HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-14-15, England, North 7th URD public comment 9/13/15
To: Bozeman City Commission
Re: N. 7th Urban Renewal District Expansion
To Whom It May Concern:
First off, allow me to applaud the city's efforts to improve the function, safety, and
appearance of the N. 7th corridor. It has been unsightly and lacking in proper sidewalks
for many years, and I appreciate the city's interest in rehabilitating and redeveloping it. In
particular, the new median and the U-Haul facelift have created a much more attractive
and useful passageway into the heart of our town. Many more areas in the established
URD likely meet the criteria for blight, and thus require attention.
However, the Royal Vista subdivision, north of Oak St. and west of 7th, is not among
them. Nor is the open field between Oak and Durston. An expansion of the district into
these areas would constitute an inappropriate designation and as a homeowner and 15-
year resident of Royal Vista, I strongly oppose it, both in general principle and according
to the specifics outlined in Commission Resolution#4639.
Firstly, our neighborhood could not be called, by any reasonable assessment, "run-
down," "dilapidated," or any other term generally associated with blight. The occasional
un-mowed lawn or faded paint job are the worst examples of neglect. It's a nice
neighborhood, clean, safe, and quiet, with few ongoing problems and no innate threats or
issues attributable to its physical condition.
Furthermore, our neighborhood poses no "serious and growing menace, injurious to the
public health, safety,morals, or welfare,"which is the verbiage used in the Montana
Urban Renewal Law. It does not"contribute substantially and increasingly to the spread j
of disease and crime,"nor does it"aggravate traffic problems."North 7th has a traffic
problem,particularly near Oak St.; our neighborhood does not. There's one way in and
out, and only residents and their guests utilize the three short streets that comprise it. Fact
is, most people don't even know our neighborhood is here—first-time visitors often
articulate their surprise at its existence, despite having lived in Bozeman for years. It's a
tiny neighborhood tucked into a shaded corner where two major throughways meet, and
we've managed to stay under the radar for 60 years, despite numerous growth cycles. To
now declare us an obstruction to Bozeman's progress is absurd.
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As for the legal definition of blight, our neighborhood clearly does apply. The bullet
points of"specific blighted conditions"in your memorandum are misleading at best,
downright false at worst. There are no drainage problems. Sidewalks, curbs, and gutters
are in place on Birch and 8th streets, and on 9th, rainwater and snowmelt drain naturally
into the large park between Royal Vista and the subdivision to the west. N. 8th and N. 9th
dead-end at undeveloped private property, which is inaccessible regardless of
surrounding improvements; thus the statement that they "form a barrier"between areas is
disingenuous. N. 7th,N. 15th, and Oak are the logical and most efficient detours around
this 36-acre parcel and that would not change regardless of any extensions made to our
neighborhood streets. As for pedestrian use,there is an existing bridge over Mandeville
Creek and a footpath for people crossing the aforementioned park between subdivisions.
One of the conditions mentioned for our area that"endangers life" applies only to the
private field: the barbed-wire fence along Durston. But that could be solved by moving
the fence a few feet fiom the sidewalk. This and other stated conditions do not exist in
our neighborhood, and you cannot just lump our developed subdivision and a large
undeveloped field together as if we were a single, cohesive unit sharing all the same
qualities. To do so is not only careless, but borders on malfeasance.
As for the field itself, it's not blight, it's open space. Just grass and a few trees, no
structures of any kind. Last week I saw two red-tailed hawks, a sandhill crane, a dozen
mallards, and several deer—it's basically a nature preserve set amid the bustling human
machine of Bozeman. That's splendor, not blight.
In regard to the purported"defective and inadequate street layout," a closer examination
shows this to be a falsehood as well. Prematurely continuing N. 8th to Durston and N. 9th
to Oak, before the private field is developed, would bring no improvement to the N. 7th
corridor, and would certainly not benefit our neighborhood. Devoid of homes along their
lengths, these streets would only be used as a N. 7th bypass by impatient drivers,
aggravating traffic problems at three intersections: Durston and 8th, Birch and 7th, and
Oak and 9th. It would also create issues where 8th abruptly converges with the short
stretch of 9th as it intersects with Oak. This street development would also funnel
inebriated Cat's Paw patrons down the "back road" late into the night, disrupting the
safety and quietude of our neighborhood. The loss of open space and increase in traffic
would ultimately lower property values, not raise them as your memorandum suggests.
In sum, the Royal Vista subdivision and the open field to the south of it have been hastily
and improperly selected for inclusion in the N. 7th URD expansion proposal. I strongly
object to this inclusion, as do most of the homeowners and tenants in the neighborhood.
Designating our neighborhood as "blight" would not only be in error,but would have
deleterious effects on our health, safety,morals, and welfare—the very things the URD is
designed to improve. I am confident that an overwhelming majority of the residents
would file a petition to formally oppose this designation, if that becomes necessary.
- in erely4
Mike England
1116 N. 8th Ave. i
mengland2l@gmail.com
406-580-9847