HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-26-25 Public Comment - D. Perlstein - Addressing Long-Vacant Properties as Part of Bozeman’s Housing StrategyFrom:DAVID PERLSTEIN
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Addressing Long-Vacant Properties as Part of Bozeman’s Housing Strategy
Date:Friday, August 22, 2025 3:40:55 PM
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Dear City of Bozeman,
I am writing to share a concern and suggestion regarding
Bozeman’s ongoing efforts to address housing affordability and
neighborhood livability.
While the City has made meaningful progress through the
Affordable Housing Ordinance and other incentive-based
strategies, we continue to see long-vacant, uninhabitable houses
and buildings throughout Bozeman. Some of these properties
have sat for more than a decade, deteriorating further each year.
These vacant structures create multiple issues:
Public safety risks — they attract trespassing, fires, and
infestations, putting neighbors and first responders at risk.
Neighborhood decline — even one boarded-up house can
drag down the character and value of an entire block.
Wasted housing opportunity — at a time when demand for
housing is acute, it is hard to justify allowing habitable land
and structures to sit idle.
Other cities have addressed this problem with tools such as
vacancy taxes or registration programs, stronger code
enforcement with escalating fines, and adaptive reuse incentives
that encourage owners to rehabilitate or repurpose long-vacant
buildings. Some even use receivership or land banking to ensure
properties are restored to productive use.
I urge the City of Bozeman to explore similar approaches. Long-
term vacancy without upkeep effectively subsidizes absentee
ownership and speculation, while neighbors shoulder the costs
and burdens. Requiring owners to maintain, rehabilitate, or
redevelop these properties would align with the City’s housing
goals, preserve neighborhood integrity, and reduce public safety
risks.
Bozeman cannot afford to let potential housing stock — or at the
very least safe, maintained parcels — sit in limbo indefinitely. I
encourage you to consider adding this issue into your broader
housing and code strategy.
Thank you for your service to our community and for your
continued efforts to make Bozeman a place where all can live and
thrive.
David Perlstein
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