HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-11-22 Public Comment - J. Butynski - Opposition to the FAC projectFrom:Jake Butynski
To:Agenda
Subject:Opposition to the FAC project
Date:Monday, July 11, 2022 10:22:57 AM
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I appreciate your time to read this email in its entirety. Apologies for the length. It is only
intended to be constructive.
I am writing to voice my opposition to the city’s Fowler Ave Connection (FAC) road project. As
a local resident who uses the greenspace corridor daily, I find the proposition to extend
Fowler Ave from Oak Street to Babcock Street by building a paved road system through what
is largely a greenspace corridor damaging, unnecessary and focused on aggressive city growth
over the well-being of existing residents and environment of the area.
I do not live close enough to have direct impact from the project to my neighborhood. I am a
practicing engineer trained to be both as unbiased as possible and critical of tradeoffs and
realize that these decisions are complex and difficult.
I have lived in the area for multiple years. In my years driving, biking and walking between
Huffine/ Main street, local neighborhoods and Oak street on a daily basis I have never felt the
need for this connection (by car) nor observed any congestion due to the lack of it. I have,
however, observed how beneficial it has been as an undisturbed walking and bike corridor for
many citizens. With the Ferguson connection mere blocks west of Fowler it appears that the
FAC project is aimed solely at destroying some of Bozeman's last remaining ecologically
connected spaces in favor of rampant development. I have not seen sufficient evidence nor
documentation to justify this connection and yet the detrimental effects, cost and opposition
from Bozeman residents are strong and clear.
Has a clear traffic assessment and simulation been performed for this connector and are the
simulation results publicly available? There seems to be risk of the shorter, direct corridor
redirecting currently dispersed traffic and opening a risk of what is called Braess's paradox, a
known scenario where a change in concentration of traffic on a shorter route actually
increases congestion due to typical driver behavior. I imagine the engineers involved are
familiar.
The Oak Street-to-Babcock Street greenspace corridor is a subsection of Bozeman’s 122-year-
old (circa 1900) Section Line Ditch Corridor (SLDC), which over 20 years ago was found to be
ecologically important to native Montana plants (e.g., cottonwood trees) and wildlife (e.g.,
migratory birds). The ecological importance of the SLDC was documented in a 2001 study
titled Habitat and Wetland Assessment: Section Line Ditch Corridor, Bozeman, MT
(https://weblink.bozeman.net/WebLink/DocView.aspx?
id=262180&dbid=0&repo=BOZEMAN). The study was published by a Bozeman-
based environmental consulting firm, with a cover letter written by a Bozeman-based ecology
professor. Moreover, the study was commissioned by Bozeman residents in response to the
city’s early plans to build a road through the SLDC. 20 years later residents are still opposed to
this project.
The city should be focused on mitigating the impact of development through traffic reduction
provisions that encourage the use of public transit and working to create more, and safer, bike
lanes. This is something I, as a Bozeman resident, would strongly support. If this cost could be
channeled towards improving Bozeman's bicycle path network I feel we could all see the
benefit in a more profound way.
Please consider the impact this project will have on the well-being of Bozeman's diminishing
natural environment and current and future residents.
From an FAC-opposed Valley Dr. resident,
Jake Butynski
Happy to share my number below if there is interest of future discussion or any way I can
support the decision process. I would also be happy to share any input if valuable as a
engineer, product manager and urban cycling advocate with the whole of my career in the
bicycle industry internationally.
480-278-0551