HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-01-25 Public Comment - G. & J. Delin - The Guthrie ProposalFrom:jmdelin@bresnan.net
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]The Guthrie Proposal
Date:Tuesday, April 1, 2025 12:10:12 PM
Attachments:City Commission Letter 4125.pdf
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Please see the attached letter regarding the proposed Guthrie.
Thank youGary and Jeanne Delin
3/1/25
To the Bozman City Commission,
We are wri9ng this le<er in opposi9on to “The Guthrie” apartment complex that is proposed at
North 5th Avenue and West Villard Street.
This le<er is not going to dwell on the blatant misapplica9on by the city staff of the
Neighborhood Conserva9on Overlay District’s (NCOD) clear and binding language that is being
ignored by you in approving this structure in this neighborhood. It will also not be centered on
your viola9ng the direc9ves in the demoli9on permit guidelines. Please follow the laws as they
have been wri<en by the past city leaders!!
This le<er is about common sense, which seems to be in very short supply in recent years.
The “Midtown District”, which city leaders hung on our neighborhood, in 2015, and then
declaring it a “Blighted” area was the beginning of the war on our neighborhood.
The ci9zens of Bozeman that live in “Midtown” were told that the term “Blighted” was not
derogatory toward our neighborhood, but that it would be very beneficial. With the
designa9on, property owners, including developers, could qualify for very generous tax credits
from the Federal Government when they improved or upgraded exis9ng structures or build new
ones.
Now, many years later, we are finding out exactly what this designa9on really was about, and it
really is “The Devil is in the Details”.
The Devil that I speak of is in the following paragraph, that I am sure was in the blighted
Midtown report somewhere, but not adver9sed in the media or hardly spoken of, if at all, about
the City Commission’s war on Midtown family neighborhoods.
“The intent of the Midtown District is to a<ract targeted private investments to support infill,
increase density, with emphasis on building more house housing, provide retail that serves
surround resident and enhance mul9 modal transporta9on and walkability.”
This paragraph tells it all about the City Commission’s a\tude about our family neighborhood.
Our family neighborhood, which I approximately from Mendenhall St, north on 5th Avenue, to
Peach St on the north and to north 6th Avenue on the west, and over to north 3rd Avenue on the
east.
This five block long and approximately three blocks wide, a family neighborhood, the only family
neighborhood in that Midtown District, was knowingly put on the sacrificial alter by the City
Commission in 2015 to be sacrificed in the name of density infill and the pipe dream of an area
with no parking, walkable shopping and dining where people don’t need cars, only “Mul9
Modal transporta9on”. The only thought in their minds, the Commissions, was about all of the
people flocking to our city in the future and not one bit of considera9on of our family
neighborhood, and the decades, or even genera9on of the family homes that have been built,
purchased and improved here al of these years, with the thought of residing here with our
families, and passing on to our children to reside her in a family neighborhood. We think it is
the (brass ring) for people that dream of ge\ng married, and having children, and to live and
raise their families in an area condusive to families, an area that is mostly single family homes,
churches, schools, not heavy traffic, and not apartments with 90 – 100 residents, and not no
parking for these residents, and that has 30 day leases for their tenants, making a huge turnover
of the residents in their building.
Hey, what I described is our five block long by three block wide neighborhood, that is now set to
be destroyed by our City Commission in the name things to come in Bozeman.
Housing and density cannot be the only thing on your minds when the ci9zens of Bozeman have
put their trust you Commissioner to lead this great city. A huge percent of the people who are
flocking are coming because it has been discovered to be great city but is growing fast but has a
small town feel to it. They are coming because it is paradise with the mountains, rivers and
lakes, hun9ng, fishing, hiking, skiing, and our University, and many, many more recrea9onal
ac9vi9es in the area. There will for sure be more huge numbers of folks coming in the future
because the word is out about our mountain town paradise. We and you, Commissioners need
to realize that at the rate you are going, with this density no family neighborhood, you are
destroying a big part of what people are coming here for.
You need to get a new a\tude about planning for this city that incorporates the older good
parts and preserve them, as well as how to plan for the coming hoards in the future without
destroying the character of our part of the Galla9n Valley.
We plead with you, we beg you, please do not destroy our family neighborhood with only the
thought of people coming in the future. By approving the Guthrie, you will have accomplished
that.
Thank you for your ears and hopefully your broad minds.
Gary Jeanne Delin
407 N 5th Ave
