HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-03-25 Public Comment - R. Sanchez - The Guthrie Application #24493From:ronglea
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]The Guthrie Application #24493
Date:Tuesday, December 31, 2024 7:35:31 AM
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I'm disappointed that the residents of North Fifth have to rally one more time to stop thisflawed project.
The new application does not address any of the concerns.
A four story building is not appropriate in a single family residential neighborhood.
The real problems with the lack of parking and the unmanageable traffic have been completely
ignored by both Homebase and the city. There is a massive new apartment complex about toopen on the north side of Peach. Currently Peach is backed up at rush hours. Add the traffic
from these hundreds of new residents to the traffic from the proposed Guthrie and you will seegridlock on Peach. The intersection of Peach and Fifth has a crosswalk for school kids and the
many locals who walk in the area. This is a recipe for disaster. The other end of Fifth atMendenhall is a blind crossing. Cars race down Mendehall at 40 mph and more. Another
accident waiting to happen. Before any more applications are considered, the city needs to doa comprehensive traffic study of the whole Midtown and North East neighborhoods.
And quite simply this is not affordable housing. I cannot afford the rent for one of these micro
studio apartments. That says a lot.
The abuse of the deep incentives by Homebase is unacceptable. Once again development ispiled on the backs of hardworking Bozeman residents. Remember Impact Fees?
It's shameful that the city has bent over backwards to reward wrealthy developers at the
expense of the people who made Bozeman a desirable place to live.
One only has to walk around the other Homebase structures at night to see how few of theseunits are actually occupied by full time residents. So much for your infill high density housing.
These are just second and third crash pads for wealthy part time visitors who add nothing tothe local economy. I have to laugh when I see that part of the plan for these structures is for
retail and restaurants to occupy the ground floor space. The existing restaurants in Bozemanoperate on the edge as there are no employees to staff them. The Gutherie does not address
this problem and supply real affordable housing for local service workers.
The city of Bozeman needs to stiffen its back and stop this disruption of our neighborhoods. Iwill also point out that the comment period for this application falls during the holiday season,
when people have important family commitments. This feels more than a little calculated.
The Gutherie is not appropriate for the neighborhood, nor does it do anything to relieve thelow cost housing crisis in our town.
SincerelyRonald D Sanchez
-- Ronald Sanchez
Director Of A&RCareer Records