HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-04-26 Public Comment - S. Bieluch - Forward Request of FORMAL INFRASTRUCTURE OBJECTION_ Traffic Study Falsification & Sub-Standard Alley Demands – Application No. 23245 (811 W. Mendenhall)From:Scott Bieluch
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]FORMAL INFRASTRUCTURE OBJECTION: Traffic Study Falsification & Sub-Standard Alley Demands –
Application No. 23245 (811 W. Mendenhall)
Date:Friday, September 4, 2026 12:22:49 PM
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DELIVERY FAILURE NOTICE & FORWARDING REQUEST: My direct emails to staff
bounced due to a server error (550 5.4.1). Please forward this formal technicalobjection regarding Application No. 23245 (811 W. Mendenhall Mixed-Use) to the
Engineering Dept, Director of Transportation, Streets Division, Anna Bentley, and Greg
Sullivan.
I. UNREALISTIC TRIP DISTRIBUTION MODEL
The developer’s Traffic Impact Study (TIS) claims 90% of the 435 daily vehicle trips
from the 95-unit project will exit exclusively onto one-way W. Mendenhall St. This
assumption ignores local driving behavior. A major percentage of resident anddelivery traffic will exit north into the unpaved alley connecting to W. Lamme St to
head north/west out of Midtown. Shifting 90% of metrics to Mendenhall masks
severe impacts on W. Lamme St, creating a safety hazard on a narrow residential
street and disrupting homeowners' driveway access.
II. SUB-STANDARD ALLEY INFRASTRUCTURE
The site plan relies heavily on the public alleyway west of N. 8th Ave for vehicle
egress. This right-of-way cannot handle high-density volume:Geometrical Constraints: Overgrowth and neglect have narrowed the alley to a
single-vehicle width, preventing cars from passing safely.
Winter Maintenance Failures: The Streets Division does not regularly plow this
unpaved alley. Vehicles routinely get high-centered in deep snow every winter.Adding 435 daily trips to an unpaved, single-lane, unplowed dirt track will cause
gridlock and block emergency (Fire/EMS) access.
III. MANDATORY ADMINISTRATIVE DEMANDSPrior to any project approvals, I demand the City:
1. Order an independent TIS rewrite factoring a realistic 50/50 exit split between
W. Mendenhall and W. Lamme St.
2. Require the developer to fully fund physical widening, structural paving, andpublic utility integration of the alley west of N. 8th Ave.
3. Formally re-classify this alley on the municipal winter schedule for regular snow
plowing.
Scott Bieluch | 805 W. Lamme St, Bozeman, MT 59715