HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-18-25 Public Comment - A. Hoitsma - Public Comment re_ UDC update and Centennial Park neighborhood zoningFrom:Amy Kelley Hoitsma
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Cc:Terry Cunningham; Joey Morrison; Douglas Fischer; Jennifer Madgic; Emma Bode; Dave Chambers; Lucia
Stewart; Courtney Scott; delmue; Cathy Costakis; Suzanne Held; Karen Filipovich;
citizenangiekociolek@gmail.com
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Public Comment re: UDC update and Centennial Park neighborhood zoning
Date:Tuesday, November 18, 2025 11:56:23 AM
Attachments:18 NOV 2025 Commission comments HOITSMA re-UDC.docx
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Please accept my public comment for tonight’s City Commission meeting. Thank you.
Amy Kelley Hoitsma
Northeast Neighborhood Association (NENA) Presidentwww.NENABozeman.org
406-581-1513
TO: Bozeman City Commission RE: Centennial Park Neighborhood UDC rezoning proposal 18 November 2025 Honorable Mayor Cunningham, Deputy Mayor Morrison, Mayor-elect Fischer, and Commissioners Madgic and Bode: I previously submitted a letter as President of, and on behalf of, the Northeast Neighborhood Association (NENA) officially endorsing the Centennial Park Neighborhood proposal to classify its zoning under the new UDC as R-A. In that letter we requested that you consider the merits of this proposal as well as the desire of the neighborhood, and vote to honor this request in the new UDC. I thank you for your thoughtful deliberation and your decision to designate this neighborhood as R-A as part of the proposed zone map changes in the current draft of the UDC. I understand that last night the Community Development Board voted to recommend to the City Commission that Centennial Park be zoned as R-B instead of R-A. I think it would be a mistake were the City Commission to follow that recommendation and renege on your previous vote to zone the Centennial Park neighborhood as R-A under the new UDC. I would remind the commission that the entire UDC update process tanked the first time around because it was proposing too big of a jump in neighborhood density, and because citizens felt left out of the decision-making process. This time around there has been careful and commendable public inclusion in the process, and I believe the current draft reflects that. I believe drastically changing the draft UDC at this late point in the process will feel like a violation of public trust. I really appreciated Commissioner Madgic’s comment at the CDB meeting last night—and believe she hit the nail on the head—when she said: “We’ve had morale issues within our community; we’ve had issues with lack of trust; we’ve had considerable change in a short period of time and that has gotten our community down and upset with the way we are growing. From a community planning perspective I see that as problematic and I want to reward those who step up and try to work on their neighborhoods and work for the good of the community.” Our NENA neighbors went to a lot of trouble to knock on doors, engage and educate neighbors, and present the Commission with a report explaining in detail why this neighborhood would be better served by an R-A zone designation rather than R-B or R-C. They also submitted an addendum outlining alignment with Montana Code Annotated and Bozeman’s growth policy after receiving guidance from staff. They have done their due diligence. Of course these were all volunteer efforts.
Again, I thank you for your thoughtful deliberation over this matter and your decision to designate this neighborhood as R-A in the draft UDC. The proposal was driven by passionate, engaged neighbors, and should continue to receive your support. To change course now would be a huge disservice to those individuals and to all public engagement in the UDC update. With my best, Amy Kelley Hoitsma NENA President 706 E. Peach Street, Bozeman