HomeMy WebLinkAbout018 Project Objective4515 Valley Commons Drive #201, Bozeman Montana 59718 P: 406.585.4161 F: 406.585.6919
www.bechtlearchitects.com
February 17, 2023
Statement of Objective
Shady Glen Planned Unit Development (PUD)
Planned Unit Development Preliminary Plan - PUDP
Subdivision Preliminary Plat Application - PP
Shady Glen PUD - Objective.
The Shady Glen PUD looks to create a distinctive single-family development within an existing zoned R-1
district. As part of its overall planning paradigm, the proposal looks to align many of the proposed
design elements with Bozeman’s Community Plan (2009) and 2020 Community Plan goals and
objectives. The intent is to transform a once landlocked and neglected county island property into an
exceptional residential infill neighborhood community while preserving over half of the site as a wildlife
refuge.
In accordance with the City Planning goals and City Commission objectives, the site has been annexed
into the city of Bozeman boundaries which eliminated a county island. The Owner has also taken efforts
to clean the property of debris and homeless encampments as well as performed other land restoration
measures.
The proposed development looks to create a community consisting of 16 single-family residential lots,
inclusive of 2 affordable townhomes, and to permanently protect over half the site as a wetland and
wildlife refuge. The overall intent is to promote affordability, quality and choice while emphasizing
Bozeman’s unique character and lifestyle, ultimately resulting in a residential neighborhood that will
preserve existing natural habitat, encourage connection to the outdoors, and invoke a residential
character supportive of the City of Bozeman values. The design concept for the Shady Glen PUD:
creates a residential infill project within the project site that preserves existing wildlife habitat.
develops approximately 4.74 acres of the 11.87-acre site, inclusive of infrastructure, into a
low-density R-1 neighborhood consisting of 14 single family residential lots and 2 voluntarily
provided affordable townhomes, at a Net Residential Density of 5.36.
Provides a transition between adjacent Commercial zoning and adjacent existing parks and
residential developments.
Preserves and protects approximately 7.13 acres (60 percent of the total site) into a prime
riparian habitat and wildlife refuge directly adjacent to and connects to the Glen Lake Rotary
Park and trail system - essentially becoming an extension of the park.
Shady Glen PUD – Statement of Objective August 22, 2022
Planned Unit Preliminary Plan
Subdivision Preliminary Plat
Page 2
Figure 1: Shady Glen PUD project site is bounded by commercial development off Commercial Drive to
the south, residential development to the east off Birdie Drive, Boylan Road to the northeast, Bridger
Creek Home Owners Association Park to the north and Glen Lake Rotary Park to the west.
a. Bozeman Community Plan Objectives.
1. See Narrative pages 4, 5, and 6 for summary.
b. Ownership
1. The Shady Glen PUD will be administered by the Shady Glen Homeowners Association
(HOA). Homesites will be purchased, owned, and maintained by individual entities
subject to the Covenants and By Laws of the HOA. Ownership and maintenance of the
HOA open space including the wildlife refuge will be administered by the HOA.
c. Business, Commercial, and Industrial uses. – Not applicable to the PUD
d. Assumptions and rational of choice. See Narrative and Project History.
e. Design Criteria – 38.430.090.E
1. NA
2. Evaluation Criteria
Response to UDC Section 38.430.090.E.2.a: PUD Review Objectives and Criteria
1.Does The development comply with city design standards?
The proposed Shady Glen PUD will be connected to and be served by City utilities. The
proposed development is near the proposed public safety center (fire station) and response
time is expected to be under 2 minutes. Additionally, the developer looks to enhance and
Shady Glen PUD – Statement of Objective August 22, 2022
Planned Unit Preliminary Plan
Subdivision Preliminary Plat
Page 3
exceed city requirements by creating and dedicating 7.13 acres as a wildlife refuge. The streets
will be designed and constructed to meet city standards with some relaxations for right of way
width, parking and pedestrian facilities, as noted in the Relaxation Request section of this
application. Appropriate easements for streets, utilities, emergency access, and trails are
provided. See list of relaxations for additional information.
