HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-28-26 Public Comment - D. Perlstein - Vacant and Blighted Property — A Call for Accountability in Bozeman’s Housing CrisisFrom:Dp
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Vacant and Blighted Property — A Call for Accountability in Bozeman’s Housing Crisis
Date:Saturday, April 25, 2026 3:50:11 PM
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Dear Mayor Morrison,
I am writing as a longtime Bozeman resident and property owner to raise a concern that I believe deserves the city’s
serious attention.
There is a residential structure in our community that has sat vacant and deteriorating for at least fifteen years.
The building is boarded up, structurally compromised, and visually blighted. Paint is peeling from every surface.
Windows are partially broken and covered with scrap wood. The lot is overgrown and unkempt. It is, by any
reasonable measure, uninhabitable — and has been for a very long time. Neighbors have filed complaints with city
planning and building but the house still stands.
Bozeman is in the middle of a genuine housing crisis. Families are being priced out. Young workers cannot
afford to stay. Renters are competing fiercely for every available unit. Against that backdrop, it is difficult to justify
a policy environment that allows a property owner to hold a residential structure in a state of blight for over a decade
— contributing nothing to the community, sheltering no one, and simply waiting for land values to rise.
This is speculation at the expense of neighbors and the broader public good.
I would ask the city to examine what tools are currently available — vacant property registries, escalating blight
fines, mandatory rehabilitation timelines, or eminent domain in extreme cases — and whether those tools are being
actively applied. If they are not, I would urge the council to consider stronger ordinances that create real
consequences for long-term vacancy and deterioration.
Bozeman’s housing problem will not be solved by new construction alone. It also requires holding existing
landowners accountable for the condition and use of the properties they own within our community.
Thank you for your time and public service. I am happy to provide the address of the property I am referencing
if that would be helpful.
David Perlstein
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