HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-20-25 Public Comment - A. Hoitsma - UDC UpdateFrom:Amy Kelley Hoitsma
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]UDC Update
Date:Tuesday, May 20, 2025 11:51:01 AM
Attachments:5.20.25 UDC comments re NEHMU Hoitsma.docx
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Please consider my comments as part of tonight’s work session regarding the UDC update andprocess from here.
Thank you.
Amy Kelley Hoitsma
706 E Peach St, Bozeman
TO: Bozeman City Commission RE: UDC Update Supplemental Engagement Phase 2 Report and Next Steps 20 May 2025 Honorable Mayor Cunningham, Deputy Mayor Morrison, and Commissioners Bode, Fischer, and Madgic: I have participated in the UDC update process in various ways over the past year, and have previously submitted comments as well as helped organize the Northeast Neighborhood to participate. I believe I have submitted this comment before, but it feels important to reiterate as you enter these final phases of the process. The Northeast Historic Mixed Use zone is unique within the city. It is defined within our code as “an area that has developed with a blend of uses not commonly seen under typical zoning requirements. The unique qualities and nature of the area are not found elsewhere in the city and should be preserved as a place offering additional opportunities for creative integration of land uses. The intent of this area is to allow private and case-by-case determination of the most appropriate use of land in a broad range of both non-residential and residential uses.” The Northeast Neighborhood (NENA) has worked to preserve that zone, where others have sought to rezone sections of it to B2M to accommodate larger and denser development. For the most part, the City Commission has supported our efforts, including the overall sentiment that the zone should basically remain unchanged in the new UDC in terms of building heights. The current 50-foot maximum building height in the zone is important because it preserves the iconic Misco Mill as the tallest building in the zone, which helps define it’s character and history. The new draft UDC uses number of stories rather than feet as a metric for how tall residences and mixed-use or commercial buildings can be. That said, it defines those stories in terms of feet: ground story height can be 12’ min/18’ max; upper stories can be 15’; and ground floor elevation can be 5’ above ground. Using those
measurements, and with the draft UDC allowing 5 story mixed-use buildings in
the NEHMU zone, a building could actually be 83’ tall. That is an enormous deviation from current code (4 stories/50’max). Please rework the standards in the NEHMU zone to either revert back to the 50’ maximum building height or change the number of allowable floors for a mixed-use building to 3, if using the metrics in the current draft UDC update. With my best,
Amy Kelley Hoitsma NENA President 706 E. Peach Street, Bozeman