2.Does the project preserve or replace existing natural vegetation?
The developer looks to enhance and exceed city requirements by preserving approximately
7.13 acres as a wildlife refuge with woodland and wetland habitat. In addition, the developer
plans to incorporate requirements for natural, sustainable, and local vegetation into the
development design guidelines. The Design Guidelines will include a list of recommended plant
species for all trees, perennials and shrubs that are either native to the region or adapted to our
climate and growing zone. Drought tolerant plants will be recommended for most locations on-
site with the exception of wet areas where it will make sense to have plants that tolerate wet
roots. Plants will be selected for diversity of size, canopy, color and seasonal interest for both
the purposes of providing habitat and visual interest.
3.Do the elements of the site plan create a cohesive PUD?
The Applicant has incorporated comments obtained from City representatives and the general
public through various meetings held throughout the process. Changes were made to the
placement and size of the lots, roads, sidewalks, wildlife refuge. The applicant has worked with
adjacent property owners and the City to resolve access and easement issues on this central
infill project. The project will provide emergency access through an easement to Commercial
Drive as recommend by the Fire Department; it will also protect sensitive areas within and
adjacent to the East Gallatin River’s 100-year floodplain. In addition, the applicant will establish
a maintenance agreement between the HOA and adjacent Owners along the easement to
Commercial Drive to maintain the emergency access year-round, both within and outside the
property boundary. The site layout protects the wetlands and wildlife habitats, while providing
safe and convenient access. Relaxations are requested to accommodate existing site conditions
imposed on the site by previous development of surrounding properties, and to provide
additional improvements above and beyond the City UDC requirements, to create a superior
environment, exceed the requirements of the code standards, and create an excellent living
environment within the Bozeman community.
4.Does the design and arrangement of site elements contribute to reduction of energy use?
Design Regulations and Guidelines encourage sustainable design practices. Shady Glen
encourages designers, builders, and owners to utilize best practices in construction of energy
efficient, environmentally friendly, and sustainable buildings when developing homes within the
subdivision. Building sustainable homes not only saves money in the long run, but also reduces
your impact on the environment and promotes a healthy and vibrant community.
Site development should include, but not be limited to utilizing materials and resources in a
responsible manner, implementation of right sized building systems, locally sourced,
sustainable, and/or recycle materials where appropriate and economically feasible, energy star
appliances, water conservation methods, drought tolerant landscapes, and other measures
currently endorsed or required by the City.
Shady Glen PUD – Statement of Objective August 22, 2022
Planned Unit Preliminary Plan
Subdivision Preliminary Plat
Page 4
5.Does the site plan maximize privacy for the residents?
The applicant has made adjustments and modifications with respect to lots, roads and trails to
better accommodate privacy, efficiency and limit impacts to the overall site including the
wetlands. The arrangement of lots and roads is consistent with recommendations and
discussions with city representatives and advisors to the project. See narratives for additional
information and details. Landscaping will be used as a visual barrier between Shady Glen Lane
and the existing Village Greens Townhouses. In addition, the design guidelines, encourage
and outline use of privacy fencing and landscape design elements which can be utilized to
create privacy for individual lots, homes and users of the recreational amenities.
6.Does the design provide an area of parkland or open space?
The applicant will dedicate over 7.13 acres (60 percent of the site) as a protected wildlife refuge
and will provide additional open space and recreational space. This dedicated area exceeds the
city requirement per section 38.420.020 and table 38.420.020.A. The required dedication is .03
acres based on the maximum required dedication per acre of 10 Dwellings for R-1 (10 dwellings
x .03 acres). The applicant is providing 7.13 acres of wildlife refuge and 0.65 acres of open space
which far exceeds the requirements for even 16 dwellings (16 dwellings x .03 = 0.48 acres). In
addition, the developer will provide a play area and gathering area accessible by trails at the
southeast end of the wildlife refuge. The dedication of this property to open space
demonstrates Shady Glen efforts to create a superior environment, exceed the requirements of
the code standards, and create an excellent living environment within the Bozeman community.
