HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-14-26 Public Comment - M. Osman - NCODFrom:Michelle Osman
To:Bozeman Public Comment; Jennifer Madgic; Joey Morrison; Emma Bode; asweeney@bozeman.net; DouglasFischer
Subject:[EXTERNAL]NCOD
Date:Tuesday, April 14, 2026 11:56:56 AM
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Dear Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Commissioners,
I attended the open house for the NCOD update last night and something stood out to me. I
was asked, in a way that suggested I couldn't be opposed, if I wanted to limit economic growthin Bozeman. This is a red flag in every conversation in which it arises. This is the
fundamental argument of the free market savior complex. The market, the developers and thepeople with the money to invest, should be greenlighted in all endeavors so they can make our
economy large, forever growing and fruitful. It is the ultimate way to gaslight the individualquestioning the private, corporate greed suckin the life out of our towns and turning unique,
historical places into anywhere America. This country is run by the few who hold all of the purse strings. That has been made
glaringly apparent in the last few years. I hoped my town wasn't. Why should the residents of Bozeman accept substandard buildings with cheap metal siding,
and bland, oppressive designs for the profit of the developers? If the developers can't meetstandards of true quality, lasting quality with aesthetic choices that materially add to our town,
then we can wait for the ones who have the means. This is especially true, since we are such aluxury market within the NCOD. Bozeman is stunning. Bozeman is on the global map.
Bozeman is not going to stop growing unless we have another great depression. We are not ina defensible position to put the profits of developers before the history, both past and future of
our town. I was deeply disappointed by my conversation with one of the consultants who tried to
dissuade me from a request for greater legal standards within the NCOD. It seems that theyare of the mind that they should be paid a large fee of our taxes to provide exactly nothing. A
request for better materials was about as much as they agreed to. I dearly hope hiring theLakota Group wasn't a tax cost for performative engagement, all meant to effectively defang
the NCOD and replace it with a landmark program, which would cover individual buildingsbut not the individuality of Bozeman as we knew it.
Also, I'm tired of being told to work "with" the commission and staff, when we are treatedwith less respect than I would treat my two year old. In what universe are the people who
show up discounted because they show up? Or is it just that we, the residents, arrived 20 yearsafter the "friendships" developers had established with city staff? When you say we should
play nice, you want us to roll over. If you cared about affordable housing you wouldn't have given away millions of dollars
worth of incentives when you approved 90 feet by right. And three of you ran on that. I'mwriting letters to the editor. I'm over it.
Yours in exhaustion and disappointment, Michelle
--
Michelle Osman 419 North 5th Ave
Bozeman Mt. 59715
(406) 579 3992www.michelleosman.com