HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-25-23 Public Comment - S. Mohland - Comments on the UDC ChangesFrom:Sarah Mohland
To:Agenda
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Comments on the UDC Changes
Date:Monday, September 25, 2023 12:18:57 PM
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Dear Commision,
Please see my letter below I shared with the BDC today. Good luck and thank you for
everything you do!
I believe the UDC updates can help strengthen rather than ‘destroy’ our neighborhoods.
The history of the groups who have been excluded by single-family zoning in America is acomplicated one. But it is a clear fact today that the number of people who can afford single
family homes is shrinking. Today, single-family zoning is exclusionary and it excludespeople.
As an architect, I have a strong appreciation for the role aesthetic and historic qualities in
buildings have on ‘neighborhood character.’ But the buildings are only part of the story--people also define character. The people caring for and teaching our children, the people
serving our food, the people fixing our cars and repairing our houses -- the people who are ourfriends and have called Bozeman home -- define the character.
The city’s proposal to simplify the residential zoning types will help alleviate an arduous
development process that increases the cost of each new home and reduces how many homescan be built each year. Virtually all the current setbacks, lot coverage and height restrictions
remain in place. Which means that most lots can accommodate at most 2-3 units. There areplenty of examples of this within Bozeman that are desirable and often indistinguishable from
the single family home next door.
I grew up in a single-family house in Great Falls. I was initially disheartened to learn that,even with two professional salaries, we couldn’t afford a single-family home here. But we
were lucky enough to buy into a multifamily complex and we love it. We interact with ourneighbors. We spend our weekends hiking, not mowing a lawn. We spend at least half as
much on energy bills. I believe that with good design, we can build thriving communities thatinclude all of us.
-Sarah Kitchin (Mohland)