HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-28-25 Public Comment - K. Meier - Affordability - tonight's commission mtgFrom:Kara M.
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Affordability - tonight"s commission mtg
Date:Tuesday, January 28, 2025 11:53:37 AM
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Dear Commissioners,
I hope this message finds you well. My name is Kara, and I am a concerned resident of
Bozeman, where I have called home for 24 years. I am writing to express my deep concernabout the current trajectory of housing development in our city, particularly regarding
affordability and the potential long-term impact on our community.
As our city grows and developers seek new opportunities, I believe it is crucial that we
balance progress with sustainability. Housing affordability is a significant issue for manyresidents, including those who clean your hotel rooms, scrub your toilets, serve you drinks,
bring your goods out to your car so you don't have to get out, teach your kids, help ourunhoused, care for the mentally ill...and those who do all the jobs that YOUR tourists and
wealthy expect when they come to the area..., and the recent influx of luxury developmentsseems to exacerbate the divide between those who can afford to live here and those who
cannot. The rapid rise in rent and home prices threatens to displace long-standing residentsand reduce the diversity and character that make our city so special. The tall luxury condos
have eroded our ability to see the 360 degree view of mountain ranges that has made theGallatin Valley so unique. It has impeded our ability to wake up to the eastern sunrise, or
contemplate the western sunset. It has threatened wildlife habitats, and our water systems.Need I go on?
I urge the Commission to consider policies that prioritize affordable housing and to putmeasures in place that ensure developers cannot come in and prioritize profit over the well-
being of the community. Our city must remain accessible to all residents, and that requires acareful, balanced approach to development that includes affordable housing options.
I encourage you to make decisions that help you sleep better at night knowing you are thevoice and decision-makers for those who voted you in, those who care for our community like
you should.
Kara
--
There is a "strangely irrational notion that there is something in the very flow of time that will inevitably cure all ills. Actually, time
iteself is neutral; it can be used either destructively or constructively."
MLK