HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-28-25 Public Comment - P. McGown - AHO voteFrom:Patty McGown
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]AHO vote
Date:Tuesday, January 28, 2025 10:36:55 AM
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Hello Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and Commissioners,
Thanks to Commissioner Madgic for setting up the
zoom meeting with C Marohn.
I am writing to request that you Repeal the current
AHO entirely. The Current AHO ordinance keeps
Bozeman in the housing trap according to Charle
Marohn from “strong towns”, who recently presented
via Zoom to the Bozeman community.
The housing trap gets more people to pay more
money for housing. This is a trap maintained for
banking and government securities where “large
developers and centralized financial institutions have
t unprecedented sway over what is built and where“.
This is happening right here in Bozeman. Tonight,
you have the power to reclaim control over this
housing trap.
Even Bozeman will stay trapped if you pass this
AHO, where you are giving my tax dollars for
investment housing. I am tired of developers getting
Rich and me subsidizing it.
According to Mr. Marohn, Bozeman must take some
steps to get out This housing trap some ideas include
shifting, subsidies away from tax breaks for big
developers and toward actual assistance for local
homeowners and small scale developers.
These subsidies could include grants or low interest
loans for constructing ADU’s or what he suggest
calling backyard cottages. Another step would be
simplify regulations and incentivize local builders.
This also promotes shared infrastructure for ADU’s
duplexes, etc., which is not feasible for 5 over 1’s.
I'm writing to ask you to vote NO on the draft AHO
this Tuesday, and work to repeal the current AHO
entirely. If you are unwilling to take these steps to get
our community out of The Housing Trap, at least
mandate the following 3 point plan:
>Limit the use of this ordinance to greenfield
development where infrastructure can be properly
sized to accommodate the impacts of this much
density.
>Enlist creative solutions like an Affordable Housing
Overlay Zone (AHOZ) and incentives to local
homeowners to create invisible infill in core
neighborhoods to protect historical character and
NOAH.
>Mandate that developers proposing to use the City’s
problematic Cash-In-Lieu of Water Rights provision
(CILWR) provide affordable housing in exchange for
the use of our water! A finite and undervalued public
resource. If they bring water rights they are more than
welcome to build all the unaffordable housing they
want. If they want our water, they build affordable
housing. This is legal!
Thank you,
Patty McGown