HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-08-24 Public Comment - C. Garcia - The GuthrieFrom:Corinne Garcia
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]The Guthrie
Date:Sunday, July 7, 2024 9:43:03 AM
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Dear Bozeman Mayor & City Commissioners,
If Andrew Holleran's Guthrie development moves forward with deep incentives, it will be a
clear sign to the community that the old Bozeman is gone forever, that developers and theirmoney mean more to city government than the residents who have called this place home for
decades. And if you need any proof of Holleran's lack of community well-being, look at oneof his latest buildings on Beale & Willson, where a luxury apartment building looms over the
Montana Conservation Corps headquarters, with approximately 2 feet between the historichouse and the black brick walls. To me, this is a classic bullying tactic: They won't sell their
home to me, so I will make them pay!
I'd like to ask the Commission to deny The Guthrie because of its numerous shortcomings.While there are too many to list here, these, to me, are the standouts:
-It's affordable housing disguised as a self-serving dorm (hot plates, no kitchen?) for his
employees.
-The “deep incentives” need to be reexamined. The Bozeman Community Development Boardvoted against this ordinance, citing a lack of thoughtful discussion and dearth of public input.
Commissioners passed it anyway. Holleran is clearly using this to his advantage.
-Average unit size in the Guthrie is 400 square feet; affordable rent on a “one-bedroom” unit isset at $1,683.75 per month. This is almost as much as my mortgage payment on a home. A
family can't live in this small space.
-Homebase is calling these units “one bedroom” rather than studios. Studios do not qualify forthe deep incentives. A study of the design reveals they are as small as 400 square feet with an
“operable partition” for the bedroom, rather than a door.
-The Guthrie location lies inside the Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District (NCOD), adocument meant to protect historic neighborhoods. It violates many of those protections,
namely that proposals should be “compatible with any existing or surrounding structures.”
-There is absolutely no doubt that this project puts Whittier School kids and families in peril.Is hooking up a developer with incentives he knows he doesn't even deserve, really worth the
risk?
I am deeply thankful that you took over the review process, and I truly hope that you considerthe community's well-being over the developers in this case.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Corinne Garcia
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Corinne Garcia
Freelance Writing, Marketing, PR
406.579.4888
CorinneGarciaMT@gmail.com
www.CorinneGarcia.com
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