HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-30-24 Public Comment - D. Carty - City Commission_ Please reclaim and deny The Guthrie 2 (App 24493)From:Daniel Carty
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]City Commission: Please reclaim and deny The Guthrie 2 (App 24493)
Date:Sunday, December 29, 2024 2:02:44 PM
Attachments:Guthrie2_PublicComment_DanielCarty_12-29-24.pdf
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you
recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Dec 29, 2024; 2:00 p.m.
Please place the attached pdf public comment in The Guthrie 2, App 24493 folder. The
attached pdf comment asks the City Commission to reclaim review over and then deny The
Guthrie 2 (App. 24493) development project. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Daniel Carty, Bozeman resident
213 N. 3rd Ave
Bozeman, MT 59715
406-548-2810
Page 1 of 3
(Please place the following public comment in The Guthrie 2, App 24493 folder. Thank you.)
Dec 29, 2024; 2:00 p.m.
To: Bozeman City Commission
Subject: Request for City Commission to reclaim review authority over and then deny The
Guthrie 2 development project (App. 24493).1
I am writing as an individual Bozeman resident to ask the Bozeman City Commission
(Commission) to reclaim review authority over The Guthrie 2 development project (App. 24493)
and to deny The Guthrie 2 development project. I am making this request because The Guthrie
2 will provide little-to-no community benefit and contribute to the ongoing degradation of
Bozeman’s historical character and sense of place in the downtown core. My arguments for
asking the Commission to reclaim review over and deny The Guthrie 2 are as follows:
Argument 1: The Guthrie 2 building design is inconsistent with the historical character of the
existing neighborhood and does not comply with the City of Bozeman's (City) Neighborhood
Conservation Overlay District (NCOD; UDC Chapter 38, DIVISION 38.340. OVERLAY
DISTRICT STANDARDS).2 Moreover, the use of incentives in the City’s Affordable Housing
Ordinance (AHO, Ordinance 2105) does not preclude the requirement for The Guthrie 2 to
obtain a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) as described on page 12, section 7 of Ordinance
2105.3
Argument 2: The Guthrie 2 project proposes insufficient onsite parking, which will allow a
private developer to take over and "swamp" public streets, thus creating a public health and
public safety hazard—especially for children—near Whittier Elementary School. Here is the
math: The Guthrie 2 proposes 91 total housing units (all rentals), which will generate a need for
a minimum of 182 onsite parking spaces because, in Montana, the number of registered motor
vehicles per capita is two.4 However, The Guthrie 2 proposes to provide onsite private parking
for only 36 motor vehicles (28 in an onsite parking lot, and 8 in on-street private spaces). Thus,
onsite private parking will not be provided for 146 motor vehicles, not to mention that onsite
private parking will not be provided for towable vehicles such as construction trailers, campers,
and boat trailers.
Argument 3: Nearly all (39 of 46) of The Guthrie 2’s so-called affordable units will not be
affordable to the majority of Bozeman’s workforce because rents will be based on 80% AMI.
Here is the math:
(a) Each of the 10 so-called affordable studio units will rent for $1,526 per month ($18,312
per year in rent). To not be cost-burdened by rent, an individual would need to earn
$29.35 per hour and work 2,080 hours per year (full time), thus earning a gross income
of $61,048 per year (aka 80% AMI for a studio unit).
(b) Each of the 29 so-called affordable one-bedroom units will rent for $1,745 per month
($20,940 per year in rent). To not be cost-burdened by rent, an individual would need to
earn $33.56 per hour and work 2,080 hours per year (full time), thus earning a gross
income of $69,800 per year (aka 80% AMI for a one-bedroom unit).
Page 2 of 3
(c) The Bozeman 2023 Economic and Market Update Report (Table 3)5 shows the median
annual household income for renters in Bozeman to be $49,543, which translates to a
median hourly wage of $23.82 ($49,543 / 2,080 work hours per year), which is far less
than the hourly wage needed not to be cost burdened if renting a so-called affordable
studio unit or a so-called affordable one-bedroom unit in the proposed The Guthrie 2. In
fact, when earning $23.82 per hour ($49,543 per year), 37% of an individual’s gross
annual income would be needed to pay rent for a so-called affordable studio unit in The
Guthrie 2,6 and 42% of an individual’s gross annual income would be needed to pay rent
for a so-called affordable one-bedroom unit in The Guthrie 2.7
Conclusion:
It is clear The Guthrie 2 project will provide little-to-no community benefit because (1) the
building design is not consistent with the historical character and sense of place of the
neighborhood (downtown core) and does not comply with the NCOD; (2) insufficient onsite
parking for motor vehicles will allow a private company to swamp public streets, thus creating a
public health and safety hazard—especially for children—near Whittier Elementary School; and
(3) nearly all (39 of 46) of The Guthrie 2’s so-called affordable units will not be affordable to the
majority of Bozeman’s workforce because rents will be based on 80% AMI.
Consequently, I reiterate my request that the Commission reclaim review authority over The
Guthrie 2 and then deny The Guthrie 2 development project (App. 24493).
Sincerely,
Daniel Carty, Bozeman resident
213 N. 3rd Ave
Bozeman, MT 59715
dgc12@hotmail.com
Footnotes
1The Guthrie 2 (App. No. 24493)
https://weblink.bozeman.net/WebLink/Browse.aspx?startid=292962&cr=1
2UDC Chapter 38 (NCOD):
https://library.municode.com/mt/bozeman/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICOOR_CH3
8UNDECO_ART3ZODILAUS_DIV38.340OVDIST
3Bozeman Affordable Housing Ordinance (Ordinance 2105):
https://library.municode.com/mt/bozeman/ordinances/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=1181518
4Number of registered motor vehicle per capita in Montana:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1541480/motor-vehicle-registrations-per-capita-by-us-state/
5Bozeman 2023 Economic and Market Update Report:
https://www.bozeman.net/home/showpublisheddocument/13746/638446301551230000
Page 3 of 3
6$18,312 rent per year / $23.82 earned per hour = 768.8 hours work per year to pay rent.
768.8 hours of work per year / 2,080 work hours per year = 36.9% of annual gross income
allocated to pay rent.
7$20,940 rent per year / $23.82 earned per hour = 879.1 hours of work per year to pay rent.
879.1 hours of work per year / 2,080 work hours per year = 42.3% of annual gross income
allocated to pay rent.