HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-02-25 Public Comment - R. Wiegmann & S. Truman - No to Guthrie hi-riseFrom:Ralph Wiegmann
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]No to Guthrie hi-rise
Date:Tuesday, April 1, 2025 3:23:11 PM
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Dear Bozeman City Commissioners:
It is with great concern that I write to ask you all to OPPOSE the Guthrie hi-rise (4 stories) at
Villard and N. 5th Ave in Bozeman for our reasons listed below:
-The commission already denied this project last summer (reducing the # of units by a mere
20-units does NOT justify allowing this building to proceed).
-City Code requires a 2-year stay on demolition after denial (Code 38.340.120.D.3), which is
now being ignored.
- Half of the proposed units would be targeted for residents earning 80% of Bozeman's median
income. In 2024 the median family income in Bozeman was $109,000. Which means that at
least half the units will not be affordable for low-income people:
Low income-level in Bozeman for a family of four is $54,500 (in 2024)
Poverty Guidelines: The federal poverty guideline for a single-person household is
$15,650 annually. For a family of four, it's $32,150 per year.
Low-income and poverty-level households will not be able to afford at least half of the
Gutherie units. Yet the Gutherie gained approval based on creating low-income
housing. Further, there are now empty & less expensive apartments throughout the
outskirts of town that need to be filled.
-There would NOT be enough parking for the # of units; further causing traffic issues all over
Midtown.
36 parking spaces for 91 units in downtown Bozeman is an outrage.
Many of those units would house more than one person with one vehicle; which
means you could easily have 100+ additional vehicles parking & driving in the
neighborhood
-The traffic study ignored these and other critical failures. This puts neighborhood residents,
Whittier Elementary School, and folks using the nearby thoroughfares of
Peach/Mendenhall/N. 7th in danger.
- The mass and scale violate NCOD standards and the design grossly fails to integrate with the
neighborhood
(RE: City Codes 38.230.100A.5.c and 38.230.100.A.7)
- The developer has stated in the past that there would be temporary workers without
vehicles (no car, not likely!) living in the Gutherie. Think about some of the temp-crews that
came to town after the hail storm...some were quite a rough bunch. Do you really want out-
of-town temp workers living by an elementary school?
Once we lose the character of our town, we cannot gain it back. Giving the Gutherie the
incentives which allow for a building like this is a terrible move. Please vote NO to the
Gutherie.
Sincerely,
Ralph Wiegmann & Suzanne Truman
N. Church Ave
Bozeman
From:SUZANNE RALPH WIEGMANN TRUMAN
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]RE: Application #25033
Date:Tuesday, April 1, 2025 3:15:27 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.
Dear Bozeman City Commissioners:
It is with great concern that I write to ask you all to OPPOSE the Guthrie hi-rise (4 stories) at
Villard and N. 5th Ave in Bozeman for our reasons listed below:
-The commission already denied this project last summer (reducing the # of units by a mere
20-units does NOT justify allowing this building to proceed).
-City Code requires a 2-year stay on demolition after denial (Code 38.340.120.D.3), which is
now being ignored.
- Half of the proposed units would be targeted for residents earning 80% of Bozeman's median
income. In 2024 the median family income in Bozeman was $109,000. Which means that at
least half the units will not be affordable for low-income people:
Low income-level in Bozeman for a family of four is $54,500 (in 2024)
Poverty Guidelines: The federal poverty guideline for a single-person household is
$15,650 annually. For a family of four, it's $32,150 per year.
Low-income and poverty-level households will not be able to afford at least half of the
Gutherie units. Yet the Gutherie gained approval based on creating low-income housing.
Further, there are now empty & less expensive apartments throughout the outskirts of
town that need to be filled.
-There would NOT be enough parking for the # of units; further causing traffic issues all over
Midtown.
36 parking spaces for 91 units in downtown Bozeman is an outrage.
Many of those units would house more than one person with one vehicle; which means
you could easily have 100+ additional vehicles parking & driving in the neighborhood
-The traffic study ignored these and other critical failures. This puts neighborhood residents,
Whittier Elementary School, and folks using the nearby thoroughfares of
Peach/Mendenhall/N. 7th in danger.
- The mass and scale violate NCOD standards and the design grossly fails to integrate with the
neighborhood
(RE: City Codes 38.230.100A.5.c and 38.230.100.A.7)
- The developer has stated in the past that there would be temporary workers without
vehicles (no car, not likely!) living in the Gutherie. Think about some of the temp-crews that
came to town after the hail storm...some were quite a rough bunch. Do you really want out-
of-town temp workers living by an elementary school?
Once we lose the character of our town, we cannot gain it back. Giving the Gutherie the
incentives which allow for a building like this is a terrible move. Please vote NO to the
Gutherie.
Sincerely,
Suzanne Truman and
Ralph Wiegmann
N. Church Ave
Bozeman