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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-01-25 Public Comment - B. MacFawn - In support of the Guthrie Appeal # 25033From:Beth MacFawn To:Bozeman Public Comment Subject:[EXTERNAL]In support of the Guthrie Appeal # 25033 Date:Monday, March 31, 2025 6:30:29 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Public Comment to the Bozeman City CommissionRe: Opposition to the Guthrie Project – Support for Appeal of COA Approval Mayor, Commissioners, Thank you for the opportunity to provide public comment. I am speaking today in firm opposition to the proposed construction of the Guthrie project at the site located in the Karp Addition and in full support of the appeal to overturn the Certificate of Appropriateness and site plan approval issued for this project. Let me be clear: this is not a rejection of growth, affordable housing, or development in our city. Rather, this is a request that development within the Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District (NCOD) be consistent with the mandatory code we collectively agreed to enforce. The Guthrie project, as currently proposed, clearly and substantially violates the NCOD Design Guidelines—guidelines that are adopted into Bozeman’s Unified Development Code and must be upheld.the Guthrie, as proposed, is deeply incompatible with the surrounding neighborhood. Volume analysis presented by appellants shows that it is up to 10 times larger by volume than surrounding buildings—20 times larger than some single-family homes nearby. Its size, mass, and scale are drawn from commercial zones—not residential character areas protected by the NCOD. It overwhelms rather than complements, and disregards NCOD Guidelines, such as Design Guideline B: Building Mass and Scale, which states: “A new building should not be so dramatically greater in scale than the established context that the visual continuity of the neighborhood would be compromised.” And compromise it would. Allowing this project to proceed without requiring compliance with the NCOD not only erodes neighborhood character—it erodes public trust. It sends the message that our planning code is optional, that developers can ignore established guidelines if they’re inconvenient, and that community voices don’t matter. That is not how Bozeman should grow. Bozeman can build affordable housing and honor its code. The neighborhood has welcomed housing at this site. Many residents even preferred adaptive reuse of the existing structure—an environmentally responsible and contextually appropriate option that would have delivered nearly the same number of bedrooms. The community did not reject housing; it rejected a proposal that flagrantly disregards the rules we all must follow. I urge this Commission to uphold the appeal and require that any future development on this site comply fully with the NCOD Design Guidelines. This is about more than a single building—it’s about preserving Bozeman’s identity, honoring our code, and protecting the integrity of our process. Thank you. Beth MacFawn NENA homeowner.