HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-31-25 Public Comment - M. Kirchhoff - Support Guthrie AppealFrom:Maxwell Kirchhoff
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Support Guthrie Appeal
Date:Sunday, March 30, 2025 9:22:21 PM
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Dear Mayor Cunningham and Bozeman City Commissioners,
I am writing yet again to encourage the City to support the Whittier Elementary School
neighborhood’s appeal of the Guthrie project. The Guthrie represents not just anisolated development issue, but a critical turning point for all residential districtswithin Bozeman’s Neighborhood Conservation Overlay Districts (NCOD).
The Precedent That Threatens All NeighborhoodsThe Guthrie project, with its grossly out-of-scale proportions, would create analarming precedent. If allowed to proceed in a residential district inside the NCOD, weface the very real prospect of similar oversized developments proliferating throughoutall residential neighborhoods within the NCOD boundaries. Time and again, Bozemanresidents have appeared before this commission to express their desire for thoughtfuldevelopment that respects neighborhood character. The rubber-stamping of thisproject directly contradicts the clearly expressed wishes of the citizens you represent.
Staff's Misinterpretation of NCOD RequirementsPerhaps most troubling is the staff's fundamentally flawed interpretation of the NCODregulations as merely "optional" guidelines. This is not a minor procedural error but acritical misreading of city code. The NCOD regulations were established as mandatoryprotections, not suggestions to be discarded when convenient for developers. Hadstaff properly applied these regulations as required by law, the Guthrie would havebeen denied outright. This error alone is sufficient grounds to uphold the appeal.
Violations of City CodeThe Guthrie project explicitly violates City Code 38.230.100A.5.c regarding scale andmass. The sheer bulk of the proposed structure overwhelms surrounding homes andfundamentally alters the residential character that the NCOD was designed to protect.Furthermore, the design fails to meet the integration requirements specified in Code38.230.100A.7, making no meaningful attempt to complement or harmonize with theestablished neighborhood aesthetic.
Traffic Impact ConcernsThe traffic study submitted with this application contains significant omissions thatrender it inadequate as a planning tool. Most notably, it fails to address the alreadycongested intersections near Whittier Elementary School. These intersectionscurrently struggle with school-related traffic, and the addition of a high-densitydevelopment will only exacerbate these dangerous conditions. We remind thecommission that Deputy Mayor Morrison cited these exact traffic concerns whenrejecting the previous iteration of this project in July 2024.
I urge you to to support the Whittier Elementary School neighborhood’s appeal, enforcethe clear language of the city code, and protect the character of our neighborhoodsfor current and future generations of Bozeman residents.
Sincerely,
Max Kirchhoff