HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-01-25 Public Comment - M. Osman - Final UDC suggestionsFrom:Michelle Osman
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Final UDC suggestions
Date:Monday, December 1, 2025 5:54:30 PM
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Hello Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and Commissioners,
I am writing because many of us keep showing up at City Hall for the same reason: we are
trying to protect the communities we have built and the homes we have put our hearts into. Weare all being pushed into opposing corners by the same force—an economic system that
rewards profit over people. And as long as we fight each other instead of the forces drivingthis crisis, nothing changes for those of us on the ground.
Forward Montana supporters want to live in the Bon Ton—so did I. I was lucky enough to livethere while in college, but I always knew I could never afford to buy a home there. We bought
our current house before prices skyrocketed. Had we been looking now, we would never havebeen able to stay here. And that is true for countless others who have lived here far longer than
I have. The taxes from upzoning are literally chasing out older generations.
What breaks my heart is watching older homes be demolished for high-end redevelopment
that most residents can’t access. We are told this is “density,” yet the outcomes mirror whatnational research identifies as gentrification: rising costs, displacement, demographic turnover,
and the loss of long-standing neighborhood networks. Studies from the Urban DisplacementProject and NYU’s Furman Center show that when older, lower-cost homes are replaced by
luxury units, the people who lived there rarely return. I know this first hand. My friends whohave left Bozeman cannot afford to return. But they wouldn't be able to buy into the luxury
units replacing their old rentals either. Market solutions are money consolidation tactics forthose who have the capitol to invest.
We see the same pattern in Bozeman. The old Deaconess Hospital has been demolished for ahotel. Working people who once lived within walking distance of their jobs are being pushed
outward. The Midtown trailer park has been replaced with market-rate “luxury” units. Olderhomes once filled with renters now sit replaced by million-dollar properties that sit on the
market for a year or more. This is not density. This is extraction.
We are told the market will fix this if we allow more redevelopment. But nearly every major
housing study agrees: market-rate construction alone does not protect the lowest-incomehouseholds. Even the studies that show market-rate housing can ease rents overall conclude
that without subsidies, tenant protections, and preservation of existing affordable units, thepeople at the bottom of the income distribution are left behind—and often displaced.
As you deliberate tomorrow and in the coming weeks, I ask you to consider:
Who truly benefits from continual upzoning for luxury redevelopment?
Is it the people who have lived here for decades, investing through taxes, labor, andcommunity participation?
Or those who can afford to buy into speculative, high-end projects that replace the very peoplewho kept this town functioning long before Bozeman became a target for investment capital?
These are the areas that we have focused upon at the BBC and which will support the peoplewho live here.
1). Remove the loophole in the Zone Edge Transition code that would allow developers to
cede a few feet or even inches to increase the right-of-way, thereby getting out of building theactual transition.
2). Cap height in the B-3 zone at 60 feet as required by state law SB-243, and only award
extra height through the AHO incentives, so that we get affordable housing.
3). Keep the Bon Ton and Centennial Park neighborhoods as R-A, the way they are shown inthe proposed map, while adopting the Existing Building Alternative to allow structures over
35 years old to internally divide into 4 units.
4). Add the word "maximum" to the section of code in 38.410.010.B Natural Environment, perthe Bozeman Tree Coalitions recommendations. Our Sensitive Lands Plan actually uses this
language, so it should be incorporated in code.
5). Require new and relocating frats and sororities to have a single gathering space thataccommodates a minimum of 70 people. We should aim to avoid conflicts we've seen in the
past so that both residential neighborhoods and Greek Houses can thrive.
6). Gallatin Watershed Council has made many workable suggestions for improving theUDC. Please require an aquatic resource delineation report at pre-application as well as other
recommendations from their public comment submitted November 21st.
7). Please incorporate some of the recommendations from the Midtown NeighborhoodAssociation detailed in their public comment, including those with regards to zoning map
conflicts, parkland dedication, and transportation standards in code.
8). Do not expand the B-3 zoning district to East Curtiss. The neighbors have submittedmany interesting histories of their homes, which they have lovingly restored or renovated
under strict Historic Preservation Guidelines, and with considerable expense. Expanding B-3could result in negative impacts to this historic district, especially if the zone edge transition
loophole remains!
Thank you for incorporating these code improvements in the final Unified Development Codeupdate.
Michelle Osman