HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-08-24 Public Comment - J. Wilder - Deny the Guthrie Project (app. 23354)From:Jay Wilder
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Deny the Guthrie Project (app. 23354)
Date:Monday, July 8, 2024 8:17:18 AM
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July 8, 2024 8:15am
To: Bozeman City Commission
Subject: Request to rescind the Affordable Housing Ordinance(2105 38.380 BMC) and
deny the Guthrie Project (app- 23354)
I am writing to you in support of the Midtown Neighborhood Association’s request to
immediately rescind section 38.380 of the Bozeman Municipal Code (Ord. 2105 38.380
BMC) and deny Development Application #23354 “The Guthrie Project.”
I rent a room in a house on North 6th Avenue between the Whittier school and the
proposed Guthrie Project site. As it has been pointed out by numerous other community
members, this building misses the mark to serve our community in many ways. The lack of
onsite parking will exacerbate our parking issue. This along with increased traffic will be
detrimental to our school safety. Homebase Partners’ Affordable Housing plan states “to
create a vibrant, high quality and respectful affordable project near the downtown core.”
Charging over $1700 per month for a “1 bedroom” apartment that is essentially a studio
with an added partition is far from respectful or affordable. My neighbors are hard working,
vibrant people who do not deserve this disrespect.
Within Section 1 of the Affordable Housing Ordinance 38.370 BMC (AHO) it states the
Bozeman Community Plan’s goal as “to increase the supply of affordable housing in the
city.” Additionally the city commission establishes its strategic goal to “Vigorously
encourage, through a wide variety of actions, the development of sustainable and
lasting housing options for under-served individuals and families and improve mobility
options that accommodate all travel modes to help grow Bozeman’s inventory of affordable
housing”. While the Guthrie would increase inventory, it does so in a very intrusive way. I
will quote one of my neighbors Daniel Carty who summarizes the issue accurately. “The
guthrie project will provide no community benefit because (1) the building design is not
consistent with the historical character of the neighborhood and does not comply with the
NCOD; (2) the developer misrepresents 45 studio units as 1-bedroom units in order to
charge more rent per unit than should be allowed, and the 45 studio units in question will
not be affordable to a vast majority of individuals in Bozeman's workforce; (3) insufficient
onsite parking for motor vehicles will allow a private company to take over (i.e., swamp)
public streets; and (4) insufficient onsite parking for motor vehicles and substantially
increased traffic will lead to public health hazards and public safety hazards near Whittier
Elementary School.”
That is more than enough examples to see that the AHO did not receive the attention it
needed when it was enacted. Please deny the Guthrie and rescind the AHO 38.380 so that
our neighborhood is not the center of this mistake.
Thank you,
Jay Wilder
Midtown Neighborhood Resident
(207) 691-4743
jaywild12@gmail.com
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Jay Wilder
207-691-4743
jaywild12@gmail.com