HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-16-24 Public Comment - A. Sweeney - Attn_ City Commission about UDC engagement.From:Alison Sweeney
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Attn: City Commission about UDC engagement.
Date:Monday, September 16, 2024 12:41:29 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you
recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Hello Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and Commissioners,
I'm writing to submit feedback on the memorandum attached to the Tuesday 9/17 commission
meeting agenda titled, Community Engagement Plan--Phase 2.
The first and most important suggestion I would like to make at this stage is that on page 3 ofthe document, there is a list of Key Partners/constituents/community groups. Under the list of
advisory board partners the Inter-Neighborhood Council and the HistoricPreservation Advisory Board MUST be listed as Key Partners here.
Their conspicuous absence from this list is troubling.
The Inter-Neighborhood Council is the low hanging fruit of engagement, so to speak,because this established network of engaged citizens has demonstrated the ability to garnerfeedback on city projects at high levels and within a pretty quick turn-around time. Use thisas an asset in the UDC engagement process! Until we have Neighborhood Associations thatcover all the areas of the city it will require a substantial amount of resources, time, and effort,to get that same level of feedback from the newer neighborhoods, most of which have beenbuilt in the last 20 years. Use what you've got (INC) do not dismiss it, so that scarce resourcescan be allocated to the engagement that will be harder to get. This year alone INC has seenthe formation of 2 new neighborhood associations, and a third is being reinvigorated. Thiswork all happens from the ground up.
The Neighborhood Council also has good representation from neighborhoods experiencing themost redevelopment pressure that will be exacerbated by the proposed new UDC. Theinteresting, diverse, and historic neighborhoods in the center of town (though INC has repsfrom neighborhoods further out) are where developers are able to realize the highest return oninvestment for their projects, and in that process we are actually losing those qualities thatmake these areas attractive in the first place. This is why we aren't seeing a lot of developersapplying to tear down single family homes from the 1990's out Durston, so they can buildenormous condo or apartment buildings. Our cultural heritage is being commodified and put atrisk. We should be replicating these core neighborhoods, rather than redeveloping them. Theouter neighborhoods need more attention to make them unique, desirable, walkable,economically diverse, and complete ecosystems with mature trees and plants etc.
Make use of INC and list that citizen advisory board as an explicit partner in this
work!
The Historic Preservation Advisory Board must be included in the UDC rewrite as anexplicit partner for several reasons. Primarily because the results of the Nation-widecommunity survey, that we paid consultants to include us in, came back with findings thatBozeman residents of all areas of the city believe that we need to do a better job of preserving
our historic and cultural resources. Historic preservation policy lives within chapter 38 of theUDC, so it must be considered in all aspects of the rewrite, because our historic and culturalresources are not limited to the NCOD. The advisory board must be a guiding partner in therewrite of our development code, because the potential for adverse impacts to our heritage forfuture generations is high.
Another reason HPAB needs to be a partner in this work is because the recommendations fromthe NCOD Final Policy Direction Report from 2019 were never implemented. Shortly afterthe report was finalized we found ourselves in the midst of a global pandemic. This reportwas crafted with immense community engagement, and needs the HPAB to help guide itsimplementation. Much of what this report suggested, has to do zoning and building codes.
As part of the UDC rewrite the NCOD should be expanded and strengthened, because newareas are now worthy of protection for future generations. This is our history, which we areonly recently beginning to honestly acknowledge and share. Our history belongs toeveryone, mostly future generations. We are stewards of these resources. It just so happensthat the consultants the city is currently employing to revamp the historic preservation policyand implement a local landmark program actually have a background in planning! They areperfectly poised to help us protect our heritage in the UDC rewrite.
The Historic Preservation Advisory Board must be included in the list of Key
Partners!
____________________________________________________________________________
The second part of my comment today in response to the memorandum addresses the KeyQuestions.
Question 1. What decisions have already been made?
I will be curious to hear what decisions you think have already been made. The plans sighted
here have such a wide range of topics and suggestions that they are frequently cherry-pickedto support an existing agenda. So I'll be interested to hear what the commission considers "off
the table" so to speak. What will be implemented regardless of citizen feedback.
Question 2. What decisions are we gathering public input on?
1. What focus areas of the UDC do residents most want to discuss?
I'm giving you feedback on this because it will be necessary to prepare for proper engagement.
Upzoning of existing neighborhoods through increased density and height allowances. You must create honest images to illustrate what increases are being proposed so that
residents can respond. The isometric angles used in the visuals from Code Studio minimizethe difference in mass and scale between structures. Ground level elevations illustrating the
proposed increases in mass and scale show the community that you respect them and arewilling to engage in honest conversation. Are we building our future together or not?
