HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-18-26 Public Comment - M. Sweeney - NCOD future From: Michael Sweeney
To: Bozeman Public Comment
Subject: [EXTERNAL]NCOD future
Date: Wednesday,February 18,2026 9:06:41 AM
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Dear HPAB and City Commission,
Bozeman and Gallatin Valley residents value historic preservation, and we need to have
NCOD guidelines with teeth to ensure that new development in the historic core of Bozeman
is compatible with the existing neighborhood.
According to the results of a community survey released in October 2024 by the City of
Bozeman and the Community Collaborative consultants, residents want to see more incentives
for the reuse of older or historic buildings and design that compliments the historic appearance
of the neighborhood. Many expressed concern with the loss of historic buildings and increased
building height.
During the UDC update, we heard that the Standards for the Certificate of Appropriateness
have no teeth. It is the request of the public that the standards for the issuance of a Certificate
of Appropriateness be rewritten to be objective and enforceable, especially as pertains to
height, mass, and architectural elements. Two recent examples of the city government and
city officials' dismissal of the NCOD as being only guidelines that will be considered but
not followed are the Guthrie building and the proposed Depot building on Church street.
Standards should be made binding. Any guidelines should be used to help implement those
binding standards. And, it should be very clear in the code that new development within the
NCOD must also abide by the standards.
We thank the City of Bozeman for undertaking this important update of the historic
preservation code and look forward to seeing the Landmark Program as a whole.
Sincerely,
Michael Sweeney (5th generation valley resident)