HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-28-22 Public Comment - M. Kaveney - The Silo Annexation and ZMA 21442From:Marcia Kaveney
To:Agenda
Subject:The Silo Annexation and ZMA #21442
Date:Thursday, April 28, 2022 1:19:05 PM
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Dear Commissioners and Mayor Andrus-
I am writing in regards to the Silo Annexation and ZMA application and in response to Mr.
Saunders' quote in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle on 4/26,2022.
Respectfully, I disagree with Mr. Saunders assertion that this is a "very ordinary annexationand zoning at this point." I would like to offer another perspective.
According to the city's own studies, we are nearing a water supply crisis. On top of all therecent annexations of county land, annexation of a property of this size could addhundreds of new market rate homes to an already stressed future water supply. This is
not the time to be expanding city limits to accommodate over 100 acres of new housing andcommercial properties. One of the main goals of the growth policy was to annex areas that are
already completely surrounded by city land. This does not fit that description.
Annexing this property into city limits promotes the very sprawl the city commissiondeclares it is trying to stop.
Immediately to the north is the highway, railroad track, Frontage Road, and Valley CenterDrive- all barriers to an actual contiguous connection to the awkward thumb of city land to the
north. And while it may be contiguous to a very small slice of city land to the east, that land iscurrently undeveloped. The application narrative is misleading, this property does notcurrently adjoin any developed city property! It is contiguous only on paper.
This is not a simple infill project. I have linked the city map below and you will see that theannexation of this property, at this time, will create a 'croissant', if you will, of empty and
unannexed land, and exacerbate the problems the city already has with 'donuts' of county landwithin its perimeters. We do not need it! There is plenty of empty land already within city
limits that will ultimately be developed.
https://gisweb.bozeman.net/Html5Viewer/?viewer=planning
While I appreciate what this applicant is doing with the old dry cleaning building downtown,this proposal strikes me as a land grab of good agricultural land lying outside the city limits
and far from other developed areas. It will add to the sprawl the same way the location ofCJMS did, will contribute to many more car trips/day, and according to the application willnot be contributing any affordable housing.
So what's in it for the city? Nothing. It'll be a drain on the water supply with nothing inreturn. This is the time to say NO to annexations like this that will not contribute anything
needed to our town. You are not beholden to this applicant and you can and in my opinion'should" say no to this annexation due to the stress it will put on our water system, the
inadequate adjoining of developed city property, and lack of any benefits to the city of
Bozeman.
Thank you,
Marcia Kaveney1496 Boylan Rd
Bozeman