HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-13-23 Public Comment - D. Carty - Deny City Library parking structure_parking lot MOU proposed by Boz Hotel_Left Lane DeveloperFrom:Daniel Carty
To:Susan Gregory; Terry Cunningham
Cc:Agenda
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Deny City Library parking structure/parking lot MOU proposed by Boz Hotel/Left Lane Developer
Date:Monday, November 13, 2023 7:12:44 AM
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(Note: Please place this public comment in the Library Board of Trustees (LBOT) folder
and/or in whichever folder is being used to store public comment for the Nov 15, 2023,
meeting of the LBOT. Thank you.)
Nov 13, 2023, 7:10 AM
To: Susan Gregory, City of Bozeman (City) Staff Liaison to City Library Board of Trustees
(LBOT) and Deputy Mayor Terry Cunningham, City Commission Liaison to LBOTSubject: Request to deny the parking structure/parking lot memorandum of understanding
(MOU) proposed by Bozeman Hotel MM LLC/Left Lane Development
I am writing to request that the City LBOT deny the parking structure/parking lot MOUproposed by luxury-housing developer Bozeman Hotel MM LLC/Left Lane
Development. My reasons for asking for this denial are as follows:
First: As reported by KBZK on Nov 11, 2023 (https://www.kbzk.com/news/local-news/proposed-development-could-hinder-bozeman-public-library-patrons-access-parking),
a luxury-housing development being proposed by Bozeman Hotel MM LL/Left LaneDevelopment (developer) would be built at 606 and 608 East Main St, would cover
approximately 350,000 square feet, and would include a parking structure on the parking lotof our City Library. Based on the Nov 11 KBZK article, the developer is proposing, via
MOU, to co-opt our City Library parking lot and pay the City a whopping $1/year(sarcastically, not adjusted for inflation) for up to 150 years for allowing them to do so. By
itself, this proposal is absurd. However, when added into the bargain is the developer'sprohibition against our City Library being expanded in any way that might adversely affect
the developer's bought easement for light and air, then the developer's proposal becomesbeyond the pale (i.e., outside the bounds of acceptable human behavior).
Second: The proposed MOU, if approved, will result in the permanent loss of
environmentally and socio-culturally important and irreplaceable public resources. For
example, the schematic diagrams suggest the automobile rotary on the west side of our
City Library would be eliminated—along with its plantings and sculpture—and then paved
over and made into parking. Such would also be the fate of the three islands that separate
the east and west parking areas, which would all be converted to parking, with trees and
plantings removed (Levels P1-2, first schematic). The schematics also show that ground
level parking would be extended beyond the current area by approximately 100
feet southward, thus creating an additional 38 parking places—but at the same time
adversely affecting the art sculptures currently in place and the trail system on the east
side, with its connections to Lindley Park and Peets Hill. All trees (perhaps 75 or more)
would be eliminated, and there would be no green space within the lot. Many Bozeman
residents worked hard to secure this beautiful City Library parcel, place it in the public trust,
and enhance it via a unique blend of green-scape, art sculpture, and multi-use pathway. If
we give control of this beautiful parcel to any private-sector developer, then we will be doing
our predecessors, current Bozeman residents, and future Bozeman residents a grave
disservice.
Third: Similar to the City Commission's recent attempt to rush the approval of the proposedUDC update, the City now appears to be unnecessarily rushing to approve this proposed
MOU. The proposed MOU is a very complicated and consequential agreement, and Isuggest it would be reasonable and prudent to allow the LBOT whatever time it needs to
further discuss and debate the MOU, seek input from impartial outside experts, and seekadditional public input. Any claimed urgency on the part of the developer should be of no
importance to the LBOT.
In conclusion, the LBOT's only responsibility is to do what is best for our City Library—itspast, its present, and its future. Thank you for the opportunity to comment.
Sincerely,
Daniel Carty
213 N. Third Ave
Bozeman, MT 59715
dgc12@hotmail.com
406-548-2810
CC: agenda@bozeman.net