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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-16-24 Public Comment - A. Hoitsma - City Commission Decision to Reclaim the Guthrie Application #23354From:Amy Kelley Hoitsma To:Bozeman Public Comment Subject:[EXTERNAL]City Commission Decision to Reclaim the Guthrie Application #23354 Date:Monday, April 15, 2024 1:46:04 PM Attachments:Screen Shot 2024-04-15 at 11.33.24 AM.png Screen Shot 2024-04-15 at 11.44.54 AM.png Amy_Hoitsma_RE_Guthrie_review_authority.docx 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. Honorable Mayor and Bozeman City Commissioners: Thank you for placing this item on tomorrow’s City Commission agenda. I write to encouragea “yes” vote on this action item. I thought the memorandum written by City Attorney Greg Sullivan was excellent. He cites the City Strategic Plan as a basis for this decision: 4.1 Informed Conversation on Growth: Continue developing an in-depth understanding ofhow Bozeman is growing and changing and proactively address change in a balanced and coordinated manner. Because this is the first time that a developer is proposing to use the “deep incentives”package (outlined in 38.380.03 BMC) in exchange for creating “affordable housing,” this isan important opportunity to review the intent behind that ordinance, and whether thisproposal meets that intent as well as the requirements set out in various sections of City Code. That can only happen if the Commission votes to reclaim the decision on this application. While you will not be voting on the merits of the development proposal at tomorrow’smeeting, I want to raise the question of whether the “affordable” units in this proposal actually meet the criteria. If there is any question about that, it is absolutely necessary to have apublic venue for reviewing this project, as it will set a precedent for future developmentsseeking to qualify for the deep incentives. The AFFORDABLE HOUSING section of the City Code, 38.380.020 (D)(2) states: “Todetermine the maximum sales prices of affordable homes with different numbers of bedrooms, the city will base its calculation on AMIs for households of different sizes, as follows, with thereview authority determining which rooms qualify as bedrooms: a. Studio dwelling: AMI fora one-person household; The maximum sales prices of an “affordable” studio dwelling, in order to qualify for the deepincentives package, is 80% AMI for a one-person household. In the “Community Housing” section of the City’s website (https://www.bozeman.net/departments/economic-development/community-housing), thetable shows that 80% AMI for a 1-person household is $58,950. It further states that: “Housing is affordable if the monthly rent or mortgage payment is equal to or less that 30% ofgross household income (before taxes).” For a studio apartment (defined as a 1-person household, above), the maximum monthly rent could be $58,950(.3)/12 = $1,473.75. The narrative for the Guthrie “Affordable Housing Plan” says it “will include (56) 1-bedroomunits,” “which is over 50% of the total project” and thus qualifies for the deep incentives. It cites the current HUD AMI for Gallatin County as “not exceeding $67,350 for 1-bedroom (2-person) unit at the current affordability calculation,” which the narrative states as $1,648 for a 1-bedroom/2-person household. What I see on the drawings, however, is that all of the A-1 and A-2 units (at 312–327 sq. ft.)are studio apartments. Even the B-1, B-2 and B-3 units (at 382–397 sq. ft.) appear to be studio apartments. They comprise 47 of the 56 so-called 1-bedroom apartments. In order to qualify as “affordable” units, the monthly rent for those 47 studio apartmentscannot exceed $1,473.75/month. Therefore, I would argue that this project,as submitted, meets neither the spirit nor the letter of the law. Given this is the first time a developer is proposing to qualify for the deep incentives in exchange for providing “affordable housing” as defined in code, I urge you to vote to reclaimdecision-making authority over the Guthrie application. Given the precedent-setting nature of this application, it is critical that the application be reviewed in a public venue, which theCity Commission can provide. Sincerely, Amy Kelley Hoitsma706 E. Peach Street, Bozeman MT 59715 (406) 581-1513aok@mcn.net