HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-28-22 Public Comment - R. Weber - Six Range Condo Project Comments (Application 21235)From:Raymond Weber
To:Lynn Hyde; Agenda
Subject:Six Range Condo Project Comments (Application 21235)
Date:Thursday, July 28, 2022 11:01:03 PM
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This letter is in regard to the proposed Six Range Condominium project (Application 21235).
With the development as a whole, I have the following concerns:
The height of the six range structures is not compatible with the height of the neighbors. At2-4x the height of the surrounding structures (4-stories + roof decks, so effectively 5 stories),these buildings will dwarf the existing neighbors, and are not compatible and will overwhelmthe existing neighborhoods in opposition to Bozeman Project Design Division 38.500.010D. Asmany recent high density infill projects have shown around the valley, 3 story structures,while already significantly taller than the neighbors in this area, would be sufficiently dense toprovide housing density. Even the developer has publicly made comments to this scale of thisstructure being out-of-line with the area.The use of “Money in Leu of Parkland” and other such programs the developer is utilizing alsoclearly shows the development is simply too dense for the properly in question. Thedeveloper appears to be foisting the cost of the parks, facilities and the availability of streetparking that will be needed by the residents of such a development onto the neighboringassociations and neighborhoods. This is not helpful to anyone and will result in long-termtensions with this development.
As Building A (Hanley and Babcock) is the large building nearest to my condo, I have the following
particularized concerns with it:
In its revised location, the height of this building will severely shade Babcock and Hanleyduring the winter months. This will result in auto accidents and injuries at this intersection,far more so then in its earlier location angled behind the tri-plex units.The height of this building is incompatible with its surrounding structures. As IconApartment’s, and other developments in Bozeman have shown possible, infill structuresshould not tower 3 stories over their extant neighbors. This building should be restricted to amaximum of 2-3 stories. Even at this size it would be around a 6x larger structure thananything else in the vicinity and overpower the neighborhood in opposition to the statedzoning standards.
Finally, as for the meeting on the 18th, this really should be considered to not be in-line with
Montana Open Meeting Laws. Notice of this meeting was sent to residents on the 15th and didn’t
arrive until after the meeting was held. As such, the Community Advisory Board meeting really
should be re-noticed such that residents have an opportunity to participate. It’s hardly surprising it
was reported that there was little opposition, as practically none of the affected neighbors were
aware the meeting was occurring.
While I do believe that infill development is needed on this lot, the development as planned is simply
not compatible with the existing neighborhoods. I fear it will instead be an “odd/out of place block”
that I will be viewed as a mistake for decades to come. It is vastly out of scale and the brutalist
architectural design language is in opposition to the 30 years of development in this portion of
town. As the final infill in the area, approving something so out of place simply does not make
sense. This is a textbook case for the existence of 35.500.010D and other zoning standards, to
prevent mistakes such as this from occurring, and the City and Developers should take this
opportunity to modify the plan to make it something that it excites the neighbors and adds and will
further enhances our community as other recent developments (such as ICON Apartments and CT
Condos) have done.
Sincerely,
Raymond Weber, PhD