HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-11-22 Public Comment - M. Butynski - Opposition to the FAC projectFrom:Melissa Butynski
To:Agenda
Subject:Opposition to the FAC project
Date:Monday, July 11, 2022 8:48:55 AM
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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 5-lane or 3-lane paved road
system through what is largely a greenspace corridor abhorrent. 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.
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.
Please consider the impact this project will have on the well-being of Bozeman's diminishing
natural environment and current and future residents.
From a vehemently FAC-opposed Valley Dr. resident,
Melissa Butynski