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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-18-25 Public Comment - W. Lonsdale - Centennial Park Neighborhood ProposalFrom:Whitney Lonsdale To:Bozeman Public Comment Subject:[EXTERNAL]Centennial Park Neighborhood Proposal Date:Tuesday, November 18, 2025 11:36:35 AM 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 City Commission, I am writing in support of the Centennial Park Neighborhood Proposal, as a homeownerand long-time resident of the neighborhood and Bozeman midtown. The proposal was the result of a thorough, resident-led effort that followed city staff suggestions andinvolved extensive hours of research, meeting attendance, and on-the-ground work within the neighborhood. It seemed that an agreement was reached within the Sept 19th draft of the UDC that was amenable to the Commission and the Centennial Park Neighborhood (CPN) and included R-A designation with some compromise. The 11th hour recommendation by the Community Development Board for R-B designation was surprising and disturbing. While we cannot halt development and growth, and I understand and support in-fill inthe City, I also strongly believe there is value in maintaining neighborhood character and quality of life, and not just for the larger homes and higher property values of theSouthside neighborhoods. I believe the Centennial Park Neighborhood (CPN) is important and unique in its working-class origins, modest, smaller homes, and humblefeel. I strongly believe Bozeman needs to maintain this feel in some places, as this is part of the original character of our town. Multiple high-density, luxury apartment andcondominium developments have already been built or are planned for the northside, erasing this character. As a long-time resident, living with the high pace of developmentand growth, changes in traffic density, and driving patterns in and around our neighborhood is often challenging and stressful. Yet, I love midtown and do not want tomove farther out of town. I ask the Commission to support the desire of northside communities like Centennial Park Neighborhood to grow and fill in slowly andorganically. I ask the Commission to honor the R-A designation in the Sept 19th draft and let the residents of the CPN continue to enjoy the physical and community-basedcharacteristics of our unique neighborhood. Thank you for your consideration, and for the difficult work you all do as City Commissioners, Whitney Lonsdale -- Whitney Lonsdale whitneylonsdale@gmail.com 406.570.4318