HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-05-23 Public Comment - A. White - OPPOSITION to zoning designation of R4 – High Density and R5 – High Density Mixed UseFrom:alex white
To:Agenda
Subject:[EXTERNAL]OPPOSITION to zoning designation of R4 – High Density and R5 – High Density Mixed Use
Date:Saturday, February 3, 2024 4:26:57 PM
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ATTN: Tom Rogers
RE: Baxter 80 Annexation and Zone Map Amendment – Application 23208 by the
Community
Dear Community Development Board,
I oppose the zoning designation of R4 – High Density and R5 – High Density Mixed
Use for the following compelling reasons:
(1) The Bozeman 2020 Community Plan asserts that “the needs of new and
existing development coexist and they should remain in balance, neither
should overwhelm the other (Bozeman 2020 Community Plan, p. 20)
• Although we have pockets of R4 high density in our neighborhoods, the
apartment complexes are smaller and limited to two stories with setbacks that
blend in well with more medium to moderate zoned areas.
• An abrupt transition to R-4 (Residential High Density) and R-5 (Residential
High-Density - Mixed) would threaten to overwhelm our more medium to
moderate density neighborhood areas and would create an imbalance
between the two-story character of our residences and the potential three to
four story dwellings with out of place commercial businesses mixed in.
• We bought our homes knowing there would be no commercial businesses
nearby in well-established residential neighborhoods. Businesses do not
always make the best neighbors and there are valid and legitimate reasons
for separating them from residential areas. Today’s coffee shop can become
tomorrow’s pawn shop.
(2) According to the Bozeman 2020 Community Plan under the City
Responsibility section, it states that: “the City’s primary function is to
provide a safe, healthy, and high-quality environment….. The way a
community is shaped through………green spaces can contribute to the
well-being of residents” (Bozeman 2020 Community Plan, p. 21).
• The property contains significant wetlands that spread out from
Baxter, Ajacker, and McDonald Creeks and should be protected to support
our well-being with green space in the form of parks along the wetlands for
current and future residents to enjoy.
• The R4 and R5 designations could negatively impact the wetlands and shrink
the opportunity to establish parks along them.
• If a high-density development is added there without parks and protection
of the wetlands, many of those residents will seek out our parks and green
spaces that we pay to maintain.
Thank you for taking the time to carefully consider these compelling reasons for
rejecting this zoning proposal and the potential for it to adversely impact our well-
established residential neighborhoods.
Sincerely,
Alexandra Smith
Bozeman Native and Homeowner