HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-15-23 Public Comment - M. Osman - Please vote no on the new zoning proposalFrom:Michelle Osman
To:Agenda
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Please vote no on the new zoning proposal
Date:Friday, September 15, 2023 11:40:11 AM
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To all who get a vote on this proposal,
Please, please vote no on the new zoning proposal.
A few people stand to gain a lot from this new zoning proposal and it is not middle and lower income residents of
Bozeman. The “new” density which we already have in town remains largely empty; comprised mainly of second,
and third home luxury condos as well as short term rentals. The idea that this zoning “simplifies and streamlines”
our zoning process is smoke and mirrors for developers to turn a functioning town into a tourist trap where the few
hold all the real estate and the rest of us can barely afford our new property taxes. I have no problem with density.
Density is needed for the future of our town but not the proposed density plan. Make R1 a maximum of four
residences rather than eight. R2 should be similarly eight residences rather than 24. Affordable housing and short
term rentals are intrinsically tied to this problem, and I realize they are being addressed through different measures,
however they cannot be separated from the heart of this issue. Letting rampant development forever alter the
quality of Bozeman is not the answer. People move here and stay here for the quality of our town and that includes
our zoning. This new proposal is drastic and feels highly influenced by the developers who already have our town in
their death grip. Zoom out and imagine Bozeman, basically without zoning, as this plan proposes. It will be a gold
rush of new buildings and residences. Over time most single family homes will become luxury condos. This will be
the staging place for folks flying in and out of Big Sky and their million dollar ranches. Downtown will look like any
other, with chains paying the exorbitant rent. Middle and low income families will move further out, spending
longer each day commuting into Bozangeles to clean, wait on and serve the rich. The reason everyone came here in
the first place will have been stolen by short sighted opportunists. I have lived in and seen this happen in both San
Francisco and Jackson Hole. As our city commissioners I implore you to vote against this zoning proposal. Take it
back to the drawing board. It is hard work figuring out zoning and it is important work that needs deep
consideration.
Thank you,
Michelle Osman, Bozeman resident since 2000.
-- Michelle Osman
419 North 5th AveBozeman Mt. 59715
(406) 579 3992www.michelleosman.com