HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-05-25 Public Comment - A. Knaub - Public input must be acted on, not ignoredFrom:Andrew Knaub
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Public input must be acted on, not ignored
Date:Monday, May 5, 2025 8:58:16 AM
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Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and Commissioners,
I'm writing today with grave concern that public feedback on the UDC is being summarized inaccurately before all
feedback is even collected.
The staff memo attached to the Community Development Board agenda for May 5, 2025 is attempting to artificially
limit the scope of the UDC rewrite, and mischaracterizes public feedback by omitting several important areas of
concern.
Why did you have us participate in engagement around the UDC's impact on the environment if staff is now trying
to suggest incorrectly that this is beyond the scope of the project? Updates to the UDC have been proposed to code
in articles 1 through 8, which include the areas of environmental impact in which residents have proposed code
changes. If these concerns are relegated to future "plans" they will never be codified. Plans are not code. This is
unacceptable!
Furthermore, public comment has been inaccurately summarized in the same staff memo:
The memo states, “Formatting - Comments to date on revised formatting have been positive with people
appreciating the increased graphics and organization.”
This is incorrect. Many community members expressed disatisfaction with the images used in the draft UDC
because they do not accurately represent the mass and scale of proposed construction in the context of existing
neighborhoods. By using an axonometric view rather than a street elevation of proposed building forms, the draft
code hides the true incompatibility of the proposed allowances with existing neighborhood conditions. They are not
listening to us!
The staff memo also states, “Sustainability – Amendments proposed in this area, such as urban agriculture, have
received little comment. Compact development is also an element of sustainability and comments relating to that
overlap with the zoning districts subject.”
This statement is misleading because while the community didn’t object to urban agriculture, or electric vehicle
charging stations, it completely leaves out any summary of public feedback relating to solar access, a deconstruction
ordinance, urban tree protections, or water adequacy! Suggesting that compact development is sustainable is an
oversimplification and an attempt to force your high-density at all costs agenda on us, ignoring the unsustainability
of putting existing housing in the landfill, or historic preservation concerns that our community has voiced
frequently! We are being deliberately ignored!
If you are serious about rebuilding public trust, you need to address this behavior among your staff.
Thank you,
Andrew Knaub
503 S 14th Ave
Bozeman, MT 59715