HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-28-26 Public Comment - E. Darrow - NCOD Survey Comment_ Asking the Right QuestionsFrom:Elizabeth Darrow
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]NCOD Survey Comment: Asking the Right Questions
Date:Sunday, June 28, 2026 11:09:35 AM
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Greetings Mayor Morrison, Deputy Mayor Fischer, Commissioners Madgic, Sweeney
& Bode,
To say the recent "public engagement" survey about the Neighborhood Conservation
Overlay District (NCOD) was a disappointment is an understatement. In the current
climate of public concern and mistrust, it felt less like an invitation to meaningful civicparticipation and more like a grueling final exam. At a time when many residents fear
for the future of Bozeman's historic core—threatened by rapid poorly regulated
redevelopment, the weakening of preservation protections, and provisions within the
proposed Unified Development Code—the survey failed to address the questions thepublic is actually asking.
Many residents are deeply concerned that the NCOD, established to conserve thecharacter and livability of Bozeman's neighborhoods, is being steadily undermined. A
public engagement survey should help rebuild trust by listening to community
priorities. Instead, this survey appeared to test specialized knowledge more
appropriate to graduate study in architectural history or a professional historicpreservation certification.
For example, respondents were asked technical questions requiring detailedknowledge of preservation history in Bozeman located in information buried in City
records, such as identifying components of buildings like roof, windows, soffits, doors,
porches etc. that had required the most rehabilitation over years. Is this research
even familiar to the general public? And is it intended to guide crucial code now being
created? Likewise, respondents had to identify the dominant architectural style
in historic district by district --10 of them! Why is this data relevant when these
neighborhoods have a complex history of styles and change interwoven over a
century? Do survey questions if answered incorrectly still determine which
neighborhoods qualify for stricter preservation criteria? Questions of this kind are not
meaningful measures of informed public engagement to achieve meaningful
outcomes.
A public survey should measure residents' thoughtful awareness, experience and
values regarding historic preservation in ways that any informed person can answer
confidently. It should seek to understand what people value about theirneighborhoods, how they believe preservation contributes to community life, and how
they wish to balance growth with conservation. Done well, such a survey can identify
areas of consensus, guide thoughtful policy, and rebuild public confidence. Done
poorly, it reinforces the perception that public engagement is merelyprocedural while decisions about the future of Bozeman's historic
neighborhoods have already been made.
Elizabeth Darrow