HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-08-25 Public Comment - S. Boyd - Reclaiming the GuthrieFrom:Scott and Frances Boyd
To:Joey Morrison; Terry Cunningham; Jennifer Madgic; Douglas Fischer; Emma Bode
Cc:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Reclaiming the Guthrie
Date:Tuesday, January 7, 2025 6:17:28 PM
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.
I'd like to ask you each to spend the eight minutes it takes to listen to your previous conversation aboutreclaiming your review authority for the Guthrie at the link below (it should open at the appropriate point,1:52:12 on April 14, 2024 commission meeting) and ask yourself, "What's changed?"
The deep incentives of the AHO remain a novel ordinance and the Guthrie is still the first attempt to use itin a residential neighborhood. We deserve transparency and to hear the deliberation in public. Why doyou potentially force the neighborhood to spend nearly $3000 to appeal the anticipated administrativeapproval to have you weigh in when you could do so now? Mayor Cunningham, in April when speakingabout the appeal process you observed, "I want to stop that process. It is obvious that if the CommunityDevelopment Director were to approve this there would be significant interest from aggrieved parties totake this back." Please do not forget that the Guthrie, based on the previous submission's staffreports, clearly would have received that administrative approval despite the public commentary,participation, and highlighting of the obvious failures of the application. You will still have the benefit ofstaff reports in making your decision. By removing the continuity of your oversight from this applicationyou're sending a signal to staff and the community that this project is ready for approval because you'renot reclaiming your authority.
What has changed from the second application to the third that warrants abdicating your oversight? Commissioner Fischer, as someone who was originally planning to "trust the process" on the previousapplication and allow it to go through administrative review, when recanting that position you remarked,"Anytime this room is full of people, something is amiss." Were there not enough bodies in the seats inthe brief window that we had before the current comment period closed to deserve the commission'soversight? Are the 117 comment letters not enough? Please recognize that though we cannot musterthe same level of participation during the holidays and after a big snowstorm as is the case tonight, thecommunity remains steadfastly opposed to the project as proposed and would like you to deliberate itsviability in public. You should also recognize that it is exhausting and demoralizing for the public when byall appearances the system is stacked against them and HomeBase's success is perceived as inevitable. Imagine the frustration upon discovering that just two months after its denial and supposed two-year staythe neighborhood finds itself in the same situation. We ask ourselves, "What is the point?" Does all ofthis come down to money and the ability to outlast the opposition? As you said Commissioner Madgic,"To have a public dialog and communication on how that process works will help make us a better city, abetter community, (and) build better trust." When the commission appears prepared to turn a deaf ear tothe community it diminishes trust. Was the previous reclaiming just a limited, one-time offer? As yousaid so eloquently Commissioner Morrison, "If a tremendous amount of public support cannot move thecommission to change action, to move an item out of administrative review in front of us, then what is thepoint of public participation?"
I respectfully request that you reclaim your review authority for project 24493, the Guthrie.
Best regards,
Scott BoydBozeman
City Commission
City Commission
Live and Recorded Public meetings of City Commission for Bozeman,MT