HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-07-23 Public Comment - B. Waters - elimination of residential zoningFrom:Bob Waters.
To:Agenda
Subject:[EXTERNAL]elimination of residential zoning
Date:Wednesday, September 6, 2023 10:09:27 AM
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Dear Commissioners:
I’m writing to register my disapproval of a proposal before the Commission that would
eliminate the currently-existing R1 and R2 zoning in Bozeman’s established neighborhoods.Does the Commission assume that sacrificing the quality of life in established neighborhoods
in a desperate attempt to do something, anything to address the housing crisis is bothreasonable and fair? It is neither.
Making home owners in Bozeman’s established neighborhoods sacrificial lambs would erodethe aesthetic appeal of the city, destroy faith in the community, burden long-term residents
with stress precipitated by unpredictability, and undermine the life-style many of us havedevoted a lifetime to acquiring. Like other residents in older neighborhoods, my wife and I
have devoted years (decades in our case) of tender care, backbreaking labor, and hard-earnedmoney to our “home”, and we’ve contributed many thousands of dollars in property taxes to
support this city we’ve loved. For the City of Bozeman to renege on its promise to us via thecity-approved zoning under which our property was purchased and now allow virtually
anything to be constructed on neighboring properties would be dishonest, an insult of thehighest order, and the farthest thing from a fair and reasonable solution to Bozeman’s housing
woes. Please don’t throw us under the bus in a short-sighted and desperate attempt to find asolution to the affordable housing crisis. We matter, too.
Bob Waters
Bozeman resident for 44 years.
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