HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-29-25 Public Comment - L. Semones - Centennial Park Neighborhood Proposal folderFrom:Linda Semones
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Centennial Park Neighborhood Proposal folder
Date:Friday, April 25, 2025 12:24:19 PM
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April 24, 2025
Dear Mayor Cunningham, Deputy Mayor Morrison, and Commissioners Madgic, Bode and
Fischer,
I am writing in support of the Centennial Park Neighborhood Proposal. I am a member of a
city advisory board, but in this letter I speak only for myself.
It is my understanding that the City of Bozeman decided to upzone this area circa 1980. At
that time, a small portion of N. Tracy Ave. was able to fight the upzone and remain R2. In fact,
those residents took the initiative to become a historic district, the N. Tracy Historic District in
1987. This took considerable time and effort. The rest of the area was lulled into acceptance
of R4 zoning by the idea that the kind of development allowed in R4 was far in the future and
wouldn’t happen in their lifetimes. Well the future is here, in their lifetimes.
This neighborhood within the current NCOD should be allowed self-determination to
downzone. This area is well maintained. It does not consist of deteriorating properties. It
was a very inappropriate planning decision to move an area from R2 up to R4. The two zoning
districts are so far apart in what they allow in height and mass that there is no way to create a
transition between what exists, mostly small, one or two story craftsman homes and
bungalows of varying architectural styles, and what can be built according to code. According
to the R4 code, a 60 foot tall building stretching 40 feet across the front of a city lot with a
mere 5 foot setback on each side is allowable in this zoning. For a diagram of this, please see
page 24 of the Centennial Park Neighborhood Proposal. Because of the inappropriate
upzoning of this area in the past, a conflict between what currently exists in the area and what
developers will want to build is inevitable. Not only that, these residents were assured that
their property rights were protected under the current NCOD restrictions. The height and
mass of a building allowed in R4 will never be compatible with the small homes next to it.
And as we have seen of late, large investment portfolio developers have no interest in
working to assure that neighborhood character is maintained, or that design elements
common to the area be used architecturally as noted by the neighborhood character study
cited on page 17 of the Proposal.
I also note that the residents who wrote the Proposal support affordable housing, missing
middle housing, ADU’s, and the conservation of NOAH housing. This is the kind of gentle
density that our city needs. Gentle density creates human scaled development, solar and sun
access, air circulation, tree and green space conservation, and a sense of community.
In conclusion I request that the Centennial Park Neighborhood Proposal be supported by the
City Commission for its correctness, thoroughness, and thoughtfulness.
Sincerely and with great Respect,
Linda Semones 404 S Church Ave Bozeman MT 59715