HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-10-25 Public Comment - L. DeLange - A Plea for Change (UDC)From:Leah DeLange
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]A Plea for Change
Date:Thursday, April 10, 2025 10:02:10 AM
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,
I am a Bozeman native - born in the old hospital and I’m reaching out with a heartfelt plea:
Bozeman’s challenge isn’t growth itself, but the way it’s been governed. Our backyards feel like a
failed experiment, and yet we’re not ready to give up. The decision on The Guthrie II this April 15
could be the moment we shift course—if you’ll hear us.
I and others like me are asking you to reconsider the UDC overhaul. What’s been spent in time
and money could be seen as a hard-earned lesson in what we don’t want, rather than a path to
keep pushing down. Please focus only on the minimal changes needed to comply with the
Montana Land Use and Planning Act by May 17, 2026, and pause the rest. With thousands of
units already in the pipeline and growth slowing to 1.9% in 2025, we’re urging you to impose a 6-
12 month moratorium on multi-family and mixed-use development. This would give us breathing
room to update codes and infrastructure thoughtfully.
We’re begging you to involve us—really involve us—in defining Bozeman’s identity. The
“everything for everyone” approach isn’t working, and we need to know who we are and what we
stand for. The 2020 Community Plan is due for its state-mandated review this year. Please start
with open forums, town hall-style, where residents can speak freely and lead, not just developers
or activists. Only after that should the UDC be revisited, aligned with what we decide together.
Along the way, we’d ask you to clarify vague terms like “compatibility” and “walkability” so we’re all
on the same page.
We’re also pleading with you to pause the Landmarks Project until the Community Plan is
updated, to scale back the scare tactics in the Water Resources Plan and make it realistic, and to
plan transportation that fits today while looking ahead sensibly—not jumping to a future decades
away.
Bozeman’s identity shouldn’t bend with each new commission. We chose this place for a reason,
and we’re asking you to help us protect it—not with nostalgia, but with a vision we shape together.
Your missteps have been clear, and now we’re imploring you to rise to a higher standard. Please,
let’s turn this around and build a legacy we can all take pride in—a Bozeman worth staying for.
Sincerely,
--
Leah DeLange
sr71blackbird1911@proton.me
"Test everything, hold to that which is true."
"Rise and rise again, until lambs become lions."
--
Leah DeLange
sr71blackbird1911@proton.me
"Test everything, hold to that which is true."
"Rise and rise again, until lambs become lions."