HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-16-25 Public Comment - L. Jay - Re_ WARD Ballot InitiativeFrom:Lorre Jay
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Re: WARD Ballot Initiative
Date:Tuesday, May 13, 2025 11:33:41 PM
Attachments:WARD public comments LFJ.pdf
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I apologize. I had to correct one item and forgot to send in pdf format. Please use this attachment.
Best,
Lorre Jay
> On May 13, 2025, at 3:50 PM, Lorre Jay <lorrejay@gmail.com> wrote:>> Please place these comments in the public comment folder for WARD.>
> Thank you,> > LJ>
>> On May 13, 2025, at 3:47 PM, Lorre Jay <lorrejay@gmail.com> wrote:>>>> I attach my public comments during the 4.22.25 City Commission Meeting regarding WARD.>>
>> Thank you,>>>> Lorre Jay>> Bozeman Resident>>>> <April 21 2025.docx>>
Public Comments to the City Commission on 4/22/2025
Re: WARD Ballot Initiative
Lorre Jay, Bozeman resident
I am a WARD participant because two of my three kids live in Bozeman and despite working
non-stop, overtime, night shifts to live here, it is not enough to allow for home ownership. The
gap between wages and rents is too great.
The City of Bozeman has reported that the need is extensive for aNordable housing at 60% of
AMI for rent or less. In fact, the City estimates, about 6,000 home rentals in the
Bozeman/Belgrade area are currently needed to fill this gap. However, what is available on
the market leaves many in the Bozeman area 130% rent-burdened.
The 60% of AMI level is important because approximately 45% of Bozeman renters are at or
below this level. This dynamic risks pushing more into homelessness if the economy tips us
into a recession.
As the city has approached this diNicult problem, spending millions of dollars on staN time
and consulting fees, including this meeting, so it seems, the City’s dashboard shows it has
produced 0 rental housing for these renters. Some for-sale housing has been developed,
which is terrific and perhaps ground-breaking and for which you deserve congratulations.
https://www.bozeman.net/departments/economic-development/community-housing
This unmet need is despite your recent adoption of a revised ANordable Housing Ordinance
which transfers Bozeman taxpayer assets in the form of deep incentives to private
developers at mostly the 80% AMI level, missing about 35% of the renter population of
Bozeman.
Furthermore, our finite water resources are being allocated through the Cash In Lieu of Water
Rights Program as a financial pass-through to developers with the cost of this program
funded by taxpayers.
This has had the eNect of reallocating water to mostly market rate and luxury development.
The results are increasing rents, tearing down aNordable housing and causing some of our
workforce to leave Bozeman, increasing the shortage of workers for both the existing
business community and new developers entering our market.
This combined with economic and political headwinds have spurred investment
speculation, where flipping is occurring among out-of-state developers who upzone farm
fields and others who take advantage of improperly zoned neighborhoods to build out-of-
character housing.
None of this housing meets the need of the majority of folks who directly or indirectly voted
you into oNice.
Finally, you have seemingly ignored recommendations to recognize the character of
Bozeman and in eNect squandered opportunities to resolve problems with abnormally high
and out-of-character density. A developer recently made a comment to me that the allowed
density in the proposed UDC is “Not Bozeman”.
Given the high level of diNiculty of these community problems, leadership is required to
develop solutions that are not based on expertise that produces the wrong result. The
solutions are also not based on the political expediency of rejecting smart ideas to solve
diNicult problems.
I hope we can come together to solve these seemingly intractable problems that are critical
to the longevity of the community of our City.
Thank you.
From:Lorre Jay
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Re: WARD Ballot Initiative
Date:Tuesday, May 13, 2025 3:50:42 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless
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Please place these comments in the public comment folder for WARD.
Thank you,
LJ
> On May 13, 2025, at 3:47 PM, Lorre Jay <lorrejay@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I attach my public comments during the 4.22.25 City Commission Meeting regarding WARD.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Lorre Jay
> Bozeman Resident
>
> <April 21 2025.docx>