HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-15-23 Public Comment - J. Jelinski - Community Development Board Public CommentFrom:JACK and JANE JELINSKI
To:Agenda
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Community Development Board Public Comment
Date:Friday, September 15, 2023 9:01:40 AM
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Community Development Board – September 18, 2023
About a century ago, Bozeman’s settlers planned our town with the commercial downtown
surrounded with modest residential neighborhoods, featuring yards for vegetable gardens andflowers to attract pollinators. Trees were planted to give shade to homes and nests for birds.
Today, those neighborhoods remain desirable places to live. Mature trees and vegetationprovide shelter and reduce the heat index. Teachers, business owners and employees live
there.
Forty - eight years ago we benefited from this foresight when we bought our modest,craftsman home. The location is perfect so our kids could walk to school and we could walk to
work.
Recently, an MSU Architecture class spent two years studying our NE neighborhood anddeveloped volumes of data confirming the neighborhood provides a high level of community
satisfaction, a stable economic benefit to the city, and a healthy mixture of residents of allages, levels of education, community engagement and volunteer contributions.
The City of Bozeman spent tens of thousands of dollars on consultants who confirmed the
value of the Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District. The Bendon Adams studyrecommended supporting the high quality of life our traditional residential neighborhoods
enjoy.
The current UDC plan review criteria, Section 38.230.100 A.7a, requires “compatibility andsensitivity to … adjacent neighborhoods and other approved development relative to
architectural design, building mass, neighborhood identity, landscaping, historical character,orientation of buildings on the site and visual integration.” These requirements are being
ignored. Now you are proposing a drastic rewrite of the UDC to address the housing crisis bydestroying successful neighborhoods and replacing them with luxury residences, contrary to
current transition codes. This is driving our workforce out of Bozeman. Cutting downcenturies-old trees and crowding out open space vegetation impedes your stated climate
friendly goals.
Please do not damage time-tested quality residential neighborhoods in favor of quantity, highdensity development. This will not resolve our affordable housing crisis.
Respectfully submitted,
Jack and Jane Jelinski433 N Tracy Ave
Bozeman, MT 59715406-587-8367
jjjelinski@msn.com