7.Performance Points
Performance Points categorize different ways in which the proposed development exceeds
standard subdivision requirements. In our calculations below, we include points for two
affordable homes, or single-family dwellings. Since the code requiring affordable homes is no
longer enforceable due to changes in state law, we are proposing to include these homes
voluntarily. Bridger Center LLC will not be the designated home builder; we are again working
with Greg Straton of Kilday Stratton. Plans of the proposed homes are already designed and are
included with our submittal. As the Bozeman City code has not yet established the process to
voluntarily provide affordable housing, we are submitting our PUD with the intent of working
out the details of how this is to be done, with the assistance of Kilday Stratton, the City Planning
Department, and City Economic Development. Once the process and details are agreed upon,
we will integrate them into the PUD submittal and the entire project including the affordable
homes will end up in front of the City Commission for approval. We hope to be the first
developer to provide affordable home voluntarily and that this process may serve as a template
for future affordable homes.
The Shady Glen PUD earns credit for the following performance points, under UDC
Section 38.430.090.E.2.a.7 (listed by applicable sub-paragraph).
a. Of Shady Glen’s 16 residential lots, the Applicant proposes to provide affordable
single-family dwellings on two lots (12.5% of the 16 lots), by long term contractual
obligation to an affordable housing agency. Under item (ii), this correlates to 12.5% x
3 points per lot = 37.5 performance points.
Shady Glen PUD – Statement of Objective August 22, 2022
Planned Unit Preliminary Plan
Subdivision Preliminary Plat
Page 5
b. Shady Glen’s non-public open space will be platted as Common Open Spaces 03 and 04.
These areas total 7.13 acres out of the project’s total area of 11.87 acres, or
60.07 percent. Under item (i), this correlates to 1 x 60.07% = 60.07 performance points.
Shady Glen’s public open space will be platted as Common Open Spaces 01, 02 and 04.
These areas total 0.65 acres out of the project’s total area of 11.87 acres, or 5.48 percent.
Under item (i), this correlates to 1¼ x 5.48% = 6.85 performance points.
h. Shady Glen will incorporate integrated and coordinated way-finding measures such as
directional and educational sign boards or posts. This correlates to 4.00 performance
points.
The above calculations result in a total of 108.42 PUD Performance Points earned. The
dedication of this property to open space and the exceptional value of the point total (5.4 times
the required 20 points) demonstrates the Applicant’s efforts to create a superior environment,
exceed the requirements of the code standards, and create an excellent living environment
within the Bozeman community. We are proud to say that it is likely that the 108.42 points
would be the highest PUD point total ever for a PUD in Bozeman, and the ratio of PUD
performance points to relaxations (108.42/6 = 18.1) is likely to be the highest ever for a PUD
in Bozeman as well!
8.Is the development being properly integrated into development and circulation patterns of
adjacent and nearby neighborhoods?
The development will correct the isolation imposed on this property by decisions made over the
years that resulted in very limited access and easement connections to adjacent properties. The
applicant has made exemplary efforts to incorporate comments obtained from the City
representatives through various meetings. The modifications suggested and discussed with city
representatives including placement of the lots, roads, sidewalks, wildlife refuge, and wetlands
have been incorporated. The project will provide a gated emergency access and will address
sensitive lands as stated elsewhere in this application. As noted in this and the original
documents, the applicant has worked with adjacent property owners and the City to resolve
access and easement issues. The site layout meets UDC code requirements where applicable
and relaxations are requested where necessary to protect and enhance the wetlands and
wildlife habitats, provide safe and convenient access and improve the property with respect to
the City Community Plan. Relaxations are requested to accommodate existing site conditions
imposed on the lot by previous development of surrounding properties and to provide
additional improvements above and beyond the City UDC, creating a superior new residential
infill development.