HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-24-24 Public Comment - C. Stillwell - Deny the Guthrie and revise the Affordably Housing OrdinanceFrom:Christy Stillwell
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Deny the Guthrie and revise the Affordably Housing Ordinance
Date:Sunday, June 23, 2024 1:28:56 PM
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Dear Commissioners, Mayor and Deputy Mayor I offer sincere thanks for your vote to reclaim authority on the Guthrie. Now that the project is under review again, I ask you to use your review authority to deny the
project at the July 9th meeting. Additionally, commissioners should revoke and revise the Affordable Housing Ordinance toavoid this kind of exploitation in the future. The Guthrie violates the plan review criteria in Bozeman Municipal Code (Section38.230.100), on five main points: 1. Traffic safety2. Affordable housing failures3. NCOD violations4. Design inconsistent with neighborhood5. Certificate of Appropriateness inconsistencies
Traffic Safety Bozeman Municipal Code 38.230.100.6. states that development projects should include:
Design of the pedestrian and vehicular circulation systems to assure that pedestriansand vehicles can move safely and easily both within the site and between propertiesand activities within the neighborhood area (38.230.100.6.a)
And:
Adequate connection and integration of the pedestrian and vehicular transportation
systems to the systems in adjacent developments and general community(38.230.100.6.c)
Project documents include “The Guthrie Traffic Impact Study,” by Sanderson and Stewart,filed May 28, 2024. This report not only finds current intersections substandard, but it also
predicts future failures:
•Intersections of N 7th Ave and both West Villard and West Beall currently rateas substandard, operating at a grade of “D” during the PM peak hour, and “C” at
other hours. A grade of “C” is considered the “minimum acceptableperformance level.”
•Fifteen-year projections (2038) indicate the intersections with N. 7th Ave and
both West Beall and West Villard will continue to operate at a “D” or worseduring AM and PM peak hours.
•The Guthrie is estimated to generate 349 total new vehicle trips trips using the
presumed reduced traffic volume normally associated with affordable housing. Given that we live in Montana, with the highest vehicle ownership per capita in
the country, a discounted trip volume is not appropriate or realistic and theactual trip volume will be much higher than contemplated in the study.
•The addition of a dedicated left-turn lane on West Villard Street and right and
left-turn lanes on West Beall Street is “not expected to result in a significantcapacity improvement.”
•The installation of a two-way left-turn lane on North 7th Avenue would
improve delay, but would “require major reconstruction to North 7th Avenueand is not an easily feasible solution.”
•When volumes are high on North 7th Avenue during the AM and PM peak
hours, vehicles attempting to make a left-turn from the minor legs of Villard andBeall will “likely reroute to a signalized intersection,” adding to the already
congested N. 5th Ave at peak hours due to elementary school activity.
•While restrictions to West Villard and West Beall could be considered,engineers report that “this change would greatly impact the connectivity of the
neighborhoods.”
Traffic engineers find the intersections around the Guthrie site already substandard and the
report confirms safety issues due to increased traffic. Clearly the proposal violates BMCrequiring project design to “assure that pedestrians and vehicles can move safely and easily.”
The increased traffic is projected to disrupt the connectivity of the neighborhoods, also a codeviolation.
Affordable Housing Failures
• The Guthrie is not the answer to Bozeman’s shortage of affordable housing.
Bozeman’s Affordable Housing Ordinance was created to push back against the state
legislature’s repeal of inclusive housing requirements. The Bozeman CommunityDevelopment Board voted against passing the ordinance, citing a need for more community
input and more city infrastructure before relaxing parking requirements.
Commissioners passed the ordinance with a “better than nothing” approach. Until now, nodeveloper has applied for the deep incentives, which were not studied by an outside party the
way “shallow incentives” were. As such, the Guthrie appears to be a long lasting, if notpermanent, experiment, with the surrounding neighborhood taking the brunt of the risk.
Furthermore, the project does not provide affordable housing. Using 2024 HUD numbers,
affordable units will rent for $1,745 per month for square footages ranging between 358—597. The rent is based on 80% AMI, an income limit for a 1-person family of $61,050. The
formula used in the AHO needs revision; this number is too high. The Area Media Incomeincludes Yellowstone Club salaries, as well as the large percentage of remote workers living in
the area.
To put the rent figure in context, compare it to the One-11 luxury lofts, another Homebaseproject two and a half blocks away and nearer to the downtown core on the corner of Lamme
and Willson. Here a 765 square foot one-bedroom loft rents for $2,095 with 2 months free,bringing the effective rent to $1,745. A tenant can get a unit up to 113% larger, built with
higher-end materials plus amenties like a full kitchen, en suite laundry, a gym, and garageparking for the exact same price. Why would the city grant The Guthrie project parking
relief and increased height variances, producing increased congestion and decreased safety, toachieve an inferior "affordable housing" product that the free market is already providing? The
result would be a unfair transfer of wealth from the public to the developer. The tenant paysmore for less.