Another consequence of upzoning is gentrification and displacement through redevelopment
allowed by the upzoning. Working class neighborhoods are often targeted for redevelopmentand upzoned to achieve it, and this absolutely needs to be avoided in our community. These
working class neighborhoods need to be supported through policies of withintrification rather
than slated for redevelopment. Displacement of existing residents so the land can be occupiedby a new more affluent demographic is the classic mistake of urban renewal in other cities,
and I am adamantly opposed to it in Bozeman. Adding affordable density to ourneighborhoods can be accomplished through an affordable housing overlay zone, and
other techniques, but it cannot be accomplished by simply granting increased developmentpotential alone. If we upzone and redevelop, in a global market, we will lock out the working
class from the central and historic neighborhoods for a generation or longer. Our Belonging inBozeman plan suggests we want economically diverse neighborhoods and we have to work
tactically to keep what we have and carry that forward into the future.
Parcel assembly has come to the mind of a lot of residents as a potential way to regulate massand scale of new construction, making sure that new density is compatible with existing
neighborhoods. It will also make our development landscape more friendly to local builderswho are currently being forced out by our financial system which favors the mega-builds made
possible by parcel assembly.
The location of Fraternities and Sororities has caused considerable conflict in ourcommunity lately and I honestly cannot understand how someone decided they could go
anywhere. Zoning is necessary to separate incompatible land uses, and defining those landuses is essential to the work of zoning. Suggesting that we cannot define Fraternities and
Sororities as a distinct and conditional uses is absurd. Of course we can and should.
A Solar Access law needs to be part of the new UDC. I'll ask you to refer to the lettersubmitted recently from an impressive variety of stakeholders requesting the city craft a solar
access law and offering to help. In our growth policy we acknowledge a desire to N-1.7
Review and where appropriate, revise block and lot design standards, including
orientation for solar power generation throughout city neighborhoods. Bozeman
currently has 20 MW of installed solar capacity, and that is likely to grow. It should be
protected as a privately owned public resource helping us meet our climate goals.
Floor Area Ratio regulations are supported by many groups in Bozeman as a way
to prevent McMansions that gentrify our neighborhoods. They are also a suggested
way to prevent the redevelopment of Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH)that serves to house some of the more vulnerable populations in our community.
These structures could be made eligible for financial assistance for needed
maintenance to make sure they are safe and habitable structures. This can be
achieved through a variety of state and national grants and other funding sourcescommon through historic preservation programs. They don't need to be demolished,
they need to be maintained.
The continued health and integrity of our urban forest and ideally its expansion toother parts of the city is of grave concern to many. There are codes that can be
strengthened to encourage letting trees age in place. We have incredible trees in our
older neighborhoods. The ones in my neighborhood are just getting really good after
70 to 80 years! Those trees need to be prioritized and protected! Adding trees tonewer neighborhoods is such an essential component to improving liveability. Not
everyone will be able to live in our historic neighborhoods where we currently have so
many heritage trees. Again this goes back to replicating the conditions of our core
neighborhoods to other parts of the city, rather than redeveloping what is already
great. The latter nearly always results in a loss of mature trees._____________________________________________________________________________
The final page of the memo, the Engagement Timeline looks pretty good.
The heavy reliance on digital forms of engagement is noticeable, but I do appreciate thatyou've listed some utility bill inserts and mailers. I'll be interested to see what focus areas you
have in mind for these mailers; does this mean geographic focus areas or UDC topics ofconcern? Either way, determining focus areas through a digital survey could potentially be
problematic. Again this is a great opportunity to make use of INC. Many neighborhoodscould potentially handle distribution of city printed material to cut down on shipping costs.
My neighborhood is particularly effective at this, but again, that most likely differsneighborhood to neighborhood. Reaching other areas of the city not yet represented will be
harder to reach.
I like the workshops in different quadrants of the city, and that you've suggested hiring afacilitator! Again use INC to get those neighborhoods to show up, but getting other areas of
the quadrants to attend will require careful thought. The facilitator working with staff to lead
breakout sessions needs to be open to the public for the sake of transparency and trust. Too
many decisions about this development code update have been made behind closed
doors. That has to change going forward, and this engagement will be an enormous test.
Thank you for reading my once again, lengthy comments.
Alison B. SweeneyBernadette's Handmade JewelryBozeman MT406-404-5740alison-bernadettes.com