HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-13-23 Public Comment - N. & R. Breeding - Left Lane_Bozeman Hotel in Library parking lotFrom:Noreen and Roger Breeding
To:Agenda; Terry Cunningham
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Left Lane/Bozeman Hotel in Library parking lot
Date:Sunday, November 12, 2023 3:08:05 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.
Commissioners,
The City Commission should not waste time considering the Left Lane BozemanHotel proposal for a project next to the Public Library. It should be rejected out of
hand. There are no benefits of the proposal to Bozeman government or citizens and
a long list of disadvantages for the Library and the public.
They include:
The Library Board should not be rushed into making a decision. It needs to
focus on what’s best for the library in the long term.
Public land should stay public for the use of the public in order to preserve openspace and urban forest and for future community needs.
All the traffic from the two new buildings would go through the library parking
lot. That 154 additional cars plus the loss of the traffic circle would create
congestion near the library entrance endangering the many small children andelderly adults visiting the library.
The Library building could not be remodeled to add stories or expand. No other
public buildings could be constructed on the "formerly" public land.
Construction will disrupt use of the library and Peet's Hill and Lindley Park foryears. There will be times when few parking spaces will be available for librarypatrons. Trust me, I have been trying to get to Medical Eye Specialists in the
Medical Arts complex for the past year plus. Construction there has made parking
nearly impossible and closed all the roads around the site for weeks at a time. Thenoise from construction is also overwhelming, especially to people outside in thesummer.
The parking structure rooftop garden would essentially be off limits to the public
unless individuals are escorted by a library staff person.
None of the parking spaces would be reserved for library use.
The city will be expected to offer additional incentives to remove the asbestos
laden ground.
The lease fee is ridiculously low and lasts for 150 years, effectively giving the
developer ownership of the public space.
Most of all, this development does not offer anything that downtown Bozeman
needs. There are five new hotels already, including one a block east of the Library,plus another proposed for Mendenhall and Wilson Streets. This development is notsuitable for downtown. The scale of the proposed buildings is overwhelming, 7
stories. They will block views from downtown and shade nearby spaces. The
Library parking lot is not needed for hotel parking. Parking spaces can be builtunderneath the hotel and accessed from Wallace Street. The idea of stargazingstations is pretentious and totally useless (too much ambient light at night). As
described the two new buildings will add large quantities of greenhouse gases and
noise pollution and impede progress toward the city's climate change mitigation
plans. More luxury hotel rooms and condominiums for non-residents are a burdenon the citizens of Bozeman who need affordable housing.
Thank you for your attention.
Noreen Breeding