HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-05-25 Public Comment - R. Pertzborn - RE_ Request for Action_ Unified Development Code ProjectFrom:Chris Saunders
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:FW: [EXTERNAL]RE: Request for Action: Unified Development Code Project
Date:Tuesday, August 5, 2025 10:11:51 AM
Attachments:Design Community Questions List INT RESPONSE 8-1-2025 e.pdf
Clerks,
Please add this to the public comment folder for the UDC update.
Thanks.
From: Rob Pertzborn <rpertzborn@intrinsikarchitecture.com>
Sent: Monday, August 4, 2025 8:50 PM
To: Chris Saunders <csaunders@BOZEMAN.NET>
Cc: Tyler Steinway <tsteinway@intrinsikarchitecture.com>; Audrey Chorak
<achorak@BOZEMAN.NET>
Subject: [EXTERNAL]RE: Request for Action: Unified Development Code Project
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Greetings –
Apologies for the late response. We discussed as an office and have the attached comments.
Regards,
RJP
Robert J. Pertzborn AIA Senior Principal | Architect
Intrinsik Architecture, Inc.
106 East Babcock Street Suite 1A Bozeman, Montana 59715
O. 406.582.8988 Direct: 406.426.9557 M. 406.580.0422
From: Audrey Chorak <achorak@BOZEMAN.NET>
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Subject: Request for Action: Unified Development Code Project
Hi everyone,
Please find attached a request from Chris Saunders to answer questions that will be shared with City
Commission as they work on the Unified Development Code. Please feel free to submit individual or
coordinated responses with a group. Responses will be part of the public record and can be emailed
to comments@bozeman.net or csaunders@bozeman.net by August 1st, 2025.
Thank you!
Audrey
Audrey Chorak
YOUR PRIMARY POINT OF CONTACT FOR ALL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT QUESTIONS.
Development Review Coordinator | Community Development
City of Bozeman | 20 East Olive St. | P.O. Box 1230 | Bozeman, MT 59771O: 406.582.2968 | C: 406.579.1471 | E: achorak@bozeman.net | W: www.bozeman.net/planning
CUSTOMER SERVICE HOURS (Front Counter @ 20 East Olive, 59715):
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disclosure under law.
Design Professionals,
The City Commission has given direction on a number of items in the update of the Unified
Development Code at recent work sessions. For several of those, they have requested additional
information. Community Development staff request your assistance in answering some questions.
Your experience with building and site design, operational requirements of clients, and building and
zoning codes give you unique insights on these topics. Response by Aug 1st would be very helpful.
Thank you.
Chris Saunders
Thank you for the opportunity to engage and lend our professional insights. We are interested in doing
this more to improve the UDC. Having a panel to discuss & debate specific issues should be considered.
Mass & Scale Tools
Building Height
The Commission directed that the draft be revised to rely on height as measured in feet rather than
stories. No direction was given to make specific changes in the heights of individual districts.
Ǫ. Based on your experience are the heights allowed in the zoning districts of the Current Code
workable, or could better design and more functional outcomes be achieved with modest
adjustments in some districts? If so, how and what?
A: We believe it is a mistake to use feet instead of stories.
- The argument that lay people understand a maximum dimension rather than stories is weak.
o This perpetuates the notion that tall is bad & short is good.
Underdevelopment can lead to negative consequences (discouraging compact
development, sprawl, etc)
o This is not about solar access or views of the mountains, both are obscured at low heights
and by trees.
o The difference of 10-15’ on a 1 or 2 story building is significant; Additional height at 70’ in
the air is almost indistinguishable.
- Stories set a clearer and definable limit.
- Inefficiencies happen when adding another floor when maximum height is the metric.
- We would rather see shorter maximum floor heights on upper stories that go to feet.
o 12’ floor to floor on upper stories is sufficient (better than 15’).
A: The height requirement in residential districts and the downtown core are workable today.
- The rest of downtown (B3) should be treated differently though.
- There was a significant amount of planning and public engagement that went into the creation of
the Downtown Improvement Plan, which recognized the benefit of increasing the heights
downtown (7 Stories). This is reflected in the current draft and should be maintained.
- Zone Edge Transitions are present and were created to address concerns – BUT, they are mostly
tilted toward shorter buildings.
Wall Plate
The Commission wishes additional information on the impact of the idea of wall plate height
standard in limiting impact of taller buildings on adjacent properties. The RA and RB districts in the
proposed draft both show 25 feet. There is interest in understanding how wall plate may be able to
help distinguish between districts. Some comments have been that 25 feet is too short for RB
where three story full floor buildings are expected. Some visuals showing impacts of the proposed
standard on different building designs would be appreciated. No need to draw new ones, perhaps
show existing building designs and how wall plate would affect those designs if applied.
Ǫ. Given typical building methods and the way wall plate is measured, will 25 feet be a readily
achievable standard in RA?
A: yes.
Ǫ. To readily achieve three full floor stories in RB, what adjustments to wall plate height may be
appropriate?
A: We would recommend 33’ for 3 full stories. That gives you up to 11’ per floor which would allow for 9’
ceilings on each level. Integrating a third level into the roof plane is not a bad thing, as it helps the form
blend into a neighborhood as well.
Zoning Districts &Uses
Special standards for uses within districts (38.320 of the draft) – The Commission directed revisions to
allow a greater number of non-residential uses from the RD district to move into the RC district.
These are likely to be those in the Personal and General Service and General Retail categories as
shown on page 3-5 and 3-6 of the proposed draft. The proposed draft is carrying forward some
standards setting location and dimension requirements unique to these circumstances, see
sections 38.320.080 and 090 on pages 3-30 through 3-35.
Please comment on the proposed location and size limitations and their probable impact for
residential scale development of these kinds of local service uses and offer suggestions that might
help the standard limiting location and size not be a bar on the business success but also fit into a
primarily residential area.
A: The easiest answer here is to make them Special Use Permits to give the city more control over the
potential impacts.
The current regulation of it needing to be on a street corner and in a mixed-use building isn’t a bad idea
although, does it need to be on a street corner. The likelihood of commercial going in the neighborhoods is
probably pretty small. We don’t have the significant density around town to support that.
Potential impacts to think about, parking, noise, light
(Ideas – not that we believe in them all)
o Is it legal to set required hours of operation no later than 10 pm
o Exterior lights can’t be on past certain hours
o No outdoor seating to limit noise
o Require landscape buffer or transition element from the property to help with potential
noise
Fraternity/Sorority – The Commission directed that staff create a Fraternity/Sorority land use
with associated standards to enable them to operate with limited impact on adjacent properties.
Ǫ. If you have experience with this type of land use, suggestions regarding standards unique
to this use for site and building design are appreciated.
A: Partying & noise control don’t belong in zoning. The university requirements and controls on Greek life
are significant. The group living use requires parking and open space which is typically the concern,
although the 1 parking space per bedroom is too high and could result in large parking lots.
- Objectively, we should be looking at creating a special zone adjacent to the university, where
current Greek houses exist.
- Are we wading into the notion that Frats & Sororities can only be in large buildings on large lots –
which can almost guarantee that social events will be larger scale as well?
- One might consider the chapter membership size and the building size. EX: is a fraternity that has
50 members in a house that sleeps 5, it could become a club house for members that can’t live
there.
- Consider Special Use Permits
Respectfully submitted by:
Intrinsik Architecture
- Rob Pertzborn, AIA
- Tyler Steinway, AICP