HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-06-24 Public Comment - B. Antonopulos - One facet of affordable housing to considerFrom:Beth Antonopulos
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]One facet of affordable housing to consider
Date:Monday, August 5, 2024 5:37:43 PM
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Dear Commissioners,
As you grapple with all the difficult choices related to housing and development, I hope that
you will take a few minutes to read this thoughtful article put together by Alison Sweeney.Dan Carty posted the link this afternoon on nextdoor.
The article cites an example of modest downtown housing, and a resource that we have now,
soon to be traded for denser-but-less-affordable housing. Please consider this situationcarefully as we restart debate about changing the city code and also how we best achieve city
goals and not just take whatever developers propose. This is yet another example of how ourwell-intentioned rules are viewed (exploited?) by those with a profit motive.
We should preserve what Alison calls NOAH and encourage any new affordable housing to
come through arrangements with non-profit organizations. Developers' top priorities donot overlap with most of the affordable housing and environmental goals city residents and
government have articulated. Collectively, they have shown time and again through theiractions that building the most profitable housing is their driving goal. Therefore, we should be
extremely careful in how we write new incentives into our code going forward.
Sincerely,Beth Antonopulos
https://www.betterbozemancoalition.org/commentary/preserving-naturally-occurring-
affordable-housing-noah