HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-26-24 Public Comment - B. Edgar - Resolution 5663, Project 24-107From:Brian Edgar
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Resolution 5663, Project 24-107
Date:Monday, November 25, 2024 8:13:37 PM
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Public Comment: Resolution 5663
Bozeman Yards / Block 104
I am strongly opposed to awarding TIF funding to the Bozeman Yards / Block 104 project asproposed in Resolution 5663.
The TIF funding that is requested by the developer is advantageous only to the developer and
the development, and viewed as a negative impact to the current local residents. Rerouting IdaStreet onto residential streets creates an unusual traffic flow that impedes large vehicle traffic
and makes the roads more difficult or, in the case of semis, impossible to navigate. Where theproject should not displace persons from their housing, the proposal has the potential to do so -
causing locals to move from our usual place of residence due to the negative impacts ofincreased vehicle traffic and a decline in quality of life and overall safety.
If the commercial aspects of this project are to be considered as part of its merits, the impacts
of the additional commercial traffic must be considered in the traffic study, in addition to thecalculated 345 trips per day for the residential traffic. This calculated total creates a traffic
condition similar to or worse than those at the new Wildlands development at Wallace andPeach streets. In the case of Wild Crumb bakery, Finks, Treeline, and the art spaces, hundreds
of additional vehicles create significant traffic congestion. Bozeman should not be paying forthe real estate investor and developer's obligation to meet parking requirements.
The profit margins of the project are already very strong in the favor of the developer. The city
should not shoulder the burden of ensuring that the developer gets a more desirable return ondevelopment investment. The use of tax money proposed for the TIF would be better spent on
bolstering public services including first responders and supporting the education system. TheTIF funding creates additional value for the developer and new development, and takes away
from the value of the current residents that fight so hard to retain the historical character andquality of the neighborhood.
This improvement only serves the earnings of the developer and the curb appeal of the
development. All impacts are a negative to the current residents and I hope that the
Commission, as representatives of the people of Bozeman, vote to deny this TIF funding.
Brian Edgar
710 E Aspen St
Bozeman, MT 59715
406-920-6991