HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-03-25 Public Comment - E. Bonnett - Public Comment in Response to the Mayor's Middle Housing Question on 6_24_25From:Erik Bonnett
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Public Comment in Response to the Mayor"s Middle Housing Question on 6/24/25
Date:Thursday, July 3, 2025 3:03:41 PM
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Dear Mayor Cunningham and City Commissioners,
On June 24th I offered public comment in favor of making the new R-B an effective middle-
housing zone. Later in the meeting the Mayor asked staff to elaborate on how that could bedone. Thank you for exploring this opportunity!
I would like to follow up on the Mayor's question. I think staff's answer, while helpful, also
missed some important elements. With regard to the Mayor's question, the specific strategies Iurge Commission to adopt are:
Retain the right to build 3-stories affordably in R-B. This is the single strategy staffcited, which is important. In R-3, the current UDC allows 36' for low-slope roofs and
46' for sloped roofs. This accommodates three full stories. The proposed UDC revisionreduces this to a 2-story plate height, forcing the third story into the roof trusses or rafter
framing, which is far more expensive. Please retain the right to three-story affordableconstruction in R-B.Coordinate the zoning code with the building code. Staff asserted that the buildingcode is separate from the zoning code. While technically true, aligning the zoning code
with what is permitted in the building code generally increases the cost-effectiveness ofconstruction and the chances the city will actually get what it is trying to zone. For
instance, several higher-density Bozeman zones were crafted to facilitate podiumconstruction, and both Commission and the Community Development Board have
considered building code limits and methods of construction as they debated zoninglimits. This is as it should be. Given the state building code has embraced single-stair
buildings, it is appropriate the city should consider how its zoning can effectively becoordinated.Facilitate single stair buildings. Single stair buildings are more efficient than hallwaybuildings and are smaller scale - making them appropriate for infill projects and projects
compatible with adjacent single-household dwellings. Single stair buildings arealso generally more humane than hallway buildings because they usually offer light and
air on two sides to each residence. In R-B a single stair building would most-efficientlybe a central stair surrounded by four dwellings (pictured below). With a three-story cap,
this building would contain twelve units most efficiently. Therefore, the zone shouldallow twelve units per building and be capped at not lower than 15,000 square feet, or
better 18,000 square feet so those twelve units can be reasonably sized two- or three-bedroom homes.
Eliminate unit caps. Several existing and proposed zones use unit caps as a primarydefining element. Under this regime a developer makes the most money by building the
largest unit sizes they can because fixed- and high-cost items are spread out over moresquare footage. A unit-cap policy tilts the free market toward luxury. We need the
opposite in Bozeman. Instead, use an area or volume cap, which incentivizes developersto create a greater number of smaller dwellings. Smaller dwellings will inherently be
more affordable than larger units. In my view, this is the single most impactful changeCommission could make in the UDC to support increased housing affordability.Design the zone to work suprilitively, then deploy the zone strategically. Rather thantrying to solve all the problems with the current zone map through the zone definition, I
urge you to design the zone to support high-quality, affordable, and compatible middlehousing first. Then adjust the zoning map as needed if the new definition doesn't work
in a few places and where it could work well in more places. Don't saddle newgreenfield and infill development with idiosyncrasies of one situation in one part of the
city. Three-story middle housing typologies from row houses to single-stair buildingscan and do co-exist in vibrant neighborhoods. These typologies offer the city a sweet
spot I think your constituency is craving: something that sits comfortably next to single-household structures but is markedly more human-scale than podium 5-over-1
buildings. The urgency of our land use planning and environmental crises demand moretranscendent thinking.
Thank you, Mayor, for your question and considering how middle housing could be better
supported in our zoning code,
Erik Bonnett
Architect, AIAHe, Him, His
www.studiocohab.com
p. 651.336.0394