HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-01-25 Public Comment - E. Darrow - Remember the future! The new Unified Development CodeFrom:Elizabeth Darrow
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Remember the future! The new Unified Development Code
Date:Monday, December 1, 2025 3:15:39 PM
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Greetings Mayor Cunningham, Deputy Mayor Morrison, Commissioners
Madgic, Fischer & Bode,
We wish you well in the difficult task ahead with clear heads, commitment to
your sworn public duty and awareness that the path you legislate controls
our future and will have consequences:
The public has been unequivocal: strong Zone Edge Transition standards
are essential to the new UDC. These transitions protect livability, privacy,
neighborhood character, and the small-town fabric of Bozeman. A last-
minute loophole allowing developers to bypass these standards now
threatens to undo years of public engagement and careful review.
1. ·Zone Edge Transitions have been a top public priority throughout the
two-year UDC process, repeatedly emphasized in public comment
and by the Historic Preservation Advisory Board (HPAB).
2. ·Early drafts lacked meaningful transitions; and HPAB withheld
approval, triggering a full reset.
3. The revised draft finally added real protections—setbacks, plantings,
and step-backs—especially for streets under 60 feet wide.
4. ·These standards are essential for light, air, walkability, noise
buffering, environmental health, and respectful interfaces between
higher-intensity zones and established neighborhoods
5. ·HOWEVER:
Much to our shock a loophole had been inserted without public
notice that allows developers to avoid these requirements simply by
ceding a few inches of frontage to manufacture a 60-foot right-of-way.
6. Close this loophole! This unethical workaround undermines
predictability, weakens street standards, and repeats past failures like
the "Henry" project and "The Cooper" (now known as "Cell Block")
where the scale and lack of transitions harm adjacent neighbors
in perpetuity!
Strong transitions do not restrict density—they only require responsible
design.
Retaining the inserted loophole serves developer profits, not community
welfare or long-term planning goals. We expect fairness, transparency, and
credible planning and Zone Edge Transitions are not optional—they are
fundamental to a balanced, livable UDC that supports growth while
protecting the neighborhoods they affect.
Sincerely,Elizabeth Darrow & Jim WalsethBozeman