HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-18-23 Public Comment - K. Rich - Community Development Board Meeting regarding UDC Zoning Changes-Sept 18th, 2023From:Kathy Rich
To:Agenda
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Community Development Board Meeting regarding UDC Zoning Changes-Sept 18th, 2023
Date:Monday, September 18, 2023 11:36:52 AM
Attachments:Letter to CDB-Rich 2023-0918.docx
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I respectfully submit my letter, attached, to the Community Development Board.
Thank you
Kathy Rich
Dear Members of the Bozeman Community Development Board,
I am wri�ng to you today in opposi�on to “combining” residen�al zones R-1, R-2, R-3 and par�ally R-4
into an R-A zone. The word Combining is in quotes because this new R-A zone essen�ally terminates the
restric�ons in R-1 through R-3.
I happen to live on the Southside in a single-family home. My house was built in 1939 and s�ll stands
today because of zoning and the “Neighborhood Conserva�on Overlay District” protec�ons that have
been in place for decades. What do zoning restric�ons and the NCOD protect us from? Developers.
Many single-family subdivisions on the outskirts of Bozeman are protected by HOA covenants. These
covenants protect the subdivisions by restric�ng them to single family residences. Residents bought
houses in these subdivisions knowing that they were protected. We bought on the Southside thinking
we were also protected by the NCOD, however, that is apparently not the case. The new proposed R-A
zoning will supersede the NCOD leaving us vulnerable to developers.
The NCOD happens to encompass neighborhoods that are very close to Bozeman’s downtown core area.
This makes them prime targets for more development. Developers care about profits first and foremost,
which is no secret and they should. However, they won’t care about livability or trees or gardens or light
or parking or conges�on…un�l it affects their botom line. That is why the NCOD was created in the first
place…to protect.
The NCOD is now vulnerable and at risk of being eradicated…and for what? More apartment/condos
with price tags well over the million-dollar mark? I guarantee you it will not be low-income housing.
Ques�ons (and my thoughts, please correct if wrong) for the CDB:
• Why are single family homes now considered exclusionary? I am star�ng to feel guilty by having
a single-family home even though I am certainly not wealthy. Far from it.
• Why is the city fast tracking these changes? I know SB382 requires some change, but it seems
the city has gone over and beyond what is required.
• Who are you trying to simplify the zoning codes for? I am guessing the developers since they are
the ones who stand to gain from these relaxed zoning changes.
• Why does the new zoning supersede the NCOD?
• Do the Historic District regula�ons s�ll have any teeth, or have they turned into mere
sugges�ons?
• Lastly and most importantly, does the CDB s�ll value the charming, dynamic, and historic
neighborhoods surrounding downtown Bozeman? If so, will you fight for them?
Thank you for your �me and considera�on.
Kathleen Rich