleven units, “lofts” could be built on this property. The projected eleven units and as many as forty-four residents for a very small 1.17-acre parcel does not match the density of the surrounding neighborhoods. The number, height and type of units needs to be drastically reduced. 2. The zone map amendment must be designed to secure safety from fire and other dangers (criteria B): There is only one entrance/exit to this property. With so many residents, what happens when there is an emergency? On such a small parcel, how are multiple emergency vehicles able to park in order to respond to an emergency? There is no mention of a water drainage collection pond or plan for one. Where does the storm water go? The site plan contains several buildings and pavement with minimal greenspace; and with no plan for drainage, the adjacent properties will most likely have flooding problems. 3. The zone map amendment must be designed to promote public health, public safety, and general welfare (criteria C): The existing house was built in the early 1900’s with a septic tank. How will the clean-up of this happen? This site is adjacent to a wetland and Figgins Creek (Fig. 1); how will you ensure that our water and soil isn’t contaminated by this project? Figure 1: Figgins Wetland and Figgins Creek https://gisweb.bozeman.net/Html5Viewer/?viewer=planning 4. The zone map amendment must facilitate the provision of transportation, water, sewage, schools, parks and other public requirements (criteria D): Where is the park land for the proposed 33-44 residents of this property? Are these residents supposed to also share the very small Jarrett Park on Westridge Drive, several blocks away? How is this helping the residents of Bozeman, by not requiring developers to have greenspace and parks for people to recreate? We cannot continue to pile people on top of each other without a space to play. The 21161 Staff Report states that “higher density residential areas are encouraged to be, but are not required or restricted to, proximity to mixed use areas to facilitate the provision of services and employment opportunities without requiring the use of a 2 car.” How many residents in Bozeman don’t have a car? In order to catch the Streamline from this location, you have to walk to the Strand Union Building on campus. While the Streamline has expanded its service, it is not easily accessible to the residents of the Figgins neighborhood, especially older residents who cannot walk to campus easily. Other services and most employers are also not within a walkable distance. It is simply unrealistic to assume that these residents will not have a car, and will bike, walk, or take the bus everywhere. 5. The effect on motorized and non-motorized transportation systems South 3rd Avenue is already a very busy street with Morning Star Elementary and Sacajawea Middle School traffic. A larger development will only add to the congestion. The site plan projects as many as 44 cars in driveways and garages. Where are the additional cars and visitors going to park? Based on existing developments over the years in Bozeman, developers have been allowed to build without adequate parking. These residents and their guests cannot park on South 3rd Avenue and will be forced to park in the surrounding neighborhood on Westridge Drive. Because the entrance to this property is very close to Westridge Drive, the potential for motor vehicle accidents increases. While most of these residents will be turning North across traffic onto South 3rd to go toward town, those that need to turn right cannot be easily seen by motorists turning North onto South 3rd Avenue from Westridge Drive. Both sides of South 3rd Avenue have bike lanes; however, pedestrian lanes are only designated on the east side of the street. The west side of South 3rd Avenue does not have a pedestrian lane, and there is no trail or sidewalk on either side of the street. While the road has been widened in the past, it is still a very scary road to walk/bike on, as many motorists drive too fast, and often aren’t paying attention to pedestrians and bikes. More traffic flow increases the likelihood of accidents involving pedestrians and bikes. 6. Promotion of compatible urban growth Compatible development is defined in BMC Article 38.7: “the use of land and the construction and use of structures which is in harmony with adjoining development, existing neighborhoods . . .” In what way is the proposed plan of two sets of buildings that are up to three stories high, creating a wall of buildings, “in harmony” with the surrounding, “existing” R-1, low density residential neighborhood? A majority of us live in Bozeman because we want to see the beautiful Big Sky, not high-rise buildings obscuring our view of the mountains. The height and number of buildings is not appropriate for this location. Lastly, in the proposed site-plan, there is little indication of any green area, no trees, no lawns, etc. The existing evergreen and willow trees will most likely be cut down and the beautiful entrance to our neighborhood will be destroyed, along with the habitat for birds and our urban deer population. While I recognize that this property needs to be annexed into the city, R-3 zoning that estimates forty-four or more residents on a small 1.17-acre lot is not acceptable. It is also clear that more planning, soil testing and regulation needs to be put in place before this site can be developed. Currently written, this site plan has too many public health and safety red flags, including: the risk of water contamination to neighboring Figgins Creek with the removal of a septic tank; the danger of flooding to adjacent residences because of lack of storm drainage planning; the fact that there is only one entrance to this property, instead of two, hindering emergency response vehicles to easily respond to emergencies; as well as, the negative impact on pedestrian, bike and motorist safety on South 3rd Avenue. The City Commission should reject the R-3 zoning and recommend a reduced zoning of R-1 with increased regulation to ensure the health and safety of the surrounding residents during and following development. Furthermore, does this site plan address the housing needs of existing Bozeman residents and families? Have you asked permanent, working and retired Bozeman residents who need housing what they really want and need? Sincerely, Kim Wester