HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-30-23 Public Comment - M. Carignan - Comments on UDCFrom:Mike Carignan
To:Agenda
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Comments on UDC
Date:Sunday, October 29, 2023 3:14:15 PM
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I am a 45 year resident of Bozeman living in a single family home in an R-1 zoned neighborhood. Amonth back someone on a bike stopped by to tell me about the Unified Development Code. He saidthat very few of my neighbors knew about this. I had never heard of it. He said that a proposed newzone would allow a developer to buy homes and replace them with eight-unit apartmentcomplexes. He urged me to learn more because a decision would be made in November. I havetried to follow this issue more closely.
I want to focus on the possibility of an eight-unit complex next door. I feel strongly that this is a badidea. There are rental homes in my block. They are occupied mostly by students. It is impossible toavoid involvement with them. In fact, as neighbors, we are the front line in their habituation toliving off campus. We are forced to apply a variety of approaches to make them aware of the socialcontract necessary for co-existing with permanent residents who are living through a very differentset of obligations than they do.
It’s not all bad; it’s a bell curve for positive and negative experience. We want to get along and enjoy
our home life. We’ve been through what they are going through and understand their needs. We
want them to be happy and have fun. The problem is when their activities keep us awake and
stressed out until we finally call the police. We’ve lived through students who sell drugs at all hours
of the night, numerous loud parties involving a dozen or more intoxicated people, even students
taunting my wife while I was away for work. We’ve seen renters building a fire in the street and
taking videos of jumping it with their scooters. Young people have mistakes to make and we get to
be a part of it whether we want to or not. The landlords and property managers aren’t involved
until they have to be.
When a group of renters shot off very loud fireworks at 2 AM one night in September, a number of
residents made sure that the landlord and manager knew about it. This led to a meeting in a nearby
park between renters and affected residents. We spoke to them and made suggestions beyond
allowing us to sleep, like leaving the sidewalk accessible. It was positive and productive but we
didn’t know what to expect. These situations can be emotionally intense for us as we feel forced to
assume parental roles. They similarly affect those afraid to confront the situation.
I have many stories, including holiday meals with renters, jump starts on cold mornings, the loaning
of tools, etc… When they move on it usually ends well, and then we start over with the next group.
It’s possible to get to know four students well enough to work through problems. But if there are
twenty or more in a complex it is more likely that most will be anonymous and unaccountable. The
police will need to know which apartment is causing the problem. Renters can deny everything or
blame others in the complex. I will have to act as a de facto property manager if not detective.
Eight apartments in a single residential lot is too much to burden us with.
It seems unfair to me that a committee wants to rezone my neighborhood. It would help if we could
all vote on this. I don’t understand why this is necessary. I see apartments going up all over
Bozeman, and signs marking large developments planned. What Bozeman needs are neighborhoods
like ours, single family homes with long term residents who know and care about one another.
Figgins is perfect for families with children in school. I couldn’t wait to get out of apartment living
and into a house I could own and invest in. I bought in good faith, happy to live with the R-1 code. I
wish that we could be left alone. I don’t think that there is anything wrong with R-1. I shouldn’t
have to be concerned with the possibility of bigger parties with more careless people that I can’t
name coming and going. It feels like a form of punishment. I’m 72, retired, and I want to live out my
life here. But I don’t know if I could live with having this change forced on me. We might have tosell and leave, and what will be the value of our home once the apartments start going up? The newapartments won’t be affordable by the way.
The people I have discussed this with are angry, and don’t feel like they are heard or respected. Idon’t want to attend a crowded meeting for hours with Covid, RSV and the flu making the rounds. Finally, I hope that we are being treated the same. I don’t agree with exceptions for historicalneighborhoods or HOA’s. Let people have ADU’s or rent rooms. I don’t think we have a problemwith the way things are.
Mike Carignan2407 Westridge DriveBozeman, MT 59715