HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-20-24 Public Comment - S. Mercer - Affordable Housing OrdinanceFrom:serena mercer
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Affordable Housing Ordinance
Date:Sunday, August 18, 2024 4:25:31 PM
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As a Bozeman resident and taxpayer, please "pause" and reevaluate the Affordable Housing
Ordinance (AHO).
The incentives need revision to align with changing market forces and the reality of Bozeman's
neighborhoods.
To take parking out of the development requirements is a huge mistake. Drive through any
northside or southside neighborhood and often, only one car can negotiate the street. With
parking permitted on both sides and the current trend of driving enormous SUVs and trucks,
it is one car only. Add a foot of snow and the roadway is diminished even further. The Public
Safety people need to sit at the table. Can an ambulance or fire truck pass through these
streets quickly to respond to fire or an emergency health event? Add a couple of hundred
more cars to a neighborhood and imagine the tragedy should someone "not make it" due to
clogged streets littered with too many cars in too little space. Furthermore, residents now
able to park a "reasonable" distance from their homes will have to vie for parking spots
overwhelmed by new apartment building residents. Let's be honest, the vast majority of
people of driving age own a vehicle - the idea that new residents will live in town without
personal transportation is folly. Building without a parking provision other than the city
streets is a no-win solution.
As for building height - to block out neighboring residents just to capture profit. Again, will
these overwhelmingly large buildings (4-9 stories!) solve the affordability issue? No. Instead,
seriously consider cottage housing, duplex, triplex and rowhouses to house the "missing
middle".
Please return to the drawing board, halt all proposed projects looking to take advantage of
AHO incentives, involve the community and stop giving away safety, access, neighborhoods
and sunlight to those who wish to financially profit from these incentives.
Serena Mercer