HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-26-23 Public Comment - H. Rocks - RE_ Questions about North 3rd Apartment Development with staff responseFrom:Lynn Hyde
To:Hanna Rocks
Cc:Laura Rose; Agenda
Subject:RE: Questions about North 3rd Apartment Development
Date:Friday, May 26, 2023 1:52:52 PM
Confirmed. The agenda email below looks rather odd so perhaps that is why it wasn’t received.
Regardless, it is in the public record now and I’m cc’ing the City Clerk who will ensure it is in the
public record and available for all reviewers, applicant and decision makers.
I’ll respond to your questions to the best of my ability in a follow up email.
Lynn Hyde | Development Review Planner, Community DevelopmentCity of Bozeman | 20 East Olive St. | P.O. Box 1230 | Bozeman, MT 59771406.579.1471 | lhyde@bozeman.net | www.bozeman.net
From: Hanna Rocks <hanna.e.rocks@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, May 26, 2023 1:49 PM
To: Lynn Hyde <lhyde@BOZEMAN.NET>
Cc: Laura Rose <RoseBoze11@gmail.com>
Subject: Fwd: Questions about North 3rd Apartment Development
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you
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Hi Lynn - I sent the email below in to the email noted on the Bozeman city website but Ihaven’t received a response and it looks like it hasn’t make it into the public comment folder. Can you confirm receipt, and reply to my questions when you have a chance? Thank you!Hanna
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
From: HANNA.E.ROCKS@gmail.comDate: May 14, 2023 at 3:53:31 PM MDTTo: agenda_at_bozeman_net_nrtb1fj8cb436h_nb7m2717@icloud.comSubject: Questions about North 3rd Apartment Development
Hello - I am a Bozeman resident and live adjacent to the proposed “North 3rdApartment” development. I have reviewed the plans submitted to the city andhave the following questions:
1. It appears that the developers are requesting permission for severaldepartures from residential housing standards allowed under Ordinance2111, such as fewer parking requirements and reduced open spacerequirements. I have several questions related to the proposed departures:
Under which of the criteria 3-5 from 38.320.070, C. Criteria is thecity considering when determining whether the development iseligible for such departures (3 - no negative impacts, 4 - missingmiddle housing, or 5 - infill site)? How does the city define “negativeimpacts” under criteria #3? If the city is considering the project to be eligible for the departuresunder the assumption that there are no negative impacts onsurrounding property, I would ask that the city consider the followingimpacts:
Reduced parking - the growing density and development along7th, while exciting, continues to present problems related to thenumber of cars in the area. I worry that with an average offewer than 2 parking spaces per unit (with some units having 3-4 bedrooms!) the number of resident cars will greatly exceedthe number of parking spaces provided, and will push residentsto park on the surrounding streets. Tamarack and Peach onlyhave parking on one side of the street, and N 5th is frequentlyfull of cars from residents and those using the BMX park. Asthe number of businesses along 7th grows, where will all thecars go? There is already not enough parking provided for thenumber of businesses (thinking about the Elm, the Ruhebuilding, etc.), so it seems to me that the proposeddevelopment would further exacerbated the current problem. Reduced Open Space - we all love and appreciate Bozeman’sopen space - as our city grows, I hope this is something we canmaintain. For the residents in the northwest / Midtownneighborhood of downtown, our green space is shrinking. Theproposed design will pave over most of the existing openspace, and bring in many more residents who will undoubtedlybe seeking outdoor areas to walk their dogs, enjoy theoutdoors, etc. I recognize our city is in need of denser housing,but would ask that as we go about getting there, we are mindfulof why we all love to live in the Bozeman. The proposeddesign seems to be a step towards turning the 7th corridor intoa sprawling concrete oasis (Salt Lake City’s downtown areacomes to mind…) that seems to drive residents out and make itdifficult for small businesses to thrive. The nearby BMX parkis designed to be used by the general public (it is great for thebiker community! But not a space that non-bikers can reallyenjoy) and the community garden is also closed off, unless youare fortunate enough to get a plot through the lottery. Manymembers of our community use the current space to walk theirdogs, bike, etc. as Centennial Park has been crowded duringpopular park hours (before/after working hours, since morethan half the space is allocated to the baseball fields andtherefore is not usable by the general public), and alsoexperienced some safety concerns last summer.
2. Will students be eligible to occupy the affordable housing under the 60%
AMI requirement? This is related to my parking concerns since we havesome neighbors who are students and each house has at least 4 cars, despite
being 2-3 bedroom homes. 3. In addition to parking concerns raised above related to the residents of the
North 3rd Apartments, what is the city’s response to parking for the areassurrounding the proposed development that currently use the land for
parking? There are events at the BMX park most weekends through thesummer - attendees currently park in the field because there is not enough
space on N 5th to accommodate all the cars from people coming fromBozeman and surrounding areas to compete.
Thank you for taking the time to read my questions, I look forward to receiving aresponse in the coming days/weeks.
Best, Hanna R.