HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-01-25 Public Comment - P. McGown - Final UDC suggestionsFrom:Patty McGown
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Final UDC suggestions
Date:Sunday, November 30, 2025 3:26:00 PM
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Dear Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and Commissioners,
I am currently in Charlestown in Boston. One of the country’s most dense housing cities. And guess what? IT IS
NOT AFFORDABLE. Rents for 500 square feet range from $3000 to $5000 monthly. And the 5, 10, 15 story
buildings, built amongst the brownstones, all basically touch. It’s a concrete jungle.
And that doesn’t include parking. Parking is a competitive sport. There is not enough parking for the number of cars.
The city has dug up parks, dug down and made car parks, then put the park back on at street level. That’s how
desperate they are And the cost of parking!! Another $1000 to $1500 per month at your apartment if you can get it.
And $12-15 just to park to shop. It’s an example that proves density is not affordable.
Boston is cool, but Bozeman is way way way cooler. How about your legacy be that you cared about Bozeman and
you voted to keep Bozeman cool. To do that: DO NOT TURN Bozeman into Boston.
How? Make these additional improvements, recommended by the Better Bozeman Coalition in November, (that are
also available on their website resources page) to the development code before final adoption.
Here are a few more:
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 the actual 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 in the 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, per the 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 that accommodates 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 the UDC. 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 Neighborhood Association 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 submitted many interesting histories
of their homes, which they have lovingly restored or renovated under strict Historic Preservation Guidelines, and
with considerable expense. Expanding B-3 could 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 Code update.
Standing by,Patty McGown