HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-21-26 Public Comment - N. Nakamura - Please remove F.9 item from the consent agendaFrom:Natsuki Nakamura
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Please remove F.9 item from the consent agenda
Date:Sunday, June 21, 2026 6:56:00 PM
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Dear City Commission,
As a disclosure, I am a member of the Economic Vitality Board, but writing only as an
individual Bozeman resident.
Please remove F.9 (regarding Opportunity Zone proposals) from the 6/23 consent agenda toallow for discussion and public education. It would be great to hear specifically what tools the
City hopes to access through these Opportunity Zones that our community would not haveotherwise. There has been many new businesses and hundreds of housing units added lately in
both census tracts, so it is hard for me to believe that we need to attract development in eitherarea. And if Bozeman does attract more investment, what guardrails or mandates does the City
have to ensure any community benefit (rather than displacement or benefits only going to thewealthy investors)?
MSU has grown substantially over the last few years, and housing is continuing to sprawl
south and west of campus. The MSU Innovation Campus is home to one of the nation'shandful Defense Innovation Unit OnRamp Hubs, focused on attracting hundreds of millions of
dollars from the Department of War. How much more investment do we need to attract tocensus tract 11? I am also surprised by the assertion that tract 11 has sufficient infrastructure
be attractive, given that the City approved to reimburse the developer up to $3.6 million forthe infrastructure for the Innovation Campus. In addition, tract 11 seems to include a good
amount of land outside of City limits, so I imagine there is not sufficient infrastructure in someof these parts, unless sprawl in these areas are encouraged. (As an aside, it seems like perhaps
tract 11's poverty rate is skewed by the student population that likely reports a low incomeeven if they have financial support from parents).
I ask that the City Commission have a discussion about Opportunity Zones before approving
these applications.
Thank you for your consideration,Natsuki Nakamura