HomeMy WebLinkAboutSouth University District Public Comment from Brian Chisdak 2-14
January 15, 2014
Dear City Planning Department,
We’re writing this letter to voice our opposition of the planned Stadium View Development that is now in the process of review. This
letter is written by the property owners of the Stadium Drive Business Complex after discussing the significant detrimental impact this planned development will have on our complex.
In understanding the magnitude of the impact, you must consider the eventual scope of this project as well as the adjacent project, Campus Crest, both of which are being driven by out
of state developers. The first phase alone will drop thousands of students in the south of our business Stadium Dr. Business complex. Once the additional phases of the Stadium View
are completed that number will be several times higher.
As you know, a decision was recently made to change the zoning to high density housing from single family homes. We invested
in our properties with the expectation of a certain level of traffic and character afforded by the previous zoning of single family homes. Now with the zoning change that has recently
occurred seemingly in the middle of the night, we are suddenly forced into living next to what are essentially massive MSU dormitories. We don’t believe the city has come close to appropriately
planning for the mass traffic that will ensue after just phase one. The businesses in our complex are professional businesses-accountants, doctors, lawyers, real estate companies and
various other similar businesses. Everyone is very respectful; we watch out and take care of each other. We, the business owners as a group, give back to the community in many ways.
For example, we’ve been averaging giving over $20,000 to local charities from parking revenues from home MSU football games. There are no services in our development that are appropriate
for students.
The traffic in the area is going to be an absolute nightmare once phase one is completed. At this point, all the traffic will have to go north on 11th Ave. to Kagy Blvd.
Yes, some could potentially go out W. Arnold St. in front of Morning Star School, which is the long way around to MSU, but nobody will take that route for obvious reasons, not to mention
the lousy impact that will have on the school, its neighborhood, and the safety of the kids. Currently, Kagy Blvd. is a nightmare for those trying to get to MSU every morning and evening.
At 8:00 am, the traffic normally backs up on Kagy from 7th Ave. almost to 19th
Ave. Consider for a moment what’s going to happen when 1000-2000 MSU students are suddenly on 11th Ave. trying to turn onto Kagy Blvd. to get to MSU. It can’t happen. Clearly, it
will be a complete traffic jam with traffic backing up on 11th Ave. It will not take long before they start coming through our complex via Arianna Way trying to find other ways to Kagy
Blvd. This will cause complete traffic gridlock throughout our development, which given the lack of parking now that causes us to park on the narrow streets as it is, will cause irreparable
harm to all businesses in the complex. The worst part is that this will happen after just the first phase. Yes, we’ve noted the romantic trails along the edges of the property to entice
the city to go along with this plan, but the gridlock will significantly overshadow any positives these trails will give us. We get enough beer cans and litter on our lawns after the
MSU football games to foresee what’s coming if this goes through. Think ahead five or ten years when these things have had a chance to become run down.
If this plan is allowed to move
forward, at the very least, Kagy Blvd. and 11th Ave. must be changed to four-lane streets like 19th Ave. These developments must be stopped until the road infrastructure is appropriate.
The city is relying on the developer funded, outdated, and biased traffic study which grossly underestimates the impact by making false assumptions. The stated traffic volume on 5/2011
during rush hours was approximately 1000 cars per hour through the intersection of Kagy and 11th. Even using the traffic studies low numbers, it predicts 2950 cars per hour during rush
hours when phase 1 is completed. Remember there is a phase 2, 3 and now the Campus Crest developments. The study predicts LOS-C which is traffic free flowing close to capacity. Kagy
isn’t LOS-C right now during peak times, its LOS-F (bumper to bumper traffic). Every morning it backs up from 7th to 19th on Kagy. If this is allowed to happen, there would be no way
emergency personnel would be able to get to an event in our complex or the Stadium View development in a reasonable time. Once there how would they get to the hospital which would require
them to travel Kagy? The city would clearly bear the responsibility if there were loss of life or property as this letter should serve to put everyone involved in this complex on notice.
This
development is not needed right now. The real estate professionals report a large surplus of vacant rental properties. The smartest, most appropriate solution would be for the City
of Bozeman to return the zoning to the original zoning of single family homes, which is consistent with the neighborhoods, schools, businesses and road infrastructure in the area. If
MSU needs more housing, let them build multi-story dormitories/apartment buildings on campus. This would alleviate the multitude of horrific neighborhood impacts on our city. Bozeman
is a very special place, where people, families, and local businesses come first, not out of state developers whose focus is very different than ours.
Thank You,
Stadium Dr. Business
Owners