HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-16-22 Public Comment - M. Kaveney - Northeast Urban Renewal Board stop luxury home subsidiesFrom:Marcia Kaveney
To:Agenda
Subject:To:Northeast Urban Renewal Board/ stop luxury home subsidies
Date:Wednesday, March 16, 2022 9:08:01 AM
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Dear NURB Board members-
Last month the Northeast Urban Renewal Board recommended subsidizing the Wildlands Luxury Condo development with $500,000 in TIF monies and the City Commission
approved it. As I'm sure you know homes here start at $1.5 million+ as there was no secret. It was not a case of the city commission not being able to "control" rental and sale prices as
they like to remind the public. I understand this approval was due in part to a promise of 3 attainable housing units at some indefinite time in the future. As a member of the founding
Northeast Urban Renewal Planning Board, I was very disappointed to learn of this recent "gift" . I believe it goes against the very things the planning board was hoping to accomplish
by further catapulting land and home prices into unattainable levels. That neighborhood was traditionally one of the most affordable and now due to gifts like this it is quickly
becoming one of the least.
Please do not use any more of the TIF dollars to subsidize luxury homes. If this was done to help Finks and Wild Crumb, you can count on developers wanting to help them as they
are their "anchor" businesses without which the location is less appealing. Please limit the subsidies to ONLY affordable housing projects in the future and no additional commercial
until we no longer have staffing or impending water issues. No matter how many boxes a proposal checks on the 2020 Growth Policy/ Bozeman Community Plan- remember that the
Plan is only a guide and not a regulatory document (per Greg Sullivan) and can flex with current circumstances such as our staffing, housing, and water needs. It is my belief that
more commercial spaces will just bring more staffing and then housing shortages and the cycle will continue.
If you agree with me, please discontinue the practice of recommending subsidies for luxury
units and note it in your upcoming work plan.
Thank you for your time,
Marcia Kaveney1496 Boylan Rd.
Bozeman