HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-12-23 Public Comment - M. Harris - Housing Costs Myles Harris `•
4455 Annie st
Bozeman MT 59718
4/17/23
Bozeman City Commission
121 N Rouse
Bozeman MT 59715
Dear City commission,
My name is Myles Harris of Gallatin High School and Today this paper will be addressing the rising
prices in Bozeman and the problems linked to this drastic issue. It's 2013 your family is looking for a
home, after a long search they settle on one that fits them perfectly. They end up paying the average
price of 275,000 dollars. Fast forward 10 years later and the hunt for a bozeman home looks a lot
different. Not only have the prices risen 56 percent (795k avg home cost) but due to bozeman's rapid
population growth, the options are scarce. Ultimately due to prices and population rising it also leads
another statistic to have measurable leaps in numbers, and that statistic is the homeless population. The
reason a growing homeless population can affect our city in a negative way is because with little
opportunity and little hope members of homeless communities often resort to crime of all sorts. This is
one of the many examples of the negative effects of a high homeless population and it's important we try
our best to work on resolving this issue so that people stuck in the cycle of poverty can climb out.
One solution that would be beneficial to look into would be building more affordable housing. Not just
build affordable houses, but build them in areas where it would make sense. For example, building a lot
of affordable homes right next to a neighborhood of million dollar homes would not only not make sense
but could also cause issues with those already residing in that particular area. For example, people who
have lived in the community a for Ion time could have issues with the construction process In building
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these affordable homes right next to where they live. As a matter of fact my neighborhood is currently
undergoing the construction of new houses and every single morning is chaos. Waking up to the sounds
of machines and clanks from hammers is never a great alarm clock. Instead, look at building affordable
houses in a space somewhat empty and not near any specific neighborhood, or in other words just
create a new neighborhood. This would avoid any issues with community members and ultimately do a
much better job of making everyone happy. But regardless of the terms in which we build affordable
homes, it is something that must be done to hopefully dwindle the homeless population down and
ultimately make bozeman a happier and safer place as it continues to grow exponentially. Research has
proven that with very few affordable homes, America's economy winds up costing 2 trillion dollars a year
in lower wages and productivity. Wlth little affordable housing families have smaller opportunities to
increase their earnings and ultimately this causes a lower GDP. So with that being said, affordable
homes are a top of the list thing we must handle in order to help not only the city but the country as a
whole. Thank you for taking the time to read my letter!
Sincerely,
Myles Harris