HomeMy WebLinkAbout8-13-14 Save Our Tree Annie Street Cottages Public Comment from Michael and Kamiah Leach 8-14-14August 11, 2014 To the Mayor and Commission, City of Bozeman: I want to start this heartfelt letter by expressing how much we love living in the Annie Street Cottages. I purchased this home, with help from my parents, for my six-year old daughter. After going through a divorce and losing her charming home in Livingston, Montana, I wanted to find a place she would take comfort and pride in. It’s safe to say that mission was accomplished as Kamiah takes great pride in calling our little bungalow at 849 Cottage Park Lane home. That was before everything changed. This was a very special place. It’s been quiet, filled with character and—perhaps most importantly—pulsing with wild nature. We relish observing the ground squirrels, pheasants (whom my daughter has named Hunter and Sarah), Swainson’s hawks (that migrate 7,000 miles from southern Chile and Argentina to birth their young in our little neighborhood), Hungarian partridges (who winter in the aspen, spruce and willows next to our little bungalow), mule deer (who graze in the evening in the five acre field behind our home) and, of course, the great horned owls (whose eyes we peer into as they perch in the same trees the partridges use as winter refuge). But now all of that which made the Annie Street Cottages so special is under assault. We purchased this home because the builder, Dab Dabney, had a vision—and the heart to go along with that vision. What was once a quiet, safe, and sublime little neighborhood has become a war zone of development. Originally our cottages were built one at a time by contractor John Helvey, who represents the best of our building world. His care, attention to detail and overall respect for the neighbors where he builds is a testament to his character, and speaks to the heart of what Dab wanted the Annie Street Cottages to be. Since Dab sold the cottages, however, we have seen a dramatic shift in both the care for our landscaping and more importantly, in the plans and pace of development. The lack of regard for those of us who call this place home has been brutal. While we understood when we purchased that there would inevitably be future development, we couldn’t have anticipated the way the construction has taken place this summer. Why, when you zone for housing developments, don’t you zone for the existing trees and habitat to help keep some semblance of the character of the land? Why rip up trees that are already established and part of our sense of place to plant new ones? Also, although this pales in comparison to the tree issue, the current 6 AM to 10 PM building ordinance only benefits developers while showing no regard for homeowners. This building arrangement negatively impacts the sleep patterns and welfare of our community’s greatest asset: our children. I shudder at the thought of my trying to get Kamiah down at her 7:30 bedtime once school starts knowing that development is going to take place next stay late into the evening.
We have turned the other cheek and remained cooperative and non-complaining with one hope in mind: to save our willow tree. However, we’ve now been told, after heartfelt appeals to consider our request, that the tree will go. Others have already gone—20, 30, 40 years of life and growth annihilated in 30 minutes by a bulldozer. It is only out of the kindness of certain members of the crew working in our neighborhood that this willow—which has brought so much pleasure and life not just to my daughter and me, but to all of our two- and four-legged and winged neighbors—still stands today. I’ve been promised by the contractor that it will be the last to go—but that it WILL go. Bozeman, Montana, is a special place. There is a reason this is one of the most desirable places to live in the West. But I’m afraid with the lack of regard for the natural world that makes Bozeman, Bozeman we are losing the character of our community; this growth mania is not good for our community in any shape or form. And while I don’t presume I’m going to change your mind on the rapid development that is dismantling habitat on Bozeman’s west side at an alarming rate, I am going to plead with you to save our tree. There is a starkness about West Bozeman with its lack of trees and foliage. The children breathe life into our side of town, but they need green space. We all do. Our request is simple. The entire plans for this development have been changed. This is just the beginning of a massive amount of development as the five-acre field that is presently our backyard and premier wildlife habitat is slated for an additional 25+ houses. We would like to propose something we discussed with Dab Dabney, the previous owner of this development—something, I might add, that he was supportive of. Instead of giving us another lifeless field as common space (just north of Annie Street), we would ask you to consider trading the lot our tree sits on for the lot currently planned as common space. It would be win-win situation for all—a perfect common space with a picnic table and a great source of pride for our community. Do we really need another cookie-cutter West Bozeman neighborhood? I think we all know the answer. Dab Dabney had a beautiful vision. A vision we all supported and shared. Please consider our proposal of a spirited common area with a tree worthy of our community. Please help me show my daughter that we only stand to change what’s wrong by fighting for what’s right. For a soulful Annie Street Cottages,
Michael W. Leach and six year-old daughter, Kamiah 849 Cottage Park Lane Bozeman, Montana 59718 (406) 224-2677