HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-24-25 Public Comment - N. Harris - Keep B-3 Away from the Historic DistrictFrom:Nicholas Harris
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Cc:Nicholas Harris
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Keep B-3 Away from the Historic District
Date:Saturday, November 22, 2025 11:37:27 AM
Attachments:B-3 Letter to the City Commission.pdf
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November 22, 2025
Dear Bozeman City Commission,
The purpose of this letter is to express my strong opposition to the expansion of the B-3
Zone. Specifically, I object to its expansion up to Curtiss Street between Tracy and Black
Avenues, which as you may know is a part of the South Tracy/ South Black National
Register Historic District.
I purchased my house on the Corner of Tracy and Curtiss (303 South Tracy) in 2002 and
enjoy living here with my wife Andleeb Dawood. We have remodeled the interior including
the basement. My wife and I have spent a lot of time and money improving the
landscaping, which includes lots of boulders and flowering plants and bushes that attract
many of those who walk by. Landscape Architecture students from MSU have been given
the assignment of studying our front yards. We have also added solar panels on the roof to
generate electricity for ourselves and our neighbors.
Here are three pictures of the improvements I have made on the house. We have invested a
great deal of our life savings making these improvements.
My family has been in Bozeman since 1872. My great great grandfather, Henry Kirk came
here from Pennsylvania with his wife, sons, domestic livestock. His first task after
homesteading the land on the west side of Bozeman was to build the Red Barn, which now
houses the Feed Café.
It has been my calling to bring new life into these old historic buildings, which I have done
in the White Chapel, the Roost, Sa]ron Table, and the Wildflower School. I believe that
there is something irreplaceable in keeping the historic buildings alive with new uses. It
gives our community a tactile sense of our origins.
My great aunt Marguerite Kirk started the Country Bookshelf and the Country Flower Shop
and donated the land for Kirk Park and Kirk Hill. Our family has longstanding commitment
to Bozeman, and we care deeply about the look and feel of our town.
Building 90-foot-tall buildings in our historic district will weaken our best architecture.
While I agree with the idea of increasing density, it makes no sense to invade the historic
district.
I would like to meet with you face to face to discuss other density options that would
benefit the citizens of Bozeman. Expanding the B-3 zone into the historic district is not your
best move.
Sincerely,
Nicholas Harris
Architect