HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-05-25 Public Comment - A. Hoitsma - Northeast Urban Renewal District (NURD) FY2026 work plan and budgetFrom:Amy Kelley Hoitsma
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Northeast Urban Renewal District (NURD) FY2026 work plan and budget
Date:Monday, May 5, 2025 2:43:17 PM
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Honorable Mayor Cunningham, Deputy Mayor Morrison, and Commissioners Bode, Fischer,
and Madgic:
I understand that at the May 6 Commission meeting you will be voting on whether or not to
approve staff recommendations concerning the Northeast Urban Renewal District (NURD)FY2026 work plan and budget.
A small group of NENA members met with the Economic Development staff several times inthe past few months to learn more about TIF districts in general and about the history and
accomplishments of the NURD specifically. We also brainstormed potential future TIFprojects, should there be funding in the future that is not tied to a specific development.
I understand that the projects listed in the work plan are holdovers from when there was acitizen advisory board and, as such, the staff feels an obligation to carry them forward even if
they might not all rank as priorities among neighbors today. While I don’t wish to commentdirectly on each of the specific projects outlined in the work plan, I will say that the most
expensive venture on the list—the “Quiet Zone Construction”—has very mixed reviews; somefeel it would improve the neighborhood while others feel the sound of the train is part of the
fabric of the neighborhood and that the project is too expensive. I see that some of the newideas brainstormed by NENA neighbors have been included under “Unscheduled Projects” at
the end of the staff memo.
One thing both staff and neighbors seemed to agree on is that the re-creation of theNortheast Urban Renewal Board would be a positive thing.
I hope the City Commission will take action to bring back the Northeast Urban Renewal
Board in the very near future so that there is a formal chain of citizen participation that canbring future recommendations to the Commission regarding this district.
With my best,
Amy Kelley Hoitsma, Northeast Neighborhood Association (NENA) President
706 E. Peach St, Bozeman
