HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-25-26 Public Comment - D. Karty - Reduce B-3 max building height to 60 ft; require neighborhood-friendly ZETs across all streets_alleys From: Daniel Carty
To: Bozeman Public Comment
Cc: Joey Morrison;Douglas Fischer;Alison Sweeney;Jennifer Madaic; Emma Bode
Subject: [EXTERNAL]Reduce B-3 max building height to 60 ft;require neighborhood-friendly ZETs across all streets/alleys
Date: Monday,August 24,2026 7:29:37 PM
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Aug 24, 2026; 7:30 p.m.
[Please distribute the following public comment to all City Commissioners in time for their
Tue, Aug 25, meeting. Thank you.]
I am writing to ask the Commission to:
In B-3, reduce maximum allowable by-right building height to 60 feet (the same as in 133-C),
and only allow up to two extra stories in building height in exchange for affordable housing
units for rent (60% AMI or less) and/or for sale (100% AMI or less).
In B-3, require neighborhood-friendly Zone Edge Transitions (ZETs) across all streets and
alleys—regardless of street or alley width. In other words, do not let new developments
cede a small strip of land to the City to meet the current 60-foot ROW requirement in order
to get out of building ZETs. It doesn't matter how good ZETs in the UDC may be if
developers can loophole-out of building ZETs!
My reasons for making these requests are as follows:
FIRST: Allowing a maximum building height of 90 feet by right in B-3 does not align with the
spirit and intent of the City of Bozeman's Strategic Plan—the umbrella plan under which all
other City plans exist—nor with the City's Community Plan 2020 (aka Bozeman's Growth
Policy), which arguably is the second most important City plan.
The Bozeman Strategic Plan, Section 4 -A Well-Planned City reads: "We consistently
improve our community's quality of life as it grows and changes, honoring our sense of
place and the "Bozeman feel"as we plan for a livable, affordable, more connected city."
(my italics)
In the Bozeman Community Plan 2020, the section titled Principles Applied in this Plan
reads:
- "The City intends to create a healthy, safe, resilient, and sustainable community by
incorporating a holistic approach to the design, construction, and operation of buildings,
neighborhoods, and the City as a whole. Developments should contribute to these goals
and be integrated into their neighborhood and the larger community."
- "The needs of new and existing development coexist and they should remain in balance;
neither should overwhelm the other."
- "Infill development and redevelopment should be prioritized, but incremental compact
outward growth is a necessary part of the City's growth."
- "Quality and function are superior to quantity alone."
SECOND: Allowing 90 feet by right in B-3 and allowing new developments in B-3 to
loophole-out of ZET requirements does not align with the spirit and intent of the following
City Commission priority for CYs '26 - '27: "Protecting local heritage, neighborhoods, and the
natural environment."
Thank you for opportunity to comment.
Daniel Carty
213 N. 3rd Ave
Bozeman, MT 59715
P.S. If the Commission is unwilling reduce the 90-foot, by-right maximum allowable
building height in B-3, please consider the following as a compromise:
- Require a larger right of way (ROW) transition for taller buildings—e.g., if a building can
be up to 90 feet tall, the ROW should be at least 90 feet wide in order to count as a
transition. Otherwise, building ZETs is mandatory.
- Require step-backs for all tall buildings in B-3—not just at transitions—as the Downtown
Bozeman Improvement Plan suggests.
- Require tall-building transitions to R-A and R-B to step back at respective R-A and R-B
maximum wall plate heights.