HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-08-22 Public Comment - A. Hoitsma - Application 21356From:Amy Kelley Hoitsma
To:Agenda
Subject:Application 21356
Date:Tuesday, February 8, 2022 2:29:57 PM
Attachments:City_Commission_RE_Lamme_Rezone.docx
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Honorable Mayor Andrus and Bozeman City Commissioners:
I respectfully disagree with the staff report recommending a zoning change for 217 W LammeStreet, 215 W Lamme Street and 216 N 3rd Avenue (Application 21356). I ask that you
do not approve changing the zoning from R-4 to B-3.
The Bozeman Daily Chronicle published a very thoughtful—and I thought prescient—editorial this past Sunday (6 February). While the subject was ostensibly about parking—and
specifically downtown parking—it really was about the rapid pace of development in ourbeloved city, and whether it is outpacing our ability to service that development with adequate
infrastructure. It was also about whether B-3 development is negatively impacting thecharacter of our neighborhoods:
But is parking really the problem or is it just a symptom? Maybe the commission’s real
problem with downtown is real estate development so rapid it’s outpacing any efforts tocreate more parking. Builders are snapping up every square foot they can and erecting
mid-rises at an almost frantic pace. This while longtime residents look on with dismayas new buildings cast shadows over their homes.
The editorial also pointed out the myth that increasing density downtown will somehow
alleviate sprawl:
But let’s not kid ourselves: Those developers aren’t building out of devotion to smartplanning; they’re making millions.
There is no mystery about what will happen if you rezone this parcel to B-3: it
will immediately be resold to a developer who will seek permits for buildings maximizingthe zone’s mass and height regulations, with commercial spaces on the ground floor and
luxury units above. (Either that, or another 6-story hotel.) We’ve been here before: residents ofthe NE neighborhood asked you not to change the zone to B-3 for the Medical Arts Building
parking lot, knowing full well it would result in a massive development extending well intothe NE neighborhood.
Once this parcel is rezoned as B-3 and a development proposal submitted, the City has very
few tools to shape that development: If it meets code, it will be built. If the City tries to deny,the developer will sue.
But today the Commission has a much more powerful tool to slow the “frantic pace” of B-3
development. It can choose not to approve this zone change in favor of preserving the currentR-4 zoning. At this point in time, there is a huge need for more housing, not more Downtown
commercial spaces and certainly not more “luxury units.”
Please vote no on this zone change request.
With my best,
Amy Kelley Hoitsma
TO: Bozeman City Commission FROM: Amy Kelley Hoitsma 706 E. Peach Street Bozeman MT 59715 RE: 2021 W. Lamme Street Zone Map Amendment to Amend the Zoning Map from R-4 High Density Residential to B-3 Downtown Business District on 0.98 Acres Located at 217 W Lamme Street, 215 W Lamme Street and 216 N 3rd Avenue, Application 21356 DATE: 8 February 2022 Honorable Mayor Andrus and Bozeman City Commissioners: I respectfully disagree with the staff report recommending a zoning change for the above-cited parcel of land. I ask that you do not approve changing the zoning to B-3. The Bozeman Daily Chronicle published a very thoughtful—and I thought prescient—editorial this past Sunday (6 February). While the subject was ostensibly about parking—and specifically downtown parking—it really was about the rapid pace of development in our beloved city, and whether it is outpacing our ability to service that development with adequate infrastructure. It was also about whether B-3 development is negatively impacting the character of our neighborhoods: But is parking really the problem or is it just a symptom? Maybe the commission’s real problem with downtown is real estate development so rapid it’s outpacing any efforts to create more parking. Builders are snapping up every square foot they can and erecting mid-rises at an almost frantic pace. This while longtime residents look on with dismay as new buildings cast shadows over their homes.
The editorial also pointed out the myth that increasing density downtown will somehow alleviate sprawl:
But let’s not kid ourselves: Those developers aren’t building out of devotion
to smart planning; they’re making millions.
There is no mystery about what will happen if you rezone this parcel to B-3: it will immediately be resold to a developer who will seek permits for buildings maximizing the zone’s mass and height regulations, with commercial spaces on the ground floor and luxury units above. (Either that, or another 6-story hotel.) We’ve been here before: residents of the NE neighborhood asked you not to change the zone to B-3 for the Medical Arts Building parking lot, knowing full well it would result in a massive development extending well into the NE neighborhood.
Once this parcel is rezoned as B-3 and a development proposal submitted, the City has very few tools to shape that development: If it meets code, it will be built. If the City tries to deny, the developer will sue. But today the Commission has a much more powerful tool to slow the “frantic pace” of B-3 development. It can choose not to approve this zone change in favor of preserving the current R-4 zoning. At this point in time, there is a huge need for more housing, not more Downtown commercial spaces and certainly not more “luxury units.” Please vote no on this zone change request. With my best, Amy Kelley Hoitsma