HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-17-25 Public Comment - L. Poole - The Second Application (#25238) for Lot 2 Sundance Springs, Neighborhood ServicesFrom:Lawrence H. and Jean Y. Poole
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]The Second Application (#25238) for Lot 2 Sundance Springs, Neighborhood Services
Date:Saturday, November 15, 2025 11:00:38 AM
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Attention Erin George, Director of Community Development
It is with dismay that I read the second application (#25238) for Lot 2 of Sundance Springs. I followed the previous
application closely and sat through the 5 hours City Commission Meeting on February 27, 2024 where the
Commission properly denied the project based on the numerous violations of the PUD and the city’s own code.
This new application does address some of those violations but the most egregious still remain. The Final Master
Plan and Final Development Guidelines contain the terms of the PUD and have been identified by the City in the
surviving record of the PUD approval. The following proposed improvements, specifically, are not indicated among
the Approved Commercial Uses:
• Two, two story buildings (only one, one level building of 5,000 is allowed)
• A patio with extensive outdoor seating (not allowed), where alcohol will be served in a residential neighborhood
and under a Residential PUD
• All outdoor activities (not allowed)
• A large restaurant or businesses designed to be city-wide attractions will draw more than 50% of patrons from
outside the neighborhood (not allowed).
Yet the new application calls for all of the above, which is proposed for a lot next to a quiet neighborhood with two
adjacent single family home developments. The proposal of two oversized buildings (which include a gym,
restaurant/bar with outdoor seating, large retail space and 4 office suites) will bring significant citywide traffic into
the neighborhood creating safety issues because of inadequate parking (51 spaces provided for a 101 seat restaurant
– not to mention the requirements of the other businesses). The intention of the PUD was just the opposite. The
neighborhood commercial lots at the western entrance to our neighborhood are meant for neighborhood businesses.
The Sundance Springs homeowners control the open space to the north, east, and southeast of this commercial lot.
The proposed plan has parking infringing on setback space (which is a violation of the PUD’s Development
Guidelines) thus damaging the character of the homeowners’ open space. It also proposed to use the HOA’s open
space to the north to meet landscaping code requirements for residential-adjacent lots. If the proposal can’t meet the
code standards within the confines of the development lot, the application is proposing too much development for
the lot.
Finally, and perhaps most egregious, is the fact that the current application proposes the same layout of buildings
and parking lots that have been flagged by the City as non-compliant with the Block Frontage Standards during
concept review, and rejected by the City Commission as ineligible for departure. Approving this twice-rejected
layout in a third application would be arbitrary and capricious.
I strongly encourage you to send a clear message to this developer that the City will not tolerate blatant violations of
the Development Guidelines and Master Plan. I urge you to disapprove this plan until such time as an application is
compliant with the requirements of the municipal code, including the terms of the PUD. Also, it would seem that
the staff of your office should be more attentive to the history and requirements for development of Lot 2 Sundance
Springs, Neighborhood Services when working with any developer considering building at this location.
Thank you,
Lawrence Poole
3772 Ellis View Loop
Bozeman, MT 59715