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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-26-23 Public Comment - R. & N. Planalp - 1801 & 1805 Willow Way Annexation, App 23016May 25, 2023 City Commission City of Bozeman 121 North Rouse Avenue Bozeman1 MT 59715 Ladies and Gentlemen: J. ROBERT PLANALP NANCY S. PLANALP 1719 WILLOW WAY BOZEMAN, MT 59715 Robert and Nancy Planalp are protesting the "Annexation and Initial Zone Map Amendment" for 1805 and 1801 Willow Way, Bozeman, MT 59715, Tract 7 and 8 of Beatty's Subdivision, S13, T02S, ROSE. In 1988, we purchased our home at 1719 Willow \Vay, which lies immediately north, adjacent to Tracts 7 and 8 of Beatty's Subdivision. We raised five children in our home. At the time of our purchase and for years afterwards, Willow Way was a dirt road with only a right-hand tum onto Kagy, which was also a dirt road. There was no Kagy east of Willow Way until the intersection of South 11th and Kagy. There was very little traffic on Willow Way and little to no noise. Traffic Once Kagy Boulevard was co1:istructed from South 11 th to South 19th Street, the traffic on Willow Way greatly increased. At the comer of Lincoln and South 19th Street there is a right tum only :;ign, which prevents students, MSU professors and other drivers from turning left off Lincoln onto South 19th . Consequently, drivers will race south on Willow Way in order to get onto Kagy and tum left at the intersection of Kagy and South 19th . While there are 25 mile per hour speed limit signs posted on Willow· Way, they have repeatedly been damaged or knocked down and are very ineffective. Our neighbors, the Reiners, can definitely attest to this dangerous situation. The Gallatin County Sheriff Department, the City of Bozeman Police Department and MSU Police are too besy with their duties to patrol \Villmv Way. vv'hen MSU is in session, Willow Way is used by joggers, walkers, and bicyclists to and from the dorms from the corner of Willow Way and Kagy. City Commission City of Bozeman May 25, 2023 Page 2 In Paragraph g of the Zone Map Amendment (ZMA), the developer's engineer acknowledges that the proposed rezoning will result in increased density on the proposed development. This increased density will result in far more traffic on Willow Way, physically endangering walkers, joggers, and bicyclists. The proposed rezoning does not promote the existing character of our residential district. Our own home is zoned R-S, as are all the other homes on Willow Way. The homes on Beatty's Alder Court are zoned R-2. The only R4 zoning is to the south of Kagy Boulevard, which allows for mixed uses of districts with higher densities. This density is not allowed in the RS zoning. The engineer acknowledges in subparagraph k that the rezoning will result in increased density on the su~ject property, which presently is inconsistent with the Planalp property and other properties on Willow Way. Failure to Provide Justification C&H Engineering and Surveying, lnc., in its January 16, 2023, letter to the City of Bozeman Planning Department fails to justify why 1802 and 1805 Willow Way should be rezoned to R-4. The engineers do not claim that rezoning is necessary to hook up the two houses on Tracts 7 and 8 ofBeatty's subdivision. These properties may be attached to the City's sewer and water services without changing the zoning to R4. The result of changing the zoning to R4, as admitted by the engineers, will increase density on Tracts 7 and 8, to the detriment of all who reside on Willow Way and Alder Court. The engineer acknowledges in subparagraph A of the ZMA narrative that this rezoning will result in a residential high-density district, which is wholly inconsistent with the residences on Willow Way and Alder Court. Conclusions Our home and property will be greatly injured if the Bozeman City Commission approves this rezoning request.