HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-19-25 Public Comment - E. Darrow - Please retain the 60 ft height limit ...From:Elizabeth Darrow
To:Bozeman Public Comment; Terry Cunningham; Joey Morrison; Jennifer Madgic; Douglas Fischer; Emma Bode
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Please retain the 60 ft height limit on development that you already voted for!
Date:Tuesday, December 16, 2025 1:58:24 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you
recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Greetings Mayor Cunningham, Deputy Mayor Morrison and Commissioners Madgic,
Fischer, & Bode,
We urge you to support the Bozeman (BHOA) recommendation for a 60-foot height limitfor future development, and at minimum, to retain the current 70-foot height limit in theUnified Development Code (UDC) for B-3 districts.
The BHOA’s memorandum submitted lays out the rationale. At its core is a principle thatmatters deeply to this community: as elected officials, you are stewards of the land andbuilt environment. We are here only briefly, but the buildings we allow will defineBozeman’s character for generations.
The folly and problem with indulging unregulated developers' greed for profit results in whatJohn Amsden, owner of the Bozeman Hotel aptly described as the “vertical privatization ofthe skyline.” That is not the future we want for our beautiful humane experience of adowntown core. Look around at cities like Seattle, a city in thrall to developers that drank theurbanist density Kool-Aid and destroyed downtown and its vital walking, shopping andaesthetic experience of a city on a hill that once overlooked a beautiful bay.
And in reality retaining a 70-foot limit actually does not prohibit taller buildings but in somecases insures that additional height comes with meaningful public benefit such as in theAffordable Housing Ordinance (AHO), where a developer who seeks to exceed 70 feet can doso by compensating the community—either by including affordable housing within the projector by paying a cash-in-lieu contribution. This could be a reasonable exchange.
What should not happen is the unconditional restoration of a 90-foot height limit simplybecause some developers are dissatisfied. Additional height is a public asset and should not begiven away. The UDC vote scheduled for this Tuesday now lists this change as an action itemrather than a consent item—our hard won and recently adopted amendments could be moot!Please stand by the decisions you already made with much public input regarding B-3 heightlimits.
Bozeman’s future depends on protecting what makes it special: a human-scaled downtown, amixture of contemporary and historic architecture and regard for the rare naturalsetting we are so lucky to have. Please do not give this precious asset away to the voraciousappetite for unregulated growth at our community expense.
Elizabeth Darrow & Jim Walseth
Bozeman