HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-27-24 Public Comment - R. Rydell - Guthrie ProjectFrom:Robert Rydell
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Guthrie Project
Date:Friday, December 27, 2024 8:51:09 AM
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December 27, 2024
To: Bozeman City Commission
Fm: Bob and Kiki Rydell
RE: Guthrie Authorization
Dear City Commissioners:
We write to urge you to reclaim your authority concerning the review of the Guthrie Project
and not allow this project to go forward on the basis of an administrative review by city staff.
We remind you that the decisions surrounding approval of this project are very serious and
far-reaching for the neighborhood. An unelected city staff member with no necessary
knowledge of Bozeman neighborhoods should not be making this decision. The commission is
made up—for the most part—of individuals who were elected by city residents.
Once you reclaim authority, we urge you to oppose this project as revised. There are many
reasons to oppose this project—its transactional “incentives” in terms of loosening height
restrictions and parking spaces come at a big cost to nearby neighborhoods. And, with
respect to affordability, the question, as always, boils down to: affordable for whom? Who
are these units for? Current residents who live and work HERE? Are they for the parents of
out-of-state students? Will a city employee be able to afford to live in the Guthrie? How
about a teacher with a family? Does this project really reflect the values of this community?
Or does it reflect the values of a community’s future as imagined by developers and their allies
in city government? This last question is important because it is so important for you to
remember that confidence in city government is not exactly at an all-time high. You have been
taking important steps to rebuild this trust with your outreach efforts concerning the UDC
revisions; don’t let your vote on Guthrie negate these efforts.
Respectfully yours,
Kiki and Bob Rydell