HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-17-24 Public Comment - G. Werner - UDC _ Affordable Housing OverlaysFrom:Gina Werner
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]UDC / Affordable Housing Overlays
Date:Tuesday, September 17, 2024 10:21:22 AM
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I understand that the city is beginning work on rewriting the Unified Development Code and I
wanted to share some comments.
First of all, let me say that I appreciate the difficult job that you have and do understand thatthe state zoning laws have made it more difficult to legally manage growth in a responsible
way.
I have a lot of concerns, but as of late, my biggest concern has been that most of the housing inthe downtown area where I live has been very high end homes, condos and townhomes that
are:
Removing naturally existing affordable housing from the market.
Driving up property values due to development potential.Negatively impacting the existing neighbors and neighborhoods for what often appears
to be second homes or investment properties that are largely unoccupied. In general, are doing nothing to solve the housing affordability issues.
Causing difficult driving due to the narrow streets and lack of parking. Causing dangerous pedestrian and biking situations.
Straining resources for very limited returns to the community.
I know that most people will default to very general supply & demand point of view, but ifyou are not building the right inventory, there will remain a supply and demand problem. My
understanding is that there is currently about a 10% vacancy rate in the city of Bozeman andthat is largely due to the fact that the new inventory is is all on the upper end of pricing and is
not moving. So the current thinking around development and zoning is not working and it istime to do some reflecting and pivoting.
The modern day real estate booms, particularly impacting smaller western towns, reminds me
of the booms and busts of timber and mining towns and what is left behind after big moneyinterest is gone. Bozeman is surrounded by towns that were destroyed by people and industries
that were not invested in the longevity of the cities and towns, but looking to turn a quickprofit and move on. Bozeman needs to be very careful about inadvertently prioritizing short
term gains for developers at the long-term expense of the city and residents that will be herewhen the frenzy has passed.
Bozeman needs housing for sure, but we need to be engaged, thoughtful and cautious in the
approach. Or we will end up with empty buildings and irreparable damage to the environmentand people of Bozeman.
I believe that downzoning and affordable housing overlays are strong options that help
prioritize the housing inventory that is desperately needed and helps to protect existingresidents and neighborhoods.
DO NOT just UPZONE. I think recent developments have shown that this is not working. It is
not increasing affordability and there is a lot of inventory sitting on the market. We haveprioritized and overbuilt the wrong inventory.
There is really great information around downzoning and prioritizing local incremental
development over institutional capital / development. I encourage you to continue to push forpublic input. There are incredibly talented, intelligent and passionate people that have become
organized and could be easily engaged in the conversation, research and solutions.
Thank you,Gina Werner
Gina Werner
gina@mainspringproduct.comwww.mainspringproduct.com
303.827.1053Bozeman, MT