HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-17-24 Public Comment - N. teh Broek - The GuthrieFrom:Noah ten Broek
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]The Guthrie
Date:Tuesday, April 16, 2024 2:36:44 PM
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Members of the Commission,
Our neighborhood is here to respectfully urge you to reclaim your review authorityover the Guthrie project. In doing so, you will fortify the trust our community placesin your leadership as well as enable much needed public engagement.
The proposal for the Guthrie calls for critical scrutiny to see this project for what it is—not as a gift horse to our housing crisis, but rather as a Trojan Horse that threatenscommunity wellbeing and belonging.
This project masquerades as affordable housing—a cause many of us ferventlysupport—only to exploit deep incentives linked to our community's resources. Closerexamination of the building plans reveals that The Guthrie more closely resembles anextended-stay hotel than an affordable micro-apartment complex. Unlike standard micro-apartments that offer substantial communal amenities to offsettheir smaller living spaces—including shared kitchens, expansive outdoor areas,gyms, and external storage—the Guthrie falls remarkably short. It provides minimalamenities and storage solutions, both inside and outside the units.
Moreover, the introduction of 30-day leases and fully furnished units marks asignificant deviation from the community’s traditional residential needs for affordablehousing. Rather, these short-term leases promote temporary residential offerings thatare misaligned with our community’s long-term affordable housing goals.
Further, this project, set in a zone meant for residential development, does not alignwith the objectives that the deep incentives were intended to achieve.
We must pause, reassess, and ensure that any development, especially onebenefiting from substantial public incentives, serves a meaningful purpose and alignsseamlessly with the fabric of our neighborhood—particularly a neighborhood centeredaround an elementary school.
We call on you, our elected officials, to act with foresight and prudence—reclaim yourauthority, review this project thoroughly, and ensure that any development underyour watch genuinely serves the public interest, now and in the future.
Thank you,
Noah ten Broek