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Home My WebLink About07-29-25 Public Comment - W. Asserson - Fowler projectFrom:Walker Asserson To:David Fine Cc:Betsy Asserson; Bozeman Public Comment Subject:Re: [EXTERNAL]Fowler project Date:Tuesday, July 22, 2025 9:04:25 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Hi David, Thanks for coming to the meeting with the Harvest Creek homeowners tonight. I had to leaveearly, and I know you were facing a tough crowd... I hope it ended okay. Unfortunately, my wife Betsy couldn't be there, but I am keeping her on this email thread. First, I am very appreciative of the fact the city is not selling this land to a developer, andinstead, inviting public comment from us. It means a lot that you are listening to us. I live along New Holland with my backyard adjacent to this project. You said several times that you are open to tweaking the model you proposed. Here are mycurrent suggestions: Parking and traffic: We continue to have concerns about the parking proposed with thisproject. It was mentioned that Fowler could potentially include street parking and this seems like something worth exploring to alleviate the increased parking within HarvestCreek and New Holland. We have safety concerns with much of the parking being driven into our neighborhood when there isn't enough parking allocated in the housingproject. Density: We appreciate the desire to find a balance between creating affordable housingoptions and minimizing the impact to the existing residents on New Holland and in Harvest Creek. The four-story structures along Oak severely affect the direct neighbors.Transitioning those units to the townhome model would help size the density a bit more to get closer to that balance. I also think you could drop 6-8 units and perhaps create alittle more breathing room. I look forward to seeing the next phase of these plans. Sincerely,Walker Asserson On Wed, Jul 16, 2025 at 11:49 AM David Fine <DFine@bozeman.net> wrote: Betsy and Walker – I had a good conversation with Walker yesterday. Please don’t hesitate to reach out in the future. I am forwarding your comments to the City Commission for their awareness. Have a great day! David David Fine | Economic Development Manager City of Bozeman | Economic Development Department C: 406.551.0209 | dfine@bozeman.net | www.bozeman.net | he / him / his From: Betsy Asserson <betsy.asserson@gmail.com> Sent: Sunday, July 13, 2025 9:24 PM To: David Fine <DFine@BOZEMAN.NET> Cc: wasserson <wasserson@gmail.com> Subject: [EXTERNAL]Fowler project CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Dear Mr. Fine, My name is Betsy Asserson, and I am a homeowner in the Harvest Creek neighborhood. Iam writing to share my deep concerns about the proposed Fowler Housing Project and the associated road construction for the Fowler Ave Connector. While I recognize the importance of addressing Bozeman’s housing needs and am in support of sustainable solutions, the scale and planning of this project raise significant red flags. One of my primary concerns is that the City has not yet annexed all of the land needed for the development. As a result, this project will be carried out in pieces, prolongingconstruction and disruption across multiple summers. This staggered approach is not only inefficient but also unfair to residents who will have to endure extended noise, traffic, anduncertainty. We have invested in our property and have three children, and this project will impact our quality of life over multiple years rather than consolidating the work to minimizedisruption to current residents. It’s extremely concerning that two interconnected projects—the housing complex and theroad infrastructure—are being treated as separate undertakings when the success and impact of each depends on the other. A coordinated, comprehensive plan is essential. There does not appear to be a realistic plan in place for managing the impact of possibly bringing 84+ new housing units into a space of only 5 acres. Narrow neighborhood streets like Farmall and Caterpillar will be burdened with significantly increased traffic and parkingoverflow, especially given the limited parking being provided in the project (1.6 spaces perunit and no street parking on Fowler). There’s also been little to no mention of how this will affect public services, safety, schoolcapacity, or long-term traffic flow in and around Harvest Creek. It feels like the project isbeing rushed through without meaningful study of its consequences. As a homeowner, I am also seriously concerned about how this development—particularly the capped appreciation model—will affect property values across our neighborhood. When you cap appreciation at 3% annually and keep the city as the landowner, it seems to create a disincentive for upkeep and investment by the future residents of the complex. As ahomeowner in the area, I would rather see a model that incentivizes upkeep to facilitate continued appreciation like other comparable subdivisions in Bozeman. It raises a fairnessissue to negatively impact long-term property owners in this way. And because many of us purchased in this neighborhood based on its character andconsistency, introducing high-density, multi-story buildings right behind our yards—without adequate buffers or transitions—undermines that investment. I'd prefer to explore and seeplans for single-family or townhomes that maintain the character and style of the established neighborhood, Harvest Creek. I would like the City to reconsider the scale and format of this project, adopt a truly unified development plan, and fully engage with the community before moving forward. I am notopposed to growth or affordable housing. But the proposed developments disregard the integrity of the existing neighborhood and shift the burden onto current residents who alsocontribute to the community. My husband and I have both committed our careers to public service (a Bozeman Schools teacher and an MSU psychologist), and we are disappointedthat this project negatively affects the investments we have made in our community as homeowners. Thank you for your time and attention, and for considering the concerns we are raising. Sincerely, Betsy Asserson (and Walker Asserson) 1093 New Holland Dr. Bozeman, MT 59718 -- Betsy Asserson, Ph.D. Licensed PsychologistPO Box 5125 Bozeman, MT 59717 Phone: 406-570-7107 City of Bozeman emails are subject to the Right to Know provisions of Montana’s Constitution (Art. II, Sect. 9) and may be considered a “public record” pursuant to Title 2, Chpt. 6, Montana Code Annotated. As such, this email, its sender and receiver, and the contents may be available for public disclosure and will be retained pursuant to the City’s record retention policies. Emails that contain confidential information such as information related to individual privacy may be protected from disclosure under law.