HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-31-22 Public Comment - R. Dolan - Proposed Sundance Springs Commercial DevelopmentFrom:Richard Dolan
To:Agenda
Subject:Proposed Sundance Springs Commercial Development
Date:Monday, October 31, 2022 12:31:15 PM
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To whom it may concern:
I am writing to express my opposition to the proposed Sundance Springs Commercial
Development, site plan number 22047.
While I accept that commercial development on this site is inevitable, I oppose thedevelopment'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 frontorientation of the buildings are compatible with the character of the area and enhance the
character of the street." Site plan 22047 meets neither criterion. Placing large commercialbuildings along the designated open space is not compatible with the tranquil character of the
trail system or surrounding residential neighborhood. Further, an underlying premise of theBlock 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 parkingalong the entire South 3rd frontage, on the street corner with Little Horse Drive. It even
degrades 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 character
of South Third Avenue, not to mention the trails.
The proposed buildings have a higher parking demand than will fit on the site. In the 1996Findings of Fact and Order of the City Commission, which created the PUD, the City
Commissioners explicitly forbade Neighborhood Services District patrons from parking on thestreets. The requested reduction in parking requirements from 68 spaces to 44 spaces may be
allowed under current zoning, but is incompatible with the City Commission's order regardingthis site. I would ask that any development on this site to meet its full parking demand in
order to comply with the Commission's Order.
The site plan fails to live up to the Planned Urban Development governing the site, whichincorporates 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 and
residential areas adjacent to the lot. The proposed patios are decidedly incompatible with thecharacter of the trail system and surrounding neighborhood.
Finally, I would ask that a provision for sidewalks along the South 3rd frontage be enforced
before approval of the site plan. This is a requirement of note 5 on the Sundance SpringSubdivision Phase 1B Final Plat and by the 1996 Findings of Fact and Order of the City
Commission that created the Sundance Springs Subdivision. Allowing development toproceed 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-era
zoning requirements (without conditional uses) and the block frontage standards (withoutdeparture), parking for proposed buildings can be contained on site (as required by the City
Commission), and sidewalks are included on South Third Ave, to keep pedestrians safe ascommercial areas of the city expand outward.
Thanks for considering my comment.
Dick Dolan
3300 Sundance DriveBozeman, MT 59715