HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-07-22 Public Comment - D. Wales - Feb. 8 Agenda commentsFrom:Doug Wales
To:Agenda
Subject:Feb. 8 Agenda comments
Date:Monday, February 7, 2022 11:57:20 AM
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Dear Commissioners:
My name is Doug Wales and I have been resident of Bozeman for 43 years and have lived on
West Lamme Street for the past 32 years. Having moved to Bozeman to attend Montana StateUniversity in 1978, I have had the opportunity and fortune to grow with this community from
the quiet “cow town” days to an active mountain town haven. Having spent the most of 3decades working in marketing, sales and PR for Bridger Bowl, I also had the privilege to work
and represent, both, Bridger Bowl and Bozeman in many capacities working together increating an economically viable business community. I remember well when serving as a
board member on the DBA when the first Bozeman 2020 plan was introduced. I feel stronglythat the intent behind this plan has been lost in the process. At no time do I remember anyone
suggesting that displacing our Northside neighborhoods with large 5 storyresidential/commercial buildings was our vision for Bozeman future.
Historically, the City of Bozeman was very cautious about preserving our unique sense of
place and valued our downtown neighborhoods. I remember not so many years ago when theDesign Review Board disallowed a Northeast resident to tear down an “historic” outhouse on
their Montana Ave. property for a remodeling project. Now we’ve seen a city blocks raizedfor new developments a few blocks off Main Street. The original affordable housing of
Bozeman is now giving way to developers who are solely bent on making it the high rentdistrict, and make big money in the process.
One of the biggest reasons I stayed working for Bridger Bowl so many years was that I
believed in the many benefits and values a nonprofit community ski area provided theresidents of Bozeman. I watched the joy families had spending time together on the mountain,
not only parents and children, but great-grand parents skiing with their great-grand kids,together. This is what maintaining a sense of culture is all about, 4 generations of one family
with season passes sharing a tradition.This is all now coming to an end. Sadly, my own children who were born and raised in this on
West Lamme St, will likely never be able to afford to live in Bozeman to raise their ownfamily.
The Northside of Bozeman has historically been the working class side of town for our
community. This is where I bought the home I still live in when I first took my job at BridgerBowl. This was the affordable housing side of town. Many families, like mine, purchased
these old and run down homes and invested hundreds of thousands of dollars above andbeyond the purchase price to make our neighborhoods very unique, charming and a great place
to live in walking distance to our shops and restaurants downtown. Now many if not most ofthese families are being pushed out of these neighborhoods, if not by the ridiculously
prohibitive property tax increases, its because of the long shadows cast by these huge 5 story
residential structures encroaching deep into our downtown neighborhoods. Our “one-lane”streets are being over-burdened and our sense of place is rapidly eroding. The mountain town
community that we worked so hard at creating is now devolving into a high-rise suburbancomplex that is counterpoint to what was being sold in Bozeman’s original 2020 plan. This
“mixed-use” commercial designation has become a ruse. The suggestion that quaint, littlecommunity grocery stores and such will become available in easy walking distance is a joke.
Lease space expenses will be prohibitive for businesses selling daily needs. Aren’t officespaces becoming a thing of the past in the Zoom-era? Hasn’t the LEASE SPACE
AVAILABLE sign in the Martel building become a permanent fixture?
Developers are capitalizing on the hard work and major investments me and my neighborshave made to make our neighborhoods attractive to live in. They are exploiting our work for
their capital gain. There is no reason to change the R-4 designation to B-3. There is amblereason to change the B-3 portion of this block into R-4 and maintain the character of our
neighborhoods. There are plenty of locations close to downtown Bozeman that need capitalinvestment. North 7th provides ample options. The old KMart footprint would be a great
location for a residential park. The old Gibsons (Dollar Store) is an abandoned commercialspaces within the city limits. These spaces should be required to be filled and developed
before ever considering moving into healthy neighborhoods.
With all the development taking place on North Willson, a West Lamme Park would providea much needed outdoor space for our all our new high-rise neighbors.
Please vote NO on approving this change of designation.
Thank you.
Doug Wales
323 West Lamme StBozeman, MT