HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-03-24 Public Comment - N. ten Broek - Re_ Public Comments (The Guthrie)From:Noah ten Broek
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Re: Public Comments (The Guthrie)
Date:Tuesday, April 2, 2024 2:29:54 PM
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On Tue, Apr 2, 2024 at 1:51 PM Noah ten Broek <njtenbroek@gmail.com> wrote:
Thank you for the opportunity to bring our voices to the table.
Together we stand to respectfully voice our concerns regarding the proposed developmentThe Guthrie in the Whittier School district.
Our collective message is to request the Commission to reclaim the review authority of this
development, thereby reinstating executive and public oversight of the project.
The proposal has numerous shortcomings that urge our request for reinstating oversight ofthe project.
If deep incentives are to be an integral part of the new UDC, getting it right with this project
is paramount.
Lets bring affordability to the table. As someone who grew up in poverty, living in a trailer,going to the local Bozeman food bank, and working multiple service jobs in this community,
I am deeply concerned by the suggested 80% affordability threshold proffered by HomebasePartners. It completely misses the mark of local wage realities.
Furthermore, Homebase Partners is marketing leases at 30 days incentivizing short-term
stays for a transient and an out-of-town workforce. Therefore, we believe that Theapplication of The Guthrie is more in line with an extended stay hotel rather than creating
affordability and actual homes for families and community members.
It is grossly inappropriate to use community resources of parking valued at $4,380,000 tosubsidize a for profit developer- trading permanent resources for a temporary benefit.
The housing situation is complex and dynamic. As a community, we reject simplifying this
situation by polarizing the issue as either right or wrong, for or against. It is much morenuanced. These decisions, both ordinance and developer driven, must include all major
stakeholders.
Removing the public, excluding the commission, consolidating advisory boards each lead toa dangerous precedent of removing diversity.
Streamlining is a function of factories and industry, it can be useful in the rapid construction
of a house but falls short of the human element. The human element is organic and as aresult creates meaning and culture.
We don’t live in an HOA, what protects us are existing City ordinances and the NCOD.These protections compounded by land cost are what steer developers towards the luxury
market.
The best outcome for our community would be a development that incentivizes affordablehousing for community members and families who attend Whittier all the while adhering to
the neighborhoods existing cultural norms of density. This would be the adaptive reuse ofthe existing building, offering 50 affordable multi bedroom units at 1 year leases.
As a community, we would vote to bond the adaptive reuse and remodel of the old historic
rehabilitation center creating hip and fun local wage affordable units in line with the NCODand neighborhood.
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Noah ten Broek--
Noah ten Broek