HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-14-24 Public Comment - S. Wood - Application 24-107From:shanadwood@gmail.com
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Application 24-107
Date:Friday, December 13, 2024 4:25:12 PM
Attachments:ShanaWood_Comment_Application24-107_12132024.docx
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Dear Bozeman City Commission and Staff,
Please find attached my comments regarding the development Application 24-107.
Thank you,
Shana Wood
To: Bozeman City Commission, Bozeman Director of Community Development
From: Shana Wood
Re: Public comment on Application 24-107
Date: 13 December 2024
To Whom it May Concern:
I live in a single-family home on E Cottonwood Street in the Northeast Historic Mixed-Use area of Bozeman.
The south side of the street was slated to be a developed as a Planned Unit Development until the housing
crash of 2008. Subsequently, the lots were sold off individually and a variety of single-family homes on
small lots were built. Across the street are older single-family homes that range in size, character and age.
To the south and west are warehouses and buildings used for light manufacturing and commercial
businesses. The Bon-Ton Mill is at the southeast corner of our alley. The Misco Mill is at the eastern end of
our block, across Wallace Ave. Both old mill buildings are tall. They are historic and they are beautiful when
the sunset lights them up. They will be dwarfed by the proposed luxury condominium building proposed in
Application 24-107.
I write to express my opposition to this project as it is currently proposed. Several reasons follow.
The application fails to meet the plan review criteria stated in BMC 38.230.100 A 7 a:
“Compatibility with, and sensitivity to, the immediate environment of the site and the adjacent neighbors
and other approved development relative to architecture and design, building mass, neighborhood identity,
landscaping, historical character, orientation of the buildings on the site and visual integration.”
• To the west is a row of 1-2 story older brick buildings that house commercial and non-profit
enterprises. Green Seam Design and Gangbuster Pottery are in an eclectic compound of single-
story buildings They will be dwarfed.
• To the north is the historic single-story depot building. It will be entirely loomed over by the massive
scale of the proposed building and look like a toy-train depot next to the hulking block.
• To the east is a single-story commercial plumbing business and a small block of modest, single-
family homes. Beyond that is a beautifully restored and historic railroad warehouse made of brick.
• To the south is the Tinworks Building, currently hosting community art events and exhibitions. And
recently, in a novel expression of and tribute to the agricultural history of Bozeman and the Brewery
District, Tinworks hosted a project that converted open space to a wheat field.
A 70-foot-tall building occupying 107,000 square feet is not compatible with nor sensitive to the adjacent
neighborhood and the historical character of the built and natural environment. In general NEHMU has low-
slung buildings, often made of original brick or metal-sided in the case of warehouses. Few are massive,
fancy or modern-looking in character or design. The proposed project is not visually integrated with the site
or neighborhood.
Finally, Wallace Works, a project proposed for the old brewery site one block to the west, is an approved
development in the neighborhood and it will have a maximum height of 50 feet. The plan proposes a series
of different sized buildings, which scale down to the south, a design that is more thoughtful and fitting with
the neighborhood identity in terms of massing, orientation and visual integration.
This proposed condominium building(s) will loom over the beloved neighborhood Mills and block views to
the north. It is simply not compatible with the modest nature of both the historic and modern built
environments of the neighborhood or the adjacent open space and natural landscape to the north (i.e.,
railroad, wetlands, Rocky Creek, Story Mill Trail and Park).
It might be a cool and interesting design, but it’s completely out of character for the site and neighborhood.
The application fails to meet the plan review criteria stated in BMC 38.230.100 A 6 a (1):
“The impact of the proposal on the existing and anticipated traffic and parking conditions”.
I am concerned about the cumulative impacts of changing the alignment of N Ida Avenue. Currently, N Ida
Ave is used as a popular alternative to bypass the 4-way stop at Peach Street and Wallace Avenue, and to
avoid congestion and impacts to traffic flow on Wallace Ave. N Ida Ave is now mainly used as an alternative
by commercial and commuter traffic. Semi-trucks and vehicles hauling trailers have evolved to use N Ida
Ave almost solely. The proposed realignment with a hard right turn onto Aspen Street and a very steeply
angled left turn onto Front Street will make it impossible and/or dangerous for larger commercial traffic and
higher volumes of traffic. The realignment will make snowplowing more difficult.
As a result, traffic will again adapt and reroute via Plum Avenue to Front Street, shifting use to streets that
are not designed or built for intensive use or heavy vehicles. That is simply kicking the can down the road
for the developer. And if so, will there be another request for TIF funds to improve Plum Ave in the future? If
so, I do not support 76% of my taxes paying for this nonsensical solution to a developer’s problem.
And while the closed section of N Ida Ave remains an official Right-of-Way, it offers no serious utility to
residents of greater Bozeman. Will someone living on the “Tree Streets” on the southeast side of town, who
commutes to Bridger Bowl via N Ida Ave because of traffic on Rouse Ave use the tiny additional space to
the Northern Pacific Park? The proposed change appears contrived to serve the interests of the
development. I believe maintaining N Ida Ave as a ROW effectively avoids the official procedure for
vacating a city street including completion of an engineering staff report, a Resolution of Intent, a noticed
public hearing, and lastly a Resolution of Abandonment. I believe all Bozeman residents deserve to be
involved in this decision.
In conclusion, I believe the development Application 24-107 as proposed does not meet several
components of the Bozeman Municipal Code and I urge you to deny administrative approval of this
application until the issues identified above can be addressed. Thank you for considering my concerns.
Respectfully,
Shana Wood
506 E Cottonwood Street
Bozeman, MT 59715