HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-24-24 Public Comment - C. Stillwell - Guthrie project COMMENTSFrom:Cindy Stillwell
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Guthrie project COMMENTS
Date:Sunday, June 23, 2024 6:38:33 PM
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Hello and thank you for considering my comments regarding the
Guthrie project.
I have several concerns regarding the Gutherie project and I
would like to make my points prior to the upcoming vote. This
project continues to be a gross overstep and abuse of the AHO
'deep incentives' that were designed to help build affordable
housing in Bozeman.
Some points to consider before the vote:
• The Guthrie is a five-story high rise with 111 rental units, half of
which will be rented at “affordable” rates. That rate is based on
80% of Area Median Income, which for the city of Bozeman is
placed at 70k. This number is too high. The Area Median Income
includes Big Sky salaries, as well as the large percentage of
remote workers living in the area.
• Average unit size in the Guthrie is 400 square feet.
•Affordable rent on a “one-bedroom” Guthrie unit is set at
$1,683.75 per month.
• The luxury One-11 studio units (another Homebase building on
the corner of Lamme and Willson) rent for $2150.00. Thus, for
$400 dollars more, a tenant gets a unit built with higher end
materials, parking, and a full ktichen to a micro unit the size of a
hotel room. Is the Guthrie offering true “affordable housing”?
•Homebase is calling these units “one bedroom” rather than
studios. Studios do not qualify for the deep incentives. A study of
the design reveals they are as small as 400 square feet with a
“operable partition” for the bedroom, rather than a door.
• The Guthrie is a five-story high rise with 111 rental units.
The Guthrie location lies inside the Neighborhood Conservation
Overlay District (NCOD), a document meant to protect historic
neighborhoods. It violates many of those protections, most
obviously that proposals should be “compatible with any existing
or surrounding structures.”
I am concerned also at how this project got this far along using
the 'deep incentives' in the AHO. I urge the commissioners to
revoke these "deep incentives" in the Affordable Housing
Ordinance. They need revision, as they are too susceptible to
exploitation, as this project has made so clear.
Thank you for your careful consideration of this important vote
and for taking time to read public comment.
Cindy Stillwell