HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-17-15 Gavin Comment Ir l_k,;li�JIM� -.
Jul 17, 2015 �`�'
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To: Chris Saunders I �� - —
City of Bozeman / Dept. of Planning & Community Development
IY I)LVLIOKKN I I
Stucky Road Annexation/ZMA file #15232
Dear Mr. Saunders:
We are writing these comments with regard to the zoning commission's hearing
on rezoning the parcel at 3000 Stucky Road to R-4 for the following reasons:
A) The parcel in question is surrounded by agricultural land and high-
density housing does not fit in the character of this area. Next door is
a very large farm that successfully is supplying a tremendous amount of
food to local people, coops, and businesses. On the other sides of the
contested property, there are only agricultural endeavors taking place.
High-density housing right across the road from MSU's agricultural station
is not appropriate. We can all envision what this develop will ultimately be
and it is not the right concept for this parcel of land and its neighboring
farms.
B) Predictability. Neighbors who live in this area purchased homes and
land here and relied on zoning to protect their investments and quality of
life. Having an enormous new high-density apartment complex right next
door or just down the road can negatively impact land values if one wants
to eventually sell one's home and land as a single-family dwelling. The
only other option for an adjoining farmer is to sell out to another developer,
and thus the house of cards begins to fall.
C) Traffic issues. Adding as many as 100 high-density apartment dwellings
will cause traffic issues due to the sudden increase of traffic on Stucky
Road by people needing to access South 19th Avenue to get to town or
MSU.
D) This is a classic case of leapfrog type of zoning, which is never
recommended if you are seeking orderly transitions and change. The new
proposed development would be an isolated island with hundreds of
apartments surrounded by agricultural lands.
E) Who is SH Acquisitions, and why would we offer an out-of-state
entity priority over long-time neighboring landowners? Should we
allow an unnamed, out-of-state business entity to radically change the
look of a beautiful and productive area —just like that? Has due diligence
been done to see the track record of the developers? Look at what
happened with the neighboring developer (Canvasback). Parcels that
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were formerly agricultural lands that got rezoned are now in foreclosure in
the same area because an out-of-town developer came in and quickly
became over-extended.
We recommend that the Zoning Commission consider the following
approaches:
1) Do a site visit to see how the proposed development does not fit within the
agricultural character of the immediate area.
2) Offer the landowner the opportunity to split the 20-acre parcel into two
parcels for single-family dwellings.
3) Reject the application to rezone the parcel R-4.
erely,
Renee & Will Gavin
4929 Fowler Lane
Bozeman, MT 59718