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Home My WebLink About01-06-26 Public Comment - D. Carty - City Commission Meeting, 1-6-26_ Return max building height to 70 feet in B-3From:Daniel Carty To:Bozeman Public Comment Subject:[EXTERNAL]City Commission Meeting, 1-6-26: Return max building height to 70 feet in B-3 Date:Monday, January 5, 2026 7:07:52 PM Attachments:M-Osman_BDC-GuestColumn_1-3-26.pdf 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. (Please distribute the following public comment to the City Commission in time for their Tuesday, January 6, 6pm, meeting. Thank you.) January 5, 2026; 7:10 p.m. Dear Bozeman City Commission: I am writing to ask the Commission to vote to return the maximum allowable building heightin B-3 to 70 feet and to make this decision before February 1, 2026 (when the UDC update is scheduled to take effect). Also, I am writing to express my agreement with the January 3, 2026, Bozeman DailyChronicle (BDC) Guest Column titled City Commission’s Multi-million $$$ Xmas Gift to Out- of-town Developers (pdf attached). This BDC guest column references the Commission'sDecember 16, 2025, 4-to-1 vote (Commissioner Jennifer Madgic voted NO) to increase the maximum allowable building height in B-3 from 70 feet to 90 feet by right. It is fiscal common sense that the City should only allow buildings in B-3 to go from 70 feetto 90 feet in exchange for a much-needed community benefit. In fact, the City should only allow an "extra" 20 feet of building height in B-3 if a developer uses the City's AffordableHousing Ordinance to provide an acceptable percentage of onsite, deed-restricted, affordable housing units or pays the equivalent in cash-in-lieu of affordable housing. If theCity does not get actual, onsite affordable housing units or the equivalent in cash to go from 70 feet to 90 feet in B-3, then the City will be losing millions of dollars in much-neededaffordable housing—which is clearly fiscally irresponsible on the City's part. Consequently—before February 1, 2026—I am asking the Commission to vote to return the maximum allowable building height in B-3 to 70 feet. Returning the maximum allowablebuilding height in B-3 to 70 feet before February 1, 2026, will ensure that developers provide a much-needed community benefit in exchange for building to 90 feet. Daniel Carty 213 N. 3rd Ave Bozeman, MT 59715 https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/opinions/guest_columnists/michelle-osman-city-commission-s- multi-million-xmas-gift-to-out-of-town-developers/article_c47a7fb9-a7a4-4694-b92f-4140f279b8e8.html Michelle Osman: City Commissionʼs multi-million $$$ Xmas gift to out-of-town developers Michelle Osman Guest columnist Jan 3, 2026 The City Commission just approved a multi-million-dollar Christmas gift for drive-by, hit-and-run developers. On Dec. 16, four of five commissioners (Jennifer Madgic objected) voted to increase the current 70-foot building height limit to 90 feet in the B-3 zone surrounding our historic town core. Other cities such as Charleston, S.C., Burlington, Vt., Boulder, Colo., Old Town Alexandria, Va., Jackson, Wyo., Aspen, Colo., and many others protect their historic districts with much lower height limits ranging from 30 to 50 feet. The Bozeman City Commissionʼs decision to increase heights to 90 feet is two or three times the height allowed in these other historic districts. These increased building heights could be further increased by another two stories (30 feet) under the cityʼs affordable housing incentives resulting in 9- to 11-story buildings 120 feet tall. 1/3/26, 5:59 AM Michelle Osman: City Commission’s multi-million $$$ Xmas gift to out-of-town developers | Guest Columnists | bozemandailychronicl… https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/opinions/guest_columnists/michelle-osman-city-commission-s-multi-million-xmas-gift-to-out-of-town-developer…1/4 One downtown project, by an out-of-state developer, received site plan approval under the current 70-foot limit, and purchased an extra story by agreeing to pay the $1 million cash-in-lieu of affordable housing price tag recommended by city consultantsʼ Economic and Planning Systems (EPS). This is proof that the affordable housing ordinance incentives were working. Now that developer can simply submit an amended site plan application to get the extra story for free, and the city gets no money for affordable housing. The proposed six-story hotel on East Mendenhall has city site plan approval at 70 feet along with concessions on Bozeman Creek setbacks. How long after the Feb. 1 effective date for the new development code will this developer wait to apply for an amended site plan and receive his extra height for free? Based on the consultantʼs study, this is a $1-2 million stocking stuffer for this developer! Merry Christmas indeed. Similarly, the New York development group seeking to build a massive project along South Wallace and East Main by redeveloping the Empire Warehouse site will enjoy this Christmas windfall as well. This is the group who tried to get our public library to agree to a 150-year easement on height to protect their view to the east, while their own massive structure would block eastern views for everyone else in downtown Bozeman. 1/3/26, 5:59 AM Michelle Osman: City Commission’s multi-million $$$ Xmas gift to out-of-town developers | Guest Columnists | bozemandailychronicl… https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/opinions/guest_columnists/michelle-osman-city-commission-s-multi-million-xmas-gift-to-out-of-town-developer…2/4 The Commissionʼs decision grants them two more floors for free and possibly up to four floors with the affordable housing incentives. Another multi-million-dollar gift to out-of- town developers. There are multiple other pending projects waiting to file amended site plan applications based on this Christmas gift. While the commissioners all agreed that this height issue required much closer examination, they decided to “kick the can down the road” for future deliberations. But instead of preserving the existing status quo of 70 feet, they decided to grant increased heights to 90 feet and review later. Basically, passing the bill to find out what is in the bill, and ignoring their responsibilities as stewards of our historic downtown. How many swings of the axe does it take to kill the golden goose? Last fall, the City Commission happily agreed to reconsider and reverse its initial denial of the East Mendenhall hotel project in order to give that developer setback reductions along Bozeman Creek. Itʼs worth noting that this developer didnʼt have to pay the appeal fee to get a second hearing, unlike some neighborhoods, such as midtown when they appealed the Guthrie. In similar fashion, the City Commission needs to immediately meet to reconsider and reverse its decision to increase the B-3 height limit and restore it back to its current status quo of 70 feet before the new UDC goes into effect Feb. 1. The building height issue has much greater, far reaching, and irrevocable impacts on our downtown and our entire Bozeman community. Michelle Osman is interim chair of the Better Bozeman Coalition. 1/3/26, 5:59 AM Michelle Osman: City Commission’s multi-million $$$ Xmas gift to out-of-town developers | Guest Columnists | bozemandailychronicl… https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/opinions/guest_columnists/michelle-osman-city-commission-s-multi-million-xmas-gift-to-out-of-town-developer…3/4 Learn more about your privacy options 1/3/26, 5:59 AM Michelle Osman: City Commission’s multi-million $$$ Xmas gift to out-of-town developers | Guest Columnists | bozemandailychronicl… https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/opinions/guest_columnists/michelle-osman-city-commission-s-multi-million-xmas-gift-to-out-of-town-developer…4/4