HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-15-24 Public Comment - Z. Osman - Public comments for Fowler project for commission worksessionFrom:Zehra Osman
To:Terry Cunningham; Joey Morrison; Jennifer Madgic; Douglas Fischer; Emma Bode; Bozeman Public Comment;Nicholas Ross; Takami Clark
Cc:Mitchell Overton
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Public comments for Fowler project for commission worksession
Date:Monday, July 15, 2024 11:56:58 AM
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(please post in public record and also forward to the advisory board members)
Dear Mayor Cunningham, Deputy Mayor Morrison, Commissioners Madgic, Fischer, and Bode, and fellow
city officials and advisory boards: Transportation and Engineering Director Ross, Transportation AdvisoryBoard (TAB), Parks and Recreation Director Overton, and Urban Parks and Forestry Advisory Board
(UPF):
I want to express my gratitude that Deputy Mayor Morrison and Transportation and Engineering Director
Ross met with engaged engaged citizens. As you know, my comments recommend the Fowler Avenue
Connector (FAC):
1. is as environmentally responsible as possible by preserving/protecting the continuous 1.5 mile
forested riparian corridor ecosystem that has wildlife and 120-year old trees along the free-flowing
irrigation ditch
2. is as pedestrian/bicycle safe as possible by minimizing and mitigating vehicular speeds, road
crossings, and conflicts
3. is as pedestrian/bicycle friendly as possible for those of all ages and abilities, with paths that connect
the community to nature and wildlife, to area schools, GVLT’s future Raptor Route, Bozeman
Ponds, the Regional Park, and commercial services
The following comments are organized by road section:
Oak to Durston Section (0.5 miles)
Mr. Ross spent 3 hours hours answering all public questions about the Fowler Avenue Connection (FAC)
project as he lead a walking tour of the entire corridor last June. In particular, Mr. Ross honored our request
and placed survey stakes in the Oak-Durston section of the FAC so the public could visualize the
development footprint.
I encourage all City Commission members to walk the Oak-Durston section of the proposed FAC to see
these survey stakes for themselves prior to the July 16 work session. These stakes show the most built-out
portion of the FAC. It extends 129’ in development footprint width — well into the continuous 1.5 mile
forested riparian corridor that has wildlife and 120-year old trees along the free-flowing irrigation ditch. The
existing section of Fowler proposed FAC between Durston and Babcock is proposed to remain essentially
unchanged at approximately 60’ width in design.
The reason the FAC development footprint width is more than doubled for the Oak-Durston 1/3 of the FAC
is because of the following unnecessary design features:
Raised median
Center/left turn lane pockets at minor local streets
Doubling of the wide shared-use paths with wide roadside boulevards on both sides of the
road
I propose that these extraneous design features are unnecessary because they are not not used for the design
of the other 2/3 of the FAC between Durston and Huffine. The width added by these extraneous design
features unnecessarily cause the following impacts:
impacts the 120-year old riparian corridor
compromise safety for pedestrians who have to wait for all three lanes to stop before crossing
encourage speeding (per the Federal Highways Administration and the Department of
Transportation https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/saferjourney1/library/countermeasures/16.htm)
Prioritize vehicle convenience over pedestrian and bicyclist convenience
I strongly recommend that the Oak-Durston portion of the FAC instead be designed similar to the Durston-
Huffine portion with only two narrow 11.5’ lanes, a shared use path on only one side, and a 5’ sidewalk and
narrow boulevard on the other side.
Oak to Babcock Section (1.0 miles)
Connecting neighborhood streets to the FAC cuts through the continuous riparian corridor of mature trees
along the free-flowing irrigation ditch. The distance between each of the existing cross streets (Oak,
Durston, Babcock, and Huffine) is only 0.5 miles. We do not need to make the FAC more vehicle-friendly
by providing additional (0.25 mile) connections at Annie and especially at Cascade, which would cause the
removal of many trees and the piping of the waterway, thereby cutting off water to other trees. Omit new
Cascade Street and Annie Street intersections to the FAC.
Maximize the buffer zones along the 1.5 mile long forested riparian corridor and plant with un-mowed
native vegetation.
Consider creating a linear park along the 1.5 mile forested riparian corridor to protect and preserve it into
the future. Use only environmentally friendly permeable paving materials on paths within the corridor and
its buffer zone.
Respectfully,
Zehra Osman
312 Sanders Ave
59718