HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-10-23 Public Comment - M. Egge - Implementing SB 383From:Mark Egge
To:Agenda
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Implementing SB 383
Date:Wednesday, August 9, 2023 10:35:09 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you
recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
To the City Commission and the Community Development Board:
As you are aware, Senate Bill 383 will require Bozeman to allow duplexesin all residential areas, requiring an update of our code by year end.
I wanted to share an excerpt of an article that I saw this morning
concerning housing reforms recently enacted by Austin, Texas.
On July 20, 2023, the city council of Austin, Texas, passed resolutions that legalize threehomes on every single-family lot by right, expedite the approval of three- and fourplexes,and more than halve the minimum lot size requirement in areas zoned for single-familyhomes. Co-sponsors of the resolutions hope that taking a step toward welcoming more of themissing-middle infill will abate the city’s ongoing housing crisis.
As the City looks to update its code to comply with SB 383, I'd encourage
the City to go beyond the minimums written into the bill and follow the
lead of Austin (and countless other cities, as the article describes) in
legalizing up to three homes on every single-family lot by right andsignificantly reducing minimum lot sizes. Such reforms will help promote
the creation of housing and, especially, housing of more affordable types.
Note: after the implementation of SB 383, one of the few remainingmeaningful differences between R-1 and R-2 is that R-1 does not allow
Short-Term Rentals. This seems appropriate. I'd encourage implementing
SB 383 through a reform that allows up to three units per lot in R-1 and R-
2 (and corresponding 50% reductions in minimum lot sizes, if minimum lotsizes are retained at all), but otherwise maintains existing zoning codes for
these districts.
Thank you for your consideration,
Mark Egge
219 E Story St
Bozeman, MT 59715