HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-10-26 Public Comment - Z. Osman - Tonight's action item_ NCOD update engagement planFrom:Zehra Osman
To:Bozeman Public Comment; Joey Morrison; Alison Sweeney; Douglas Fischer; Jennifer Madgic; Emma Bode
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Tonight"s action item: NCOD update engagement plan
Date:Tuesday, March 10, 2026 11:38:48 AM
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(Please include these comments in the NCOD Update public record)
Honorable Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and Commissioners,
The engagement plan for the NCOD Update is something that can proceed while we're busy replacing theHistoric Preservation Officer (HPO) position.
Regarding the engagement plan for the NCOD Update:
Please change the goal on page one to, "Address Bozeman’s HISTORICAL character, local
conditions and priorities." This is absolutely the right moment to be specific about historic
preservation in the goals of the NCOD codes and design guidelines. It does not make sense to mix in
other goals for "community character" because that can be addressed in other documents. When
decision-makers are tasked with evaluating a new development, they will have various documents to
reference. When decision-makers are weighing various factors in making a decision about a
development, they will reference various documents that stand alone. For example, decision makers
will have the Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) to consider. The MUTCD
itself doesn't have the goal of "community character" in it - - that is something the decision maker
would reference in a separate document. Similarly, the NCOD code/guidelines should stand alone
to specifically address historic character and historic preservation. Historic character is a critical
component of historic preservation best practices and this is not the moment where we alter the goals
of the NCOD Update by watering down with other goals. If the decision-maker wants to address
"community character," they can look at other reference documents or priorities, rather than
muddling up the City's historic preservation document with other goals.
In engagement surveys, visual comparisons should be included since people don’t always know how
to describe what they think is appropriate, but they know it when they see it. The historical architects
on the consultant team will know how to translate this into design guidelines.
Please insure that engagement surveys are appropriately designed and do not set up a false sense of
options that are not in compliance with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of
Historic Properties.
Thank you for including walking tours and surveys in the NCOD update engagement plan.
Respectfully,
Zehra Osman
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