HomeMy WebLinkAbout11 North 7th Urban Renewal
Commission Memorandum
REPORT TO: Honorable Mayor and City Commission
FROM: Allyson Brekke, Neighborhood Planner Wendy Thomas, Director of Community Development
SUBJECT: North 7th Urban Renewal Board request to direct City Staff to proceed
with a Zone Code Amendment application that includes changes and additions to the sign section
of the Unified Development Code. MEETING DATE: October 7, 2013
AGENDA ITEM TYPE: Action
RECOMMENDATION: That the City Commission directs City Staff in the Department of Community Development to proceed with a Zone Code Amendment application that includes the
changes and additions to the sign section of the Unified Development Code.
RECOMMENDED MOTION: I direct City Staff in the Department of Community Development to proceed with a Zone Code Amendment application that includes the changes recommended by the North 7th Urban Renewal Board.
BACKGROUND: Based on these past conversations with North 7th Avenue property owners,
the North 7th Urban Renewal Board is interested in making changes to the Bozeman zoning code that will allow property owners greater flexibility in maintaining their non-conforming signage when making small scale redevelopment efforts to their property. The Board wishes to make the
following changes and or additions to the Unified Development Code:
1. Add a statement that says “changes to existing, non-conforming signs that occur due to City initiated right-of-way improvements would not require sign conformance.” 2. Change the existing code to state any site change to a building or property that requires a
Certificate of Appropriateness and/or Change in Use/Reuse application will not
necessitate compliance for all existing and proposed signage on the property.
3. Change the existing code to state any change in sign copy to an existing, non-conforming sign will not necessitate compliance. Therefore, the North 7th Urban Renewal Board respectively requests the City Commission to
direct City Staff to proceed with a Zone Code Amendment application that includes the changes
listed above.
UNRESOLVED ISSUES: None.
ALTERNATIVES: As suggested by the City Commission.
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FISCAL EFFECTS: None identified at this time.
Report compiled on: September 30, 2013 Attachments: NSURB Letter to Commission
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September 30, 2013
Bozeman City Commission
PO Box 1230
Bozeman, MT 59771
Dear Bozeman City Commissioners:
The North 7th Urban Renewal Board will soon be unveiling the newly installed street lights
along N. 7th Avenue between the I-90 Interstate overpass and Juniper Street. We hope that
you agree that the new lights are an attractive addition to one of Bozeman’s primary
corridors and streetscapes.
The Board wants to continue with the next phase of the street lighting installation project
and is currently working with a professional engineering firm on some preliminary
investigative work to identify areas along the corridor that have limited public right-of-way.
As Phase 2 is approached (roughly between Juniper and Villard Streets), the Board is
expecting that a few areas will emerge as having limited public right-of-way and there will
be a need of a public access easement from some N. 7th Avenue property owners in order to
get the lights installed. The Board has spoken to some of these property owners in the past
about this future work and gathered from them that there is a concern that their existing,
non-conforming exterior signage will need to be moved or modified with the street light
installation. Additionally, some of the property owners expressed their willingness to sign
public easements on their property if they have security in knowing their non-conforming
signage can remain on the site.
Based on these past conversations with N. 7th Avenue property owners, the N. 7th Urban
Renewal Board is interested in making changes to the Bozeman zoning code that will allow
property owners greater flexibility in maintaining their non-conforming signage when
making small scale redevelopment efforts to their property. The Board wishes to make the
following changes and or additions to the zoning code:
1. Add a statement that says “changes to existing, non-conforming signs that occur due
to City initiated right-of-way improvements would not require sign conformance.”
2. Change the existing code to state any site change to a building or property that
requires a Certificate of Appropriateness and/or Change in Use/Reuse application will not
necessitate compliance for all existing and proposed signage on the property.
3. Change the existing code to state any change in sign copy to an existing, non-
conforming sign will not necessitate compliance.
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The Board recognizes these code changes would apply to the entire City of Bozeman and
not just the N. 7th Urban Renewal District. However, the Board feels these zoning changes
will benefit small scale redevelopment for all City properties.
Therefore, the N. 7th Urban Renewal Board respectively requests the City Commission to
direct City Staff to proceed with a Zone Code Amendment application that includes the
changes listed above.
The Board understands that a zoning code change doesn’t ensure a public easement in hand
for the light installation project, and intends on performing some outreach to N. 7th Avenue
property owners in coordination with the Zone Code Amendment application process.
Sincerely,
Members of the N. 7th Urban Renewal Board
Carl Solvie, Vice-Chair
Susan Fraser, Recording Secretary
Andrew Cetraro
Scott Hedglin
Bill Fogarty
Kevin Cook
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