HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-07-25 Public Comment - E. Darrow - NO to 90 ft Height ReversalFrom:Elizabeth Darrow
To:Bozeman Public Comment; Terry Cunningham; Joey Morrison; Douglas Fischer; Emma Bode; Jennifer Madgic
Subject:[EXTERNAL]NO to 90 ft Height Reversal
Date:Tuesday, January 6, 2026 12:08:11 PM
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Greetings Mayor Morrison, Deputy Mayor Fischer, Commissioners Madgic, Sweeney,
and Bode:
How disappointing to begin a new season of potential goodwill between the city
government and city residents with a new outrage. Context: On Dec. 2, after public
testimony and months of intense public engagement, the Commission voted to keepthe current 70-foot height limit for the B-3 zone surrounding our historic downtown.
Two weeks later, at the Second Reading with no opportunity for additional public
comment, that decision was abruptly reversed. Two Commissioners, the Deputy
Mayor and the Mayor changed the outcome of the previous legal vote and approved adramatic increase to 90 feet—a move that will permanently reshape our skyline and
our community.
This reversal, made without public input, is not a procedural footnote. It is a
democratic failure. Major land-use decisions—especially those affecting the historic
heart of a city—require transparency, consistency, and public trust. Instead, residents
were shut out while developers were handed a windfall.
That is why it is now imperative that the City Commission place an immediate
permanent stay on implementation of this change before the Feb. 1 deadline for
the new Unified Development Code.
Without a stay, developers with approved or pending projects will be able to amend
their site plans to take advantage of the new height limit—and in doing so, avoid
paying cash-in-lieu for affordable housing. As a result the city's affordable housing
pool will lose millions.
That money was never intended to become a gift to private developers. It was meant
to serve working families, teachers, nurses, and service workers who are increasingly
being priced out of Bozeman.
These are not small policy tweaks. These are multi-million-dollar transfers of
public value into private hands, made behind closed doors. And all of it stems froma decision that was reversed after the public was silenced.
A stay on the Feb. 1 implementation is not radical. It is the minimum act ofstewardship—one that restores fairness, protects affordable housing resources, and
honors the public’s right to be heard on decisions that will define our city for
generations.
The historic core of Bozeman should not be walled off for profit. It should remain the
shared heart of a community that still believes in transparency, accountability, and the
common good.
Elizabeth Darrow & Jim WalsethBozeman