HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-11-23 Public Comment - L. Gent - UDAFrom:Larry Jent
To:Agenda
Subject:[EXTERNAL]UDA
Date:Monday, September 11, 2023 12:00:46 PM
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Dear Community development board,
I have lived at 1201 S Third for 38 years. Nowhere in the documents I signed at closing indicated that at some future
date the zoning currently in place would be obliterated in favor of three-story buildings, and eightplex monstrosities
like those contemplated in the proposal before the development board. After all, zoning is meant to be a prediction
of what property owners may expect in the future.
I understand that the city must react and act as dictated by SB 382, but the pertinent section, section 19, offers
fourteen options, of which five must be selected. Far less draconian options exist therein than those currently under
consideration.
There are many unanswered considerations that should be addressed by the board. First, what happens to the historic
overlay district? The alternatives under consideration lead to the inference that historic preservation and zoning are
no longer an issue . Why require an existing homeowner to replace a garage door during remodel( when French
doors were preferred)(our story)
when the same house may simply be demolished and replaced with an eight Plex.
Second, what about parking in the University district? Increased density means more cars. Where are you gonna put
them?
Third, how does the board intend to define affordable housing? How does the board intend to define smart growth?
My guess is that no empirical data exists to show how the multiplex dwellings built in Bozeman over the last five
years are priced, either as rentals or as homes.
Finally, is there any reason for the application of the SB 382 factors to old establish neighborhoods, when the result
of those factors is to destroy the character of the neighborhood, and not establish one single public policy aim of
“affordable housing”?
In sum, it seems the result of the proposal will not be affordable housing, but developer welfare.
Larry Jent
1201 s third
All right
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