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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-15-23 Public Comment - M. Pearson - Library Board of Trustees Agenda Item_ Left Lane Development MOUFrom:Marcus Pearson To:Susan Gregory Cc:Agenda; Terry Cunningham; Janay Johnson; Stewart Mohr Subject:Re: [EXTERNAL]Library Board of Trustees Agenda Item: Left Lane Development MOU Date:Wednesday, November 15, 2023 8:11:50 AM 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. Thank you Susan,We appreciate you! Best, Marcus -- Marcus Pearson (he/him) Pearson Law Group Ph. +1.406.570.7896 ****************************** This e-mail message may contain confidential and privileged information and is sent for the sole use of the intended recipient. If you are not the intended recipient, pleasecontact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message. Thank you. On Tue, Nov 14, 2023 at 7:01 PM Susan Gregory <SGregory@bozeman.net> wrote: Hi, Mr. Pearson, Thank you very much for your very important comments. I will share them with our Library Board Chair, Stew Mohr. We appreciate your support of the Library so much! Susan Susan F. Gregory Director Bozeman Public Library Bozeman, MT 59715 sgregory@bozeman.net (406) 582-2401 From: Marcus Pearson <marcus.pearson@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2023 3:40 PM To: Agenda <agenda@BOZEMAN.NET>; Terry Cunningham <TCunningham@BOZEMAN.NET>; Susan Gregory <SGregory@BOZEMAN.NET>; Janay Johnson <janay@bozemanlibraryfoundation.org> Subject: [EXTERNAL]Library Board of Trustees Agenda Item: Left Lane Development MOU 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. To the members of the Bozeman Library Board of Trustees and Deputy Mayor Cunningham, Thank you for the time and energy you devote to supporting the Bozeman Public Library. It is a vital component of Gallatin Valley’s cultural community, a space of solace for many, and a resource for all. My name is Marcus Pearson. Since 2006 my wife and I have chosen to make our home, raise our family, build our careers, and strengthen our community in Bozeman. Although we were young when we moved here, we saw how much Bozeman cared about its library then, and how much it forms a centerpoint of ourgrowing city now. In fact, I vividly recall the moment I realized that Bozeman would be home. One autumn day in 2006, citizens and library patrons braved the elements to pass books from the old library to its current space, an act of civic pride that still brings tears to my eyes. Nowadays, my family uses the library as a home away from home - our twin daughters find peace from the modern world inside its walls and in the books thatline those walls; I studied for the Montana Bar exam overlooking the Bridgers from a desk upstairs; my wife dedicated 6 years of her volunteer time to serve on the Bozeman Library Foundation board. I also know we are not alone in our love of the library. So, when I read Left Lane Development’s MOU to the City of Bozeman and reviewed the proposed drawings, I recognized that it would prevent the library from continuing to provide such critical services to Bozeman and the Gallatin Valley now and into the future. 1. 2. 3. Appropriate use of Library Property: 4. The Trustees of the Bozeman Public Library have a very significant responsibility in making the 5. decision to engage in further conversations with Left Lane Development. I urge you to give the proper gravity to the core purpose of the library for the diverse population that utilizes the library when determining if Left Lane Development’s MOU actually serves 6. the interest of your constituents. 7. a. b. c. The MOU contemplates mortgaging away access to one of our town’s most valuable public resources in favor d. of granting a sweetheart deal to a private developer who has little understanding of - or respect for - our community’s needs. Granting Left Lane Development a 75-year renewable lease for $1/year in exchange for building and operating a private parking lot e. on municipal property (whether or not the developers promise to hold some of those parking spots for library patrons) would present a dangerous precedent in our town, which is currently under significant growth pressure. It would create a scenario where future f. developers could strong-arm Bozeman city officials into signing similar deals that benefit private interests that want to take advantage of municipal resources. g. h. i. j. The MOU also would grant Left Lane Development legal access to every single space in the proposed Parking k. Structure. While it uses language to disguise its intent, here are the facts: Left Lane Development proposed a 7-story hotel and condo complex; it reserves 154 spaces for its sole commercial use, charging a private rate to benefit from this venture; hotel l. guests and residents will have access to the other 270 spaces in the parking complex on a first-come, first-serve basis. It is highly probable that many of those 270 spaces will have hotel guests and residents regularly parked during library business hours, m. limiting library access to vehicle patrons. As a recompense, the city will be able to collect hourly parking fees, including from library patrons - many of whom are economically disadvantaged and/or otherwise are already paying a portion of their taxes to n. support city infrastructure. The outcome would be that some of our most economically at-risk citizens would be required to pay in order to park and access a public resource, which could have the inverse effect of dissuading library users from visiting the o. library. p. 8. 9. 10. Usability and Access to the Library: 11. The easements for the potential Hotel Structure and Parking Structure requested reflect a drastic change in access and usability of the library. 12. 0. a. b. The increased traffic into and out of the potential Hotel Structure at the intersection of S. Wallace c. and E. Babcock - a difficult intersection to navigate in its current state - will require significant municipal and county resources to monitor and enforce. Although traffic congestion falls outside your jurisdiction, pedestrian and bicycle access to the library d. in the face of increased vehicle traffic should merit your consideration. In fact, such access presents a significant concern today - even without the added pressure of vehicle egress to the potential Hotel Structure at that intersection. e. f. g. h. Vehicle access to the library parking lot currently requires patrons either to drive down S. Wallace i. or turn across E. Main. For many, the safest pathway is along S. Wallace. Increasing traffic at the intersection of S. Wallace and E. Babcock will impede access to our shared library resource for the foreseeable future. j. k. l. m. Finally, the elaborate mechanisms to ensure “public” access to the green space that Left Lane Development n. proposes placing on top of a concrete structure - such as requiring library employees to grant access to those requesting it, in addition to their current duties as library employees - fall incredibly short of the needs (current and future) of library and o. open space users. It also redirects community resources to service a private interest. p. 13. 14. 15. Balance of Development and Community Benefit: 16. We know Bozeman is a place that will continue to attract interest for development because of so many of the attributes we enjoy as citizens: access to open spaces, safety for kids to roam and explore on trails from downtown, respectful civic engagement, and 17. high quality education. We are fortunate to have the option for growth. However, 18. we must ask ourselves 19. what we are willing to protect in the face of development. Moreso, we must ask whether that development is even appropriate or needed to ensure that our community may sustainably grow and benefit from that development. This MOU and the drawings show a complete 20. lack of understanding of our community and the functional use of the public and civic space. While your job as Trustees is not to monitor a proposed development’s suitability or whether it meets the character of Downtown Bozeman (and this proposal certainly 21. faces steep hurdles to meet those criteria), as Trustees you have the ability to protect the public’s investment in our cherished library and cultural resources. 22. This proposed development tilts strongly in favor of private benefit 23. at the expense of the public good. 24. Thank you again for your time and consideration of citizen and library patron input on this important matter. Having served on civic boards, nonprofit board, and in other volunteer roles, I admire the effort, energy, and integrity you exhibit in your work. All the best, Marcus -- Marcus Pearson (he/him) Pearson Law Group Ph. +1.406.570.7896 ****************************** This e-mail message may contain confidential and privileged information and is sent for the sole use of the intended recipient. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message. Thank you. City of Bozeman emails are subject to the Right to Know provisions of Montana’s Constitution (Art. II, Sect. 9) and may be considered a “public record” pursuant to Title 2, Chpt. 6, Montana Code Annotated. As such, this email, its sender and receiver, and the contents may be available for public disclosure and will be retained pursuant to the City’s record retention policies. 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