HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-25-22 Public Comment - M. Jackson - Opposition to the proposed Sundance Springs Commercial Development, site plan number 22047From:Heather Jackson
To:Agenda
Subject:[SENDER UNVERIFIED]Opposition to the proposed Sundance Springs Commercial Development, site plan number
22047
Date:Monday, October 24, 2022 9:46:37 PM
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To:
Planning DepartmentCity of Bozeman
From:
Marjorie Jackson1201 Highland Blvd. Apt D-210
Bozeman, MT 50715
To whom it may concern:I am writing to express my opposition to the proposed Sundance Springs Commercial
Development, site plan number 22047. I am a senior citizen who has lived and worked inBozeman for 43 years. Nearing the latter stage of life I yearn for time and places conducive to
reflection. Bozeman has a gem of a trail system that offers places of beauty and quiet forcontemplation. At this time of rapid development in Bozeman, unimpinged upon
outdoor places that meet that need for stillness are being encroached upon. Putting an invasive,noisy commercial development next to one of these gems hurts my soul.
While I accept that commercial development on this site is inevitable, I oppose the
development's requested departures from laws describing the City's block frontage standards.BMC 38.510.020.F.1.d states "Departures may be considered provided the location and front
orientation of the buildings are compatible with the character of the area and enhance thecharacter of the street." Site plan 22047 meets neither criterion. Placing large commercial
buildings along the designated open space is not compatible with the tranquil character of thetrail system or surrounding residential neighborhood. Further, an underlying premise of the
Block Frontage Standards is that parking lots along streets cause a visual impact on the street-scape, even if mitigated with a berm (BMC 38.510.030.C.3.c). Proposal 22047 places parking
along the entire South 3rd frontage, on the street corner with Little Horse Drive. It evendegrades the trail user's experience by placing parking along the entire trail system to the east,
without incorporating mitigating landscaping! The plan would therefore degrade the characterof South Third Avenue, not to mention the trails.
The proposed buildings have a higher parking demand than will fit on the site. In the 1996
Findings of Fact and Order of the City Commission, which created the PUD, the CityCommissioners explicitly forbade Neighborhood Services District patrons from parking on the
streets. The requested reduction in parking requirements from 68 spaces to 44 spaces may beallowed under current zoning, but is incompatible with the City Commission's order regarding
this site. I would ask that any development on this site to meet its full parking demand inorder to comply with the Commission's Order.
The site plan fails to live up to the Planned Urban Development governing the site, which
incorporates zoning under the 1992-era B-1 Neighbors Service District, as established by the
Planning Department in its October 1, 2020 Development Review Comments. The PUDtherefore requires a small commercial development, residential in character. When site plan
22047 is weighed against the 1992-era B-1 standard (Chapter 18.28), yard sizes (setbacks) areinadequate, building sizes are too large, parking is inadequate, and the building is designed
specifically to house a disallowed business use (a brewery). Overall the character of thedevelopment fails to meet the legal intent of the 1992-era B-1 zoning law (18.28.010) -- to
maintain the residential character of the area.
I am especially concerned about the provision for large patio space which will support outdoorbusiness uses on the site. The 1992-era B-1 zoning prohibits outdoor business use on the site
as a principal use. I am against any conditional use or other permission that might be grantedby the city that would allow for outdoor business use or alcohol consumption on the site
because such uses are not compatible with the tranquil nature of the open spaces andresidential areas adjacent to the lot. The proposed patios are decidedly incompatible with the
character of the trail system and surrounding neighborhood.
Finally, I would ask that a provision for sidewalks along the South 3rd frontage be enforcedbefore approval of the site plan. This is a requirement of note 5 on the Sundance Spring
Subdivision Phase 1B Final Plat and by the 1996 Findings of Fact and Order of the CityCommission that created the Sundance Springs Subdivision. Allowing development to
proceed without sidewalks defeats the intention of making our city a walkable one.
Please deny application 22047 until such time as the site plan complies with the 1992-erazoning requirements (without conditional uses) and the block frontage standards (without
departure), parking for proposed buildings can be contained on site (as required by the CityCommission), and sidewalks are included on South Third Ave, to keep pedestrians safe as
commercial areas of the city expand outward.
Thanks for considering my comment.Marjorie jackson