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Home My WebLink About10-05-23 Public Comment - C. Bartholomew - Community Development_ Planning_ A Missed Opportunity for Aging Adults CDBFrom:Cheryl Bartholomew To:Agenda Subject:[EXTERNAL]Community Development/ Planning: A Missed Opportunity for Aging Adults Date:Tuesday, October 3, 2023 2:55:19 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Community Development /Planning: A Missed Opportunity for the Aging Population I am very concerned about the direction our city is heading. An increase in population poses an opportunity to createa more livable, sustainable community. It opens the door to local government to address the concerns of its residentsand to manage the growth in a way that avoids the pitfalls of creating suburban chaos. I support progress and change;but it must be properly managed. Mixed use of land is fine and the creation of self -sustaining neighborhoods thatinclude amenities which benefit neighborhoods (such as restaurants, banks, corner grocery shops or local farmer’smarkets, medical care options, cafés etc.) and the inclusion of trails that are accessible and walkable for all ages andabilities are viable which foster intergenerational / community bonding. A self- sustained neighborhood reduces theneed for car ownership, thereby reducing carbon imprint. (HRDC is doing their part by improving publictransportation.) Planned neighborhoods empower people to socialize and provide prospects for purposefulengagement and support for each other, across the generations. City developers should limit the number of largecommercial gas stations/ an abundance of car wash retail businesses or anything that encourages more single vehicle congestion resulting in unnecessary traffic and pollution in our planned neighborhoods. The American dream of owning one’s home no longer exists in Bozeman, because affordable housing for young andold does not exist and is not being incentivized. Investors are taking over our city. Residents are being forced tosettle for rentals (apartments), co-housing or “ partial ownership” of condos or townhouses as a replacement for thesingle- family dwelling. (BTW, condo and HOA management is coming under legitimate scrutiny for mismanagementand lack of accountability which is something the city should be investigating as well!) I wish to address the lack of support and housing options available for the older adult population, many of whom arebeing forced from their homes, because they can’t afford the outrageous property taxes, on their fixed incomes.Likewise, there are many aging residents who cannot remain in their homes due to the fact that they can no longernavigate stairs or cannot afford to renovate bathrooms that present fall risks. Many aging Baby Boomers are ready togive up their high maintenance, oversized homes, but they are not prepared to pay high rental fees for ADA compliant “senior apartments”. Unfortunately, these citizens are left with no or few residency options all of which are expensiveand/or unrealistic (moving into overpriced senior living facilities). Bozeman is NOT a livable community by any stretchof the imagination for aging adults. It is disgraceful and unacceptable that this population who contribute so much toour society is being ignored and disrespected. It is time the city and city developers address the need for smaller, ADA compliant, age friendly affordable housing options for middle income, not low-income seniors. There is a viable solution that has been ignored by developers and builders because they choose to focus on the moreprofitable “mansions” that bring in more $$$$. They excuse their greed by saying they can’t create age friendlycottage like homes that are affordable, that is simply untrue. As a result, our aging population is losing their ability toremain in their homes and live independently with age in place design that preserves their dignity and desire toremain engaged and productive citizens in their neighborhoods/ community. If Baby Boomers had housing choicesavailable, other than expensive senior living options (that do not represent the active aging, wellness approachthey are seeking), they would willingly give up their older family homesteads and that would increase housinginventory for young families that are seeking single family dwellings that are affordable. It is time to dictate to thedevelopers what they can or can not build according to the needs of the residents. I implore the city development team, city commissioners and the affordable housing team to get creative andpromote incentives for developers and builders to adopt a resolution to pursue cottage type homes that specificallyoffer the aging adult an option to continue to live their American Dream of home ownership in a way that enhancestheir independence and respects their lifetime experiences and contributions to society. It is possible to build quality homes (using modular climate-controlled production that take just weeks to complete asopposed to months) and these homes are usually more affordably priced. (Please read attached links to learn more about the differences and pros / cons of Modular Homes which are NOT mobile homes or manufactured/ prefabhomes). Age friendly, age in place housing has been ignored in our community. The time to change that is now. I look forward to learning more about what can and will be done to remedy this situation, sooner rather than later. Cheryl Bartholomew Age Friendly Bozeman, Chairperson https://www.acuity.com/the-focus/contractor/the-difference-between-prefab-and-modular- construction#:~:text=Prefab%20is%20a%20general%20term,contained%20units%E2%80%94like%20building%20blocks. https://www.bhg.com/home-improvement/moving/better-homes-and-gardens-real-estate/what-is-a-modular-home/ https://www.betterlivingexpress.com/universal-design-principles/