HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-31-25 Public Comment - J. Kirchhoff - Public Comment on the Guthrie_ April 1st MeetingFrom:Julia Kirchhoff
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Public Comment on the Guthrie: April 1st Meeting
Date:Monday, March 31, 2025 7:38:54 AM
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Dear Bozeman City Commissioners,
I am writing to request you deny the Guthrie. It's approval would require you to surrender yourauthority and misrepresent the Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District (NCOD) design
guidelines. The NCOD guidelines are binding code for all development in Bozeman. Section38.110.010(B) of the Bozeman Municipal Code adopts the NCOD guidelines by reference,
integrating them directly into law. Section 38.100.050(A) reinforces this by requiring that, incases of conflicting provisions, the more restrictive standard must govern. The NCOD imposes
stricter requirements than base zoning—and therefore must control.
Overlay districts like the NCOD are standard planning tools used across the country to provide
enhanced protections in sensitive areas—historic, ecological, or otherwise. They are meant tosupplement and, where necessary, override base zoning to preserve essential characteristics of
a community. To permit developments like the Guthrie to move forward solely on the basis ofzoning is not only an abandonment of the city’s obligations, it undermines public trust and
decades of community-driven planning.
I urge you to represent your electors: act to preserve Bozeman’s historical neighborhoods, and
ensure a livable city for residents for decades to come. Bozeman is already at the brink. Wesuffer unprecedented traffic, overreach of our water rights, unaffordability, alienation, not to
mention destruction of the natural environment for which this city is known and cherished.Many recent development projects have exacerbated these problems. The city should bring in
the involvement of city residents and local companies to creatively address these issues,because the “solution” of the free market and out-of-town developers has proven to fail.
This is about doing what is right. The community has not rejected new development or evenaffordable housing on this site. What residents demand—rightfully—is that development
within the NCOD comply with the same standards that have guided all prior projects:compatibility, context, and character. The bottom line: development must be guided by clear
and rational explanations of the purpose and effects of the specific project. If the analysis doesnot prove how the benefit to the community will outweigh the negative effects, then can it
really be called “development”?
Sincerely,
Julia Kirchhoff
3/31/2025