HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-16-25 Public Comment - S. Cowan - UDC map edit Centennial ParkFrom:Susanne Cowan
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]UDC map edit Centennial Park
Date:Tuesday, December 16, 2025 10:15:18 AM
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Dear Commissioners,
This may be a moot point based on last week's meeting but I wanted to make sure I expressed
my support for the zoning map amendment to Centennial Park which will designate it as R-A.I hope you will finalize this change as part of the final UDC approval.
This zoning designation change better matches the existing character of the Centennial
neighborhood. Without this change I would be concerned that the Conservation District ruleswould not be strong enough to prevent tear downs of historic homes in this area which are
financially incentivized under higher zoning such as the current R-4 or the new R-C. Thiscould also lead to large structures that loom over existing homes and change the visual
character of the neighborhood away from its mid-century roots.
I am a professor in the School of Architecture at Montana State University. I speak only formyself. Earlier this year I sent you the result from my inventory of the Centennial Park, which
was an update on my 2022 report with Professor Sarah Church in the NortheastNeighborhood. This research showed that 78% of the homes in the Centennial park area are
single family and that 57% are single story. Only 3 of the 130 properties have 4 to 8 attachedhomes. While I could not measure heights, my visual assessment showed that most homes
were two stories or less, with only one maxing out the 2.5 above ground stories and anotherwith 2 stories and a raised daylight basement. Altogether this research shows that most of the
neighborhood aligns with R-A zoning with a few outliers fitting into the R-B zoning.
I am concerned that Zone R-C which allows 24 attached homes and 50 feet of height (3stories) would negatively impact the neighborhood. Even R-B which allows 8 homes and 45
feet of height (2.5 stories) would encourage a significant change in density and height in theneighborhood. This is especially the case due to your considerations to increase the units per
buildings in the various zones, for example for R-B from 8 to 12, which would exceed thehighest existing units per building. I was unable to tell whether that 12 unit change was still in
consideration after the last meeting.
There is local and national precedent for these zoning changes. My research shows that in1991 the city of Bozeman downzoned several other areas of the conservation district to
protect local character as they were creating the conservation district. Nationally downzoninghas been a useful tool in preservation and conservation efforts to prevent tear downs.
I understand the argument for increasing density for sustainability and walkability reasons.
The argument that this would automatically significantly increase affordability is lessconvincing to me based on my academic research and experience creating affordable housing
at Bozeman Cohousing.
I hope you will finalize the R-A zoning change in order to protect the historic character of
Centennial Park as part of the Conservation District.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,Susanne Cowan
Resident of Bozeman
Assistant Professor, School of Architecture, Montana State University