HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-28-25 Public Comment - ASMSU - 2025-R-15 Bozeman UDC Student Priorities2025-R-15
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2025-R-15
ASMSU 2025-R-15
Student Priorities for City of Bozeman Unified Development Code Revisions
Sponsor: Luna Richards Vote: Unanimous (16-0-0)
Co-Sponsors: Taylor Bookwalter First Reading: April 10th, 2025
Finn Growney Second Reading: April 17th, 2025
Third Reading: April 24th, 2025
Vote Necessary: Majority
ASMSU Senate Speaker
Intent: To establish and communicate student priorities for the City of Bozeman’s revised
Unified Development Code.
Whereas, the City of Bozeman is currently re-writing its Unified Development Code (UDC), 1
which defines policies regarding zoning, maximum allowable building height, land use, 2
community and project design, natural resource protection, and other policies for development 3
within the City; and, 4
Whereas, the Associated Students of Montana State University (ASMSU) Senate, as the voice 5
of students, holds a duty to advocate for the priorities of students of Montana State University 6
(MSU), who make up approximately 20% of the City’s population; and, 7
Whereas, on January 23rd, 2025, the Bozeman City Commission held a joint-session with the 8
ASMSU Senate with the intent to learn more about the challenges facing the students of MSU 9
as students and residents, including discussions on concerns for access to affordable housing, 10
transportation, and city infrastructure development; and, 11
Whereas, in its legislative priorities for the 2023 and 2025 sessions of the Montana State 12
Legislature (2023-R-01; 2024-R-13), the ASMSU Senate resolved that it wished to prioritize the 13
creation of “policies delivering greater access to affordable housing and benefits programs, 14
especially for those experiencing homelessness or those living in student-dense population 15
areas of Montana” (2023-R-01), and to promote “the development of diverse housing solutions 16
to address affordability challenges, with a focus on supporting housing-insecure individuals 17
affiliated with the University; and improve safeguards for student renters to ensure fair and 18
transparent rental practices” (2024-R-13); and, 19
Whereas, the Streamline Bus, Bozeman’s public transportation system, sees a sizeable portion 20
of its traffic from students commuting to and from MSU’s campus, demonstrating a demand for 21
multi-modal commuting options for students; and, 22
2025-R-15
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2025-R-15
Whereas, in 2025-R-08, Resolution in Support of the Transportation Fee Increase, the ASMSU 1
Senate recommended increasing the student fee for funding the Streamline Bus, as well as the 2
campus parking shuttle CatTracks, in order to accommodate this demand; and, 3
Whereas, it has been made plainly clear by the students of Montana State University that 4
maintaining ample green and sustainable spaces is a priority during this time of redesign; now, 5
therefore be it 6
Resolved, the ASMSU Senate identifies housing affordability, environmental conservation, 7
sustianable development, and sustainable transportation options as top priorities for Montana 8
State University students; and, 9
Further Resolved, the ASMSU Senate formally recommends these priorities be addressed in 10
the revised City of Bozeman Unified Development Code; and, 11
Further Resolved, ASMSU re-affirms the necessity for sustained dialogue about these issues 12
to continue to strengthen its relationship with the City of Bozeman; and, 13
Further Resolved, the ASMSU Senate will plan to host another joint session with the Bozeman 14
City Commission before the end of the 2025-2026 academic year to ensure that further 15
feedback, recommendations, and ideas can be shared with the City, furthering the partnership 16
between the student leaders of MSU and the leadership of the City Commission; and, 17
Further Resolved, submit this resolution to: City of Bozeman Mayor, Terry Cunningham; City of 18
Bozeman Deputy Mayor, Joey Morrison; City of Bozeman Commissioner, Emma Bode; City of 19
Bozeman Commissioner, Douglas Fischer; City of Bozeman Commissioner, Jennifer Madgic; 20
Interim City of Bozeman Manager, Chuck Winn; Managing Director of the MSU Office of Off-21
Campus Student Life, Rebecca Eberlin; The MSU Exponent; and KGLT Radio. 22