HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-01-25 Public Comment - A. Geddes - Urgent_ Public Comment for UDC Changes to Centennial Park NeighborhoodFrom:Amanda Geddes
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Cc:Chris Geddes; centennialparkneighbors@gmail.com
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Urgent: Public Comment for UDC Changes to Centennial Park Neighborhood
Date:Monday, December 1, 2025 9:16:45 AM
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Dear City Commissioners,
My husband and I are homeowners in the NENA neighborhood, located near the CentennialPark neighborhood. I would like to start out by saying that I am a local architect and a
proponent of denser City development. However, the planning and zoning proposals must besensitive to the existing context and architecturally enhance the neighborhood. For a city
whose history dates back merely 125 years, this is a responsibility that should be taken withgreat care — safeguarding as much as we can from the earliest neighborhoods that are within a
historic overlay but not protected by registered properties. These areas remain important to thehistory of our city and have a strong urban character that are being threatened by
development.
We are in full support of the re-zoning of Centennial Park Neighborhood to R-A. Theneighborhood is currently a wonderful, quiet and neighbor-centric place to live. The current
zoning from the UDC will destroy the character of the neighborhood that we love and wouldgreatly benefit by a respectful tapering of density that the R-A zoning provides. The R-A
zoning would provide a positive pattern of growth while maintaining the character and scale ofexisting housing.
The redesign proposal of the Kmart Lot near the fairgrounds, development along 7th, and
other surrounding large-scale developments along the railroad within NENA, will provideadequate housing for dense urban living in formerly blighted areas within the City. These lots
have been appropriately allocated and minimize the replacement of single familyneighborhoods with large-scale builds. Many developers are from out of state and are
capitalizing on the City’s poor zoning and UDC guidelines, along with a lack of context to theneighborhoods they are disrupting. The rezoning and large scale development has created an
abundance of housing with increased vacancies across the Valley, reaching 12.5% andclimbing. This is far above the standard for a balanced housing market which should sit
around 5% vacancy. The City demands the preservation and development of small scaledevelopment and single family or duplex properties near the city center, especially in our
historic (but not protected) neighborhoods. As we have watched the change in marketdemands over the last several years, condo development and apartment demand has dropped
while the demand for single family homes has surged.
We urge you to greatly consider the history of our neighborhood and plan for sensitive,predictable development. Please re-zone the Centennial Park Neighborhood to R-A.
Warmly,
Amanda Geddes