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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-31-26 Public Comment - D. Carty - Public Comment_ Economic Vitality Board, April 1, 2026From:Daniel Carty To:Bozeman Public Comment Cc:Douglas Fischer; Brit Fontenot; Brian Guyer; David Fine; Jessica Ahlstrom Subject:[EXTERNAL]Public Comment: Economic Vitality Board, April 1, 2026 Date:Tuesday, March 31, 2026 11:12:04 AM 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 all members of the Economic Vitality Board in time for their April 1, 2026, meeting. Thank you.) March 31, 2026; 11:15 a.m. Dear Economic Vitality Board (EVB): I am writing to comment on Agenda Iitem E.1 - FYI/Discussion on updates proposed toOrdinance 2025-001, the Affordable Housing Ordinance (AHO), proposed revision 4. Updates to Type B Incentives, which reads as follows: "October 2026 will see major changes to statewide parking requirements. Essentially therewill be no required parking minimums for affordable housing projects, assisted living facilities and homes under 1200 square feet, thus rendering the AHO parking incentiveineffective. Current strategy includes retaining Type B incentives in the AHO in the event of future legislative changes to parking guidelines but knowing that they will not be utilizedafter October 2026 unless the legislature reverses course on parking minimums. We are currently considering alternative incentives to spur creation of affordable housingopportunities. For example, staff are working with the City of Bozeman’s Water Conservation Specialist regarding potential changes to landscaping requirements."(my bolding) My comment: What the bolded sentence probably means is that currently required landscaping requirements would be fewer in number or eliminated altogether—both ofwhich are false choices and both of which are environmentally, socially, and economic- vitality unsound. Here are a few foreseeable adverse consequences associated withreducing or eliminating current landscaping requirements in order to incentivize private developers to build affordable housing projects in Bozeman: (1) Fewer landscaping requirements will likely translate into fewer trees being planted andpossibly more turf grass being planted. Planting fewer trees would not only degrade the ecological function of Bozeman's already-stressed urban forest (urban forest = all trees onpublic and private lands) but also would reduce the non-consumptive, beneficial ecosystem services (e.g., tree equity1) that Bozeman's urban forest provides to the people who will live in Bozeman's affordable housing projects. The consequences of planting more turf grass would be an increase in long-term water use by affordable housing projects, which in turnwould reduce Bozeman's long-term climate resilience and thus be in direct opposition to Bozeman's Climate Plan. 1Tree equity is the fair distribution of urban trees in numbers and canopy cover to ensure all people, regardless of income, age, or race, enjoy the health, economic, and environmental benefits of trees. It addresses disparities where low-income neighborhoods often have up to 41% fewer trees than wealthier areas, causing higher heat-related illnesses. (2) Planting fewer trees in Bozeman's affordable housing projects is in direct opposition toBozeman's Branch Out Bozeman (BOB) project, which is an already-in-place, already- funded, collaborative project among the City, Gallatin Watershed Council, and all Bozeman residents. As the City's BOB website reads: a tree-filled Bozeman will improve the quality of our water and the health of our streams; more trees will address the urbanheat-island effect and lower surface and air temperatures in Bozeman; and from cool shade to clean air to improved mental health, trees should provide for everyone, nomatter the street you live on"—and no matter if you live in one of Bozeman's affordable housing projects. (my bolding). (3) Another foreseeable adverse consequence of reducing or altogether eliminating currentlandscaping requirements for affordable housing projects is, of course, more concrete and blacktop—thus exacerbating heat-island effects city-wide—as exemplified by the N. 7th Ave and W. Aspen St affordable housing project. All but a couple of the mature spruce trees on this lot were cut down to build this project, under the City's dubious claim that CentennialPark would be sufficient green space for this project's future residents. In conclusion, reducing or altogether eliminating currently required landscaping requirements to incentivize developers to provide affordable housing projects—whilemaximizing their profits—is unacceptable from environmental, social, and economic-vitality perspectives and should be rejected outright by the EVB board. Sincerely, Daniel Carty 213 N. 3rd Ave. Bozeman, MT 59715 cc: Bozeman City Commissioner Douglas Fischer; Bozeman Economic DevelopmentDepartment (Brit Fontenot, Brian Guyer, and David Fine); and Bozeman Water Conservation Program Manager Jessica Ahlstrom.