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Home My WebLink About01-22-24 Public Comment - D. Lillejord - Harper's Corner Annexation January 19, 2024 p1-22-2� Bozeman City Commission 121 North Rouse Ave PO Box 1230 Bozeman, MT 59771-1230 Subject: Application 23127 Project Name: Harper's Corner Annexation &Zone Map Amendment Dear Bozeman City Commission: My name is Dale Lillejord and I am the owner of the property located at 2270 Watts Lane, Bozeman, Montana (Property No. 06-0904-27-3-03-01-0000). My property is located within 150 ft of and immediately across Hidden Valley Road from a property proposed for annexation into the City of Bozeman and proposed for zoning as R-4. The property proposed for development is covered under Application 23127 and known under the Project Name as Harper's Corner Annexation and Zone Map Amendment. I oppose the annexation and rezoning of this property as R-4 as proposed by Russell Hosner LLC. Inconsistent with City and County Visions and Goals for Development The proposed development is completely inconsistent with the surrounding area and private properties. High Density developments such as R-4 are located over a mile to the east and over a half mile to the south. The proposed property is adjacent to agriculture or single-family homes developed on acreages some of which are still used for small agrarian operations such as hay, cattle, horses, sheep, llama and other domestic animals. Except for a long-standing trailer home community to the north, this is a community of people who love the Gallatin Valley; the property they bought for the intrinsic values, open space,the scenic vistas, the wildlife, the agrarian lifestyle, the community friendships that bond with all that is best in the Gallatin Valley. The City, Community, County and numerous organizations residing in the area continue to identify the need to protect the unparalleled beauty and history of the Gallatin valley. Numerous joint planning reports for development continue to identify the need to preserve the history,the agricultural production, the open spaces and to preserve the beauty of the community surrounding the city. It's what makes the City and County what it is. By approving this project you are destroying, I repeat, absolutely destroying every value and principal in all your planning reports by allowing a potential 1000 person (or more) high density development on this property. It defeats everything you are touting in your joint planning visions and goals. Preservation and Impairment The multiple City and County development plans identify the need to protect farmlands, preserve wildlife corridors, maintain and establish larger open space areas rather than small parks, avoid high i c?ensity?onin0n-4en agricultural areas, protect rural suburban character and avoid going against the use of contiguous.land patterns. I'll use a phrase mom used to say "for the life of me"...... I can't comprehend why the city of Bozeman wants to put a 1000 person/600 vehicle development in a rural area and along a continuous flowing stream which may be one of the few remaining wildlife corridors in the northwest Bozeman area! Why do they want to eliminate the open, rural character of residents that exist now. Current residents are proud and love encouraging pheasant population, coyotes, wild turkeys, partridge, deer, developing fish ponds, watching water fowl enjoy the stream and retaining natural tree and grass habitats. You will impair and impact a flowing stream that is part of the Baxter Creek drainage ultimately entering into Middle Creek and then the Gallatin River and impact one of the remaining wildlife habitats in the northwest area. Again,this is completely opposite of your own planning objectives for development. Looking to the future I see that the City in its wisdom will try to gobble up land in the northwest corridor of the city and it baffles me why you are not thinking about how to preserve the natural stream, wetlands, wildlife corridor, scenic vistas in alignment with your very own purported visions and goals. I think the City/County in all its wisdom should be looking at how to preserve the corridor around the flowing stream as a prize for sound development planning. High Density Developments Your own city report states high density should only be approved next to commercial mixed use (already high-density areas)to minimize conflict and vehicle usage.The proposed R-4 is counter to your own report because high density development is over a mile to the east and over a half mile to the south. Your development commission also states increased density should be in developed areas.This project is NOT in a developed area and is counter to your own objectives. Technical Concerns Domestic Water Wells: Your proposal indicates water wells may be used for irrigation. We assume this means for lawns,foliage and greenery. You as ethical members of the City Commission and the developer need to be responsible to ensure and guarantee the neighboring domestic use wells are not depleted and accept responsibility to drill new wells to supply offset home needs in the event surrounding wells are impacted. One neighbor reports his water level in his domestic well has dropped four feet just from normal domestic usage over the years. High Ground Water Levels: This can and will impact the development from several perspectives. I reported to you in the previous hearing that the water table in this area is high and has impacted soil stability in the trailer community and thus it will impact the foundations and settling from the very large buildings you intend to allow to be constructed. The developer proposes to de-water the property but where and how will water disposal be designed and how will drainage impact neighboring properties? How will the design account for pumping failures or for freezing in severe cold weather? Will you impair the surrounding properties that already experience high water in their lower property elevations? Changes in water levels and water ponding on properties to the south and to the west have already been experienced when drainage patterns have been changed or in spring runoff. So will your disposal impact those properties further and will the raised elevation of development building, parking lots, roadways cause drainage and flooding into neighboring properties? If disposing into the nearby flowing tributary to Baxter Creek, will the pollution from chemicals, oils, etc. only further impair a viable natural stream and ultimately the Gallatin River?The answer is yes to these questions because you WILL IMPAIR and impact neighboring properties and a valuable water source. Vehicle Impact: Bozeman City plans call for high density developments to be located near mixed use and high density areas to minimize offset impacts and potentially reduce vehicle traffic. The proposed R-4 zoning is in complete contrast to your own planning objectives. With the opening of the new Cottonwood extension between Oak and Baxter recently completed,the traffic at times can already make it difficult to enter Harper Puckett Road and difficult to enter Hidden Valley from Watts Lane. How will you protect access after throwing another 600 vehicles into the mix. Harper Puckett and Hidden Valley are also roads used by school students to walk to school, recreational bicyclists, walkers and joggers. How do you propose to protect the safety of the non-vehicular users on the road with expanded traffic volumes? Developer: Russell Hosner LLC who proposes to develop this property is apparently relatively new to the Bozeman area and are headquartered in Oregon. Besides having a low performance rating, I find it hard to believe that any developer that would come to the Gallatin Valley to propose a high-density development on this particular plot of land cares little about the esthetics, character, quality of life we enjoy in Gallatin County. I find it most likely they care little about those qualities that make the Gallatin Valley what it was and hope to keep in the future. Let's face it, they are here to make as much money as they can as quickly as they can with little care about community impacts. Path Forward: I am not one that is naive in recognizing the inevitable development in the Gallatin Valley. The need for additional homes and business is apparent. I recognize that I cannot stop that which is coming. But I am also astute enough and have enough common sense to recognize when a proposed development is ABSOLUTELY WRONG and DOES NOT MEET the CITY AND COUNTY OWN VISION AND GOALS and is not in alignment with existing land use and residents. My recommendations are four-fold. First,the high-density zoned developments should be moved adjacent to high density developments near Davis. These fit planning vision, goals and objectives. Second,the property represented in this proposal only be developed with an R-1 zoning for single family homes and perhaps a few low-level duplex structures.Third, that the development approved should have plans to protect the stream, wetlands, wildlife and neighbors from impacts. Fourth,the City and County look at the Baxter tributary corridor as an area to preserve the esthetic beauty, wildlife, habitat and viewshed for northwest Bozeman. This is fully in alignment with how developments should proceed to retain the community character. Sincerely, Dale Lillejord 2270 Watts Lane Bozeman, Montana 59718 i