HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-19-23 Public Comment - B. Talarico - Urban Sprawl Prevention Gallatin High School
`/o Elaine Warn
4455 Annie Street
Bozeman MT, 59718
Mar 8, 2023
Bozeman City Commision
121 N. Rouse Ave
Bozeman, MT 59715
Dear Bozeman City Commission,
I hope you all are doing well, my name is Braden Talarico, I'm a junior at Gallatin High School
and I'm writing to express my concern as well as offer some solutions to zoning issues and urban
sprawl facing Bozeman. Urban sprawl problems are a direct cause from outdated zoning when
many cities were zoned in the 1960's-1970's when urban sprawl was not a huge problem. During
the 1960's the United States saw a large rise of the suburbs and the increase of the typical single
family house on a quarter acre. This may have been a good idea then when populations were low
but now with Bozeman's population growing very fast and closing in on 55,000 residents the
typical single family home can't be sustained to also save the reason people move here: wide
open spaces and the mountains.
Uncontrolled urban sprawl in Bozeman is happening at a rapid pace. This is happening for a
multitude of reasons, zoning issues, housing prices, as well as in town short term rentals. These
reasons are affecting Montanans all across the state but especially in Bozeman as it is a gateway
for a lot of people to Yellowstone, Big Sky, our surrounding fisheries, and our amazing public
lands. In order to preserve the reasons a lot of people visit our city we have to grow responsibly.
This includes making our surrounding municipalities their own towns and such, not just "suburbs
of Bozeman" a.k.a. Bozangeles. With all that being said I'd like to offer my own suggestions to
this urban sprawl problem.
According to a mixed use planning sheet used by many cities all around the nation from the
Metropolitan Area Planning Council, "Benefits (of mixed use zoning) include the preservation of
undeveloped or environmentally sensitive land elsewhere in the community, opportunities for
more or different housing,bicycle and pedestrian-friendly destinations, and an enhanced sense of
place or sense of community.' If we zone areas all around Bozeman as well as the Gallatin Valley
for mixed use zoning every surrounding town, Four Corners, Belgrade, Valley Center, will all
have the nightlife and community feel of downtown Bozeman on a Saturday night. Imagine every
surrounding city having their own Christmas stroll that will increase the income of all the towns,
not just Bozeman, allowing more people to spread out throughout these different towns
depending on where they want to visit as tourists or how much of a City vs Small town they want
to experience. Not only will this help with a community feel but it will also allow us to cut down
on carbon emissions as a whole. If everyone lives in these mixed use areas where residents can
live above their favorite store, grocery store, or restaurant there will be much less to no driving
long distances to get a pizza at Bridger Brewing or a burger at Backcountry Burger. On that note,
our economy and workforce will grow with the lure of commuting being minimal to and from
work. This will be the case because it will be right in your apartment complex as well as an
outdoor store for new skis or a grocery store for some fresh produce from the surrounding farms
that we save from urban sprawl as we grow up and not out.
E I appreciate your consideration and time with reading my proposal for saving our valley and city
from becoming Bozangeles and remaining the place we all want it to be.
Sincerely,
Braden Talarico
Email: bntalarico@icloud.com