The Guthrie is not what the city hoped to encourage with deep incentives and the
AHO. Commissioners should deny this project and revise the Affordable Housing Ordinanceas soon as possible to avoid further exploitation.
NCOD violations
Division 38.340 of the BMC deals with the NCOD, inside of which the Guthrie would sit. Part
1.C states that the NCOD’s purpose is
to stimulate the restoration and rehabilitation of structures, and all other elementscontributing to the character and fabric of established residential neighborhood.
NCOD code specifically states in 38.340.050.D:
When reviewing a contemporary, non-period, or innovative design for new structures
… the review authority must … determine whether the proposal is compatible with anyexisting or surrounding structures.
The Guthrie’s modern design, its scale, and the micro unit apartment model do not “contribute
to the aesthetic character and function” of the surrounding neighborhood. The building asproposed alters it profoundly, intruding upon this tranquil, mostly single-family residential
neighborhood in our city’s core.
Design Inconsistencies
• Section 7.a of the Plan Review Criteria states that the project should conform with
Project design provisions of article 5 . . . including compatibility with, and sensitivityto, the immediate environment of the site and the adjacent neighborhoods . . . relative
to architectural design, building mass, neighborhood identity, landscaping, historicalcharacter, orientation of buildings on the site and visual integration.
Said another way, the building design should fit the neighborhood. The Guthrie does not.
Across the street from the site is the Christian Reformed Church, the highest structure in aseveral block radius, making The Guthrie’s proposed 61’ woefully out of character. The Deep
Incentives of the AHO have allowed Homebase to propose a project that is out of scale withthe surrounding properties.
Certificate of Appropriateness
• BMC Sec. 38.340.040 & Sec. 38. 340.050.B state that the appearance of a building must be
compatible “with neighboring structures and properties” in terms of both “height” and“scale.” The certificate code states that “contemporary, non-period and innovative design”
should only be encouraged when “such design is compatible with the foregoing elements ofthe structure and surrounding structures.”
The height and scale of the Guthrie should preclude it being awarded a Certificate of
Appropriateness. There are no other five story buildings in this area. The height relaxationsthat are part of the city’s Deep Incentive package are misguided. The unintended
consequences of such relaxations in height are the creation of inconsistent, non-uniformdevelopment pockets in one of the oldest core neighborhoods in our city.
The application “Project and DEM Narrative” attempts to address this issue:
The Guthrie is situated on a site characterized by a mix of neighboring property
uses, making it well-placed as a transitional element between the nearby single-family residential homes and the commercial developments …. Adjacent to the
west is the The Sapphire Motel, and to the south, is an apartment building.Directly to the east is the Christian Reformed Church, while properties to the
north consist of single-family houses. The Guthrie serves as a link between thesediverse functions, helping to mitigate the shifts in scale. The enhanced site will
incorporate ground-level features to maintain the vibrant atmosphere of theresidential neighborhood, including outdoor seating, games, a grilling area, and
thoughtfully designed landscaping.
The developer makes some creative leaps in this narrative. The Sapphire Motel is one storyhigh. The apartment building to the south of the site is an art deco four-plex, two stories high.
The presence of outdoor seating, games and a grilling area on the backside of the property willdo nothing to provide a “transitional element” between this 61’ tall building and the modest
structures around it.
The narrative also states:
The Guthrie is zoned as R-5 and is designed with a residential block frontage
approach. This design choice allows for the inclusion of elements that break downthe overall scale, while also introducing a ground-level porch to enhance the
historic character of the adjacent older neighborhood. Throughout thedevelopment, site elements such as lighting, plant materials, site furnishings, and
signage will maintain consistency to define the character of the district.
Again, creative leaps are made. The project renderings reveal a failure to include “elementsthat break down the overall scale.” No architect could make this building blend with its
surroundings. The Guthrie project is an attempt to insert an urban, high-density structure in a
quiet, old neighborhood. Yes, it’s a block from N 7th, but a walk around the site and anyone
can see what a difference one block makes. The small-scale bungalows and low elevations ofmulti-family units in this area cannot be stressed enough.
In closing, I restate that this proposal is not what the city hoped to encourage with deep
incentives and the AHO. Commissioners should deny the Guthrie and revise the AffordableHousing Ordinance as soon as possible to avoid further exploitation.
SincerelyChristy Stillwell
402 N 5th Ave