HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-19-22 Public Comment - C. Johnson - Don't Foul up FowlerFrom:Carla Peck Johnson
To:Agenda; Carla Peck Johnson; Larry Jasinski
Subject:DON"T FOUL UP FOWLER!
Date:Tuesday, July 19, 2022 10:04:13 PM
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Dear City of Bozeman,
First, I completely agree with everything bornandraised said in her letter on theEngage Bozeman site.
We are impacted nothing but negatively by this Fowler Connection plan because we
live on the corner of Fowler Avenue and Jennifer.
In 2012, I bought a lot in the Fowler subdivision because it was a small, quiet
subdivision and there was even a dead end indicating that there would be little
traffic. Had I known Fowler Avenue was going to go all the way through toBabcock and Oak, I would have bought elsewhere. When looking back today at thesigned papers to purchase the lot in 2012, I see that I was not notified of any intent
to build a street through here. Other cities have prospective property buyers sign
agreements that they understand they will endure negative conditions, i.e., they willbe subject to airplane and jet noise in the area where they purchase. My husbandand I have done this several times in the past. Here, we were all allowed, like
sheep, to buy property on Fowler Avenue by the City, not knowing of any
intentions to make a through street out of Fowler.
The Fowler Trail is used by residents of this entire area of Bozeman, not just those
on Fowler Ave. Keep the existing trail and build the street elsewhere or use an
existing street such as Cottonwood or Ferguson. Cottonwood is plenty big enough
with its' four lanes, turning lane, and bike lane to handle lots of traffic for years tocome. Ferguson has four lanes with immense boulevards and the setbacks provide a
large front yard for the residents.
There is a new 100 room motel being built close to Rosauers. We will have aracetrack from there to Billings Clinic, the businesses in north Bozeman, and Valley
Center Drive. Fowler Connection is a great idea for business owners in the areas
south and north of us. Checking in: 100-room hotel proposed for west Bozeman |City | bozemandailychronicle.com This is not a great idea for the residents on
Fowler. We DO NOT NEED semis or any kind of trucks driving through here! We
do not need vehicles idling and spewing exhaust in our residential neighborhood.
Please refer to bornandraised's letter about health effects.
It is a complete waste of taxpayer dollars to build a BRAND NEW road from Oakto Durston and from the south end of Fowler to Babcock as there are other roads
already meeting up/nearly meeting up with Babcock that can go through to
Huffine. There are also other streets, once again, such as Ferguson and
Cottonwood, that have the ability to carry the traffic for years to come, as stated inbornandraised's letter.
What is the proposed speed limit on Fowler, keeping in mind many children in this
subdivision walk daily to several schools in the area? How about crossings forthese children? What is the big hurry in finishing the Fowler Connection anyway? You also know that the area north of Durston to Oak is a greenbelt where many
deer, pheasants, and other wildlife reside. You will be destroying their habitat and
the residents' enjoyment of seeing them in the area.
The city and businesses are going to selfishly inconvenience 14 households right on
Fowler itself, ruin their front yards (which we all PAID FOR), endanger their
health, uproot trees (which we all paid for,) and dramatically increase noise
pollution. Having already had cancer increases my risk of having another cancer totwice as much as anyone in the general population having a first cancer. Having a
BRCA2 gene mutation increases my cancer risk for several cancers MORE than
twofold, and building a through street will increase my risk even more. Has the
City thought about the health of the residents already living on Fowler? My hunchis no.
We don't need to follow some grid for the sake of a transportation expert's wishes.
We especially don't need to follow how transportation flow is configured back Eastas stated in the June 22, 2022, Transportation Board Meeting. This is Montana,
which is in the WESTERN United States.
In a June 3, 2022, Bozeman Daily Chronicle article, it was stated that DeputyMayor Terry Cunningham said that one option for the remaining parcels of the
right-of-way acquisition for the Fowler project "could be for the city to donate the
land to a developer" to subsidize an affordable housing project. DONATE?? TO A
DEVELOPER?? REALLY?? I know a couple of developers that would be reallyinterested in having those parcels donated to them. If interested, I will give you the
names.
We don't need to sacrifice our neighborhood to satisfy some developer's dream ofestablishing a new road all the way to Hyalite. This is nothing but negative for the
current 14 households already existing on Fowler Avenue. It boils down to the
residents of Fowler get nothing out of the Fowler Connection plan, actually go in
the NEGATIVE, from this "pie-in-the-sky bureaucratic dream."
Just today I learned of a moral code not to disturb the existing built environmentthat the City has honored up to the current time. The City needs to follow this city
rule for Fowler Avenue as well.
Sincerely,
Carla and Larry Jasinski
406 Fowler Avenue
Bozeman, MT 59718