HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-22-25 Public Comment - D. Owen - Re_ 5532 Fowler Annex and application #24492From:Maddy Mason
To:David Owen; Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Re: 5532 Fowler Annex and application #24492
Date:Wednesday, May 21, 2025 2:32:19 PM
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Hello Dave,
Your comment has been received and will be included in the submittal to the City, per the
Affordable Housing Ordinance 2025-001.
Thank you,
Maddy Mason
BlueLine Development, Inc.
1004 South Avenue West
Missoula, MT 59801
P: 612-741-9396
www.BlueLineDevelopment.com
From: David Owen <dave.t.owen@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 21, 2025 2:06 PM
To: comments@bozeman.net <comments@bozeman.net>; Maddy Mason
<Maddy@bluelinedevelopment.com>
Subject: 5532 Fowler Annex and application #24492
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For the consideration of 5532 Fowler Annex and application #24492
Dear Bozeman City Commission and Blueline Development,
Application #24492 represents a profound disservice to the citizens of Bozeman. Thisproposed development offers no tangible benefit to future residents, the surroundingneighborhoods, or the broader community. It fails to address the real pressures on our housingmarket and appears to be designed solely to serve the developer’s interests, while leveragingthe city council’s understandable desire to support affordable housing in principle—withoutdelivering it in practice.
As the developer admitted during the Buffalo Run review when asked about their choice of
location—“because this was an available property to purchase”—it is clear that strategicplanning or community fit played no role in the site selection. The same short-sighted
reasoning appears to underpin this proposal.
The location lacks adequate access to public transportation and offers no meaningfulconnection to services or employment hubs—rendering the concept of “affordable housing”
hollow when residents would be burdened by the cost of personal transportation. Thedevelopment’s only claim to affordability lies in nominal rent pricing, not in supporting the
actual economic realities of low-income residents.
This project is not a solution; it is a performative gesture that benefits the developer andprovides superficial optics for the city council. It does nothing to advance Bozeman’s long-
term housing goals or the well-being of its residents.
On behalf of myself and my neighbors, I strongly urge you to reject Application #24492.
Respectfully, Dave Owen