HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-17-25 Public Comment - N. Nakamura - Sustainability Board involvement in the UDC conversationFrom:Natsuki Nakamura
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL][SUSPECTED SPAM] Sustainability Board involvement in the UDC conversation
Date:Tuesday, February 18, 2025 9:04:56 AM
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Hello,Please share with the Sustainability Board. The February 4th UDC update presentation to theCity Commission had mentioned that staff would be in front of the Sustainability Board at theirFebruary 12th meeting with a UDC update, but it looks like that was pushed to a future dateinstead.
Dear Sustainability Board,
As you probably know, the topics of Transportation and Environment were separated out fromHousing, Neighborhoods, and Growth in the upcoming UDC phase 2 of engagement. While Ihope that this allows for some good robust conversations about these broad topics, such as acontinuation of the wetland discussion at your last meeting, I think it should also be noted thatwater adequacy is intricately tied to how much growth our City can sustain. Transportationinfrastructure is also tied to housing and neighborhoods, especially if we are trying to createwalkable neighborhoods and are using reduced parking mandates as a bargaining chip to try toget more affordable housing.
It would be great to see Sustainability Board members engaged in phase 2 of the UDCengagement, in both the Transportation/Environment sessions, as well as theHousing/Neighborhoods/Growth sessions, since there are many parts of the UDC that willimpact community sustainability goals.
Sustainability means:
Reducing emissions by building up non-car transit optionsEncouraging people to invest in solar by having effective zone edge transitions thatwould ensure solar panels aren't blocked by future tall buildings next doorMaking demolition properly expensive so that whole trees and buildings aren't ending upin the landfill and so that adaptive reuse is more financially feasibleEmbedding into our code protections for our trees, canals, and ditchesProtecting crucial ag land and wetlands by reducing sprawl while also ensuring we haveenough water to support new density and continued growth
In particular about water adequacy, in an April 1, 2024 presentation to the CommunityDevelopment Board, the City presented an update on our water usage, with over 76% of ourreliable water supply already being used or allocated for current development. The City hasbeen working hard on water conservation efforts, but we are in a closed basin (ie. there are nomore surface water rights available) and more development has certainly entered the pipelinesince that presentation. The City projects that we need nearly 1000 new units every year to meetdemands, so if that's true and achieved, we could surpass our reliable water supply in the next10-20 years.
(Slide from the April 1, 2024 presentation)
Sustainability is a huge topic, and I know this board can't tackle all these subjects, but I hopeyou all, based on your individual interests and expertise, collectively participate in the UDCworkshops and help make the case how many parts of the UDC are interrelated withcommunity sustainability goals!
Thank you for your time,Natsuki Nakamura
P.S. I like this image from the MSU Sustainability office that captures a few of the many issuesinvolved in sustainability!