HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-14-26 Public Comment - A. K. Hoitsma - HPAB meeting 7.14.26 re_ NCOD updateFrom:Amy Kelley Hoitsma
To:Bozeman Public Comment; Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]HPAB meeting 7.14.26 re: NCOD update
Date:Tuesday, July 14, 2026 5:07:01 PM
Attachments:Letter to HPAB 7.14.26.docx
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Please consider my comments for tomorrow’s meeting. Thank you.
Amy Kelley Hoitsma
406-581-1513
aok@mcn.net
aokworks.com
TO: Historic Preservation Advisory Board FROM: Amy Kelley Hoitsma RE: Updated Design Guidelines for the NCOD 14 July 2026 Hello HPAB members – Tomorrow you are scheduled to receive an update from the project team behind the City’s efforts to update the guidelines for the Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District (NCOD). The presentation is to include a summary of findings from public engagement efforts and how that input is shaping the direction of this project. I have been participating in the neighborhood focus group as part of this public engagement process, representing the Northeast Neighborhood Association (NENA). We met on-line for our second meeting last Thursday, July 9. At this stage in the process, I am concerned at what appears to be an over-riding focus on materiality in the current drafts: what type of siding is used, window treatments, etc. This may be a primary concern for homes and neighborhoods on the National Historic Register. But a majority of homes and neighborhoods within the NCOD are not on the historic register. Their character, however, critically shapes the look, feel, and character of Bozeman itself. The reason I am involved in this process is to help preserve that neighborhood character, which in the case of the NE neighborhood is eclectic. Homes do not all look the same and that is a characteristic that is appreciated by the neighborhood. What has been of concern to neighbors is new construction that dwarfs neighboring homes in mass and scale. I believe this was clearly communicated to the consultants early on in the process, and they indicated this concern was heard. Yet at our last focus group meeting we were told that the NCOD will not address mass and scale in this update, because the UDC and base zoning already regulate this issue. Despite the fact that the NCOD is an extra overlay, the consultants have apparently been told not to spend time making recommendations relating to mass and scale. The other thing neighbors clearly articulated to the consultant team is the frustration over lack of enforcement, or the uncertainty about what is recommended vs what is required in the NCOD. For myself, and I believe for many others, the hope would be to somehow require that new construction within the NCOD considers the context on the ground, so that the result feels like it fits in to the existing neighborhood. I do not believe that requiring certain types of siding or window treatments is the correct approach. For most neighborhoods in the NCOD I think this will result in an unnecessary burden of expense as well as discouraging attempts to increase energy efficiency by switching to modern 3-paned windows, for example.
I actually think the current NCOD contains language that, if enforced, would answer this concern:
From Article 16 of the City Ordinances — NEIGHBORHOOD CONSERVATION
OVERLAY DISTRICT AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION — and specifically Sec.
38.16.050 - STANDARDS FOR CERTIFICATES OF APPROPRIATENESS:
B. Architectural appearance design guidelines used to consider the
appropriateness and compatibility of proposed alterations with original
design features of subject structures, or properties and with neighboring
structures and properties, shall focus upon the following:
1. Height;
2. Proportions of doors and windows
3. Relationship of building masses and spaces;
4. Roof shape;
5. Scale;
6. Directional expression, with regard to the dominant horizontal or
vertical expression of surrounding structures; …
G. Applying for a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA)
A Certificate of Appropriateness, as its name implies, is a certification that
the design of a project is appropriate within the neighborhood or area in
which it is located. It is required for any alteration, demolition or new
construction in the Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District as defined
in the UDO. Use the following steps for recommendations on how to
proceed with a COA application:
…
Step 4. Review the Site Context.
Consider immediately adjacent properties and also the surrounding
character of the project site. Understanding the desired character of the
area is vital to the development of an appropriate design.
Step 5. Develop a Design Concept Using the Guidelines.
The guidelines form the basis for the city’s design review decisions.
Following the guidelines from the outset of the project will facilitate a
smooth process. I believe the City Commission needs to hear from HPAB regarding the intent behind the NCOD guidelines update. If the current draft is not solving the identified problems and concerns with the current NCOD, then the Commission needs to redirect that process.
I am sorry I can’t be at your meeting tomorrow, but I look forward to listening to your discussion at a later date. With my best, Amy Kelley Hoitsma 706 E Peach St