HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-13-24 Public Comment - A. Sweeney - Please reclaim review authority over the Guthrie second versionFrom:Alison Sweeney
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Please reclaim review authority over the Guthrie second version
Date:Thursday, December 12, 2024 1:01:25 PM
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Mr. Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and Commissioners,
I am asking you to reclaim review authority over the new Guthrie development application.
There are several reasons for this, but the primary reason that I see is public transparency andpublic buy-in.
1. The denial of the original proposal was a very public affair. People from all parts of town
are aware of it. If they come back from the holidays to find that a 1 story shorter developmentwas approved administratively, it may not register as a different application to the public.
They will see it and say, "what, I thought that was denied?" and the narrative that developersrun the city continues and is reinforced.
If instead, you reclaim review authority, and have a public hearing where you issue findings,
saying how the new application addresses your reasons for denial the first time around (or not)the public will be able to understand how the decision was arrived at.
2. Another important reason is to again reinforce the NCOD guidelines. This development is
not in the B-3 or B-2M zones as are the other tall multi-story apartment buildings downtown. It's in a residential zone in the NCOD. Many neighborhoods are grappling with the proposed
change to the NCOD boundary in the UDC update, and examining the idea of extending theNCOD to cover new neighborhoods.
If the NCOD is truly ineffective, then we as a city need to examine other strategies for
neighborhood conservation. Notice I said conservation, not preservation. The NCOD doesnot seek to freeze things in time, but to make sure new development is sympathetic, and to
limit the negative impacts of inappropriate development.
If you find that the NCOD design guidelines require additional variations to the proposal youare not only sending a message to the community that you heard them (the HP survey results
say residents value the NCOD) you are also sending a message to staff that you want thesedesign guidelines enforced. I believe they need this direction from you.
3. The third and final reason I will suggest for reclaiming your review authority over this
project is that you owe it to the community and to the neighborhood. Because you knowinglyleft a problematic and contentious ordinance on the books instead of repealing it, ascountless residents and the INC asked you to, you allowed this new application toproceed.
This affects the community at large because if this development is approved it will take
community resources in exchange for unaffordable housing. Many residents, both rentersand owners, have shown up to express their dissatisfaction with the rental prices garnered in
exchange for the incentives. And the fact that the deed restrictions only last for 30 years in the
existing ordinance. If you had repealed the existing ordinance this project would have to waitto apply until the revisions to the AHO are complete. Economic Development is
recommending affordable units would be rented at 60% AMI rather than 80% which is notaffordable to most renters in Bozeman, and at this time is actually at or above market rate. ED
is also recommending a longer deed restriction of 50 years.
This affects the Midtown Neighborhood specifically because the developer was consideringadaptive reuse of the existing structure until they became aware of the incentives in the AHO.
If you are to make findings that this new application meets the NCOD design guidelines, andyou approve it, you have the opportunity (and I'd say obligation) to implement a specialparking district to address the increased impacts of the AHO incentives that allow thedevelopment to have more units (therefore more cars) than would otherwise be allowed under
current code. You owe it to the wellbeing of the neighborhood to mitigate the negativeimpacts of this ordinance. Manage the impact, rather than simply reacting to the contentious
situation that will result.
Thank you for considering this comment.
Alison B. SweeneyBernadette's Handmade Jewelry
Bozeman MT406-404-5740
alison-bernadettes.com