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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-15-16 Public Comment - S. Day - Golden Gate January 9, 2016 City Clerk's Office Attn: City Commission PO Box 1230 121 North Rouse Avenue Bozeman, MT 59771 Re: Golden Gate Condominiums (development application) City Commissioners: The purpose of this letter is to explain our opposition to the Golden Gate Condominium project, as it is currently proposed. We have reviewed the proposed plans,as well as the original development application for Loyal Gardens and the amended plat that was recommended for approval by the Bozeman Planning Department in 2013. We understand that the Planning Department has determined that the proposed development complies with the current zoning of the property(R-4 Residential High Density)and the City's Uniform Development Code(UDC). However,there are significant problems that with this project that are not addressed by the UDC. Based on these problems(outlined below),we urge the City Commission to intervene by providing the Planning Department with additional guidance for their review of the development of this property. Anticipated Density/Population The proposed 84-unit development results in a density that is far in excess of what was anticipated in the original subdivision application for Loyal Gardens. This was clear in the application's engineering reports,such as water and sewer demands and parkland dedication. These calculations used density estimates in the range of 12 to 14 units per acre. A density of 25 units per acre for this 3.3 acre lot was certainly not anticipated,and would be unprecedented in Bozeman. It follows that the total population living in the Loyal Gardens subdivision would be increased from —500 to over 600 people(20%or more). Density without buffering According to the UDC,the minimum density of Residential High Density(R-4) is considered to be 8 units per acre. The proposed development has an approximate density of 25 units per acre. The rest of the subdivision has a density of 4 units per acre. This density is unprecedented in Bozeman,and is simply too high without an adequate buffer between these two different types of use and density. The only buffer that existed between the R-4 and R-3 was eliminated in October of 2013 when the area that is now across Golden Gate Avenue from the proposed Golden Gate Condominiums was re-zoned to R-3 and the plat was amended to divide an R-4 parcel into six lots for single family homes (consistent with the rest of the subdivision). By it's approval,the City inadvertently placed single family lots directly across Golden Gate Avenue from the future R-4 land use. The original plat appeared to do a much better job of buffering the different residential uses that existed within this subdivision by placing the "backs"of the different-use structures against a common alley between each other, rather than the "fronts" of the different-use structures facing each other. This is a basic principal in land use planning. Health &Safety If the current plan is approved without changes to require buffering,our neighborhood will have two 40+ft tall 12-plex apartment buildings directly across the street from these single family lots,and they will be only 16 ft from the sidewalk. Without changes to the proposed plan,we are certain to have significant and persistent problems in our neighborhood. These problems may not be limited to the obvious issues that come to mind (traffic, parking,aesthetics,etc.). For example, health and safety is a concern under several different scenarios. First,it is our understanding that a safe firefighting distance from a structure is 1.5 times its height to prevent the collapse of burning structures onto the fire trucks and firefighters. This means that in order to safely fight a fire in the two 12-plex apartment buildings, the fire trucks would have to be over the curb, up on the boulevard portion of lawns on the opposite opposite side of Golden Gate Avenue. Cars parked on this side of the street would prevent the trucks from being able to maintain this safe distance. And since the parking requirements for the 84 units require use of all of the on-street spaces on the north side of Golden Gate Avenue,cars are certain to be obstacles and the remaining usable width of the street would likely be a problem for vehicles the size of fire trucks trying to fight a fire from Golden Gate Avenue, or trying to enter the parking lot. Secondly, fire trucks fighting a fire in either of the two 12-plex units would be blocking access to the single family lots across the street. And lastly, it is not clear from the parking layout that a City fire truck has a small enough turning radius to navigate through the parking lot to the 18-plex buildings or the 24-plex building. Has the Fire Department reviewed this project? Traffic It is our understanding that a traffic impact study was not required for this development because the developer claimed in the application that traffic impacts were considered in the traffic study that was required by the original development application for Loyal Gardens. This claim is irresponsible, as well as disingenuous. The original traffic study, now over 10 years old,only addressed the impact on the major adjacent roads outside of Loyal Gardens(Huffine, Cottonwood,etc.). No consideration was given to traffic within the subdivision. The width of Golden Gate Avenue is no different than the other streets within the subdivision. Yet all traffic generated by this development will be forced onto Golden Gate Avenue. It's very difficult(and painful)to imagine—160 to 170 cars coming and going out of a single driveway. At full build out, Loyal Gardens will have 136 single family units uniformly disturbed across the subdivision that utilizes a total of 14,000 lineal feet of road and alley access. The proposed unprecedented density of 84 units(25 units per acre) only utilizes—2,000 lineal feet of road access. When broken down to distribution of unit per foot of access or"congestion", each single family unit has 102 LFT of access and each condo unit only has 24 LFT of access. This confirms that traffic on Golden Gate will experience 4 times more congestion than any other street in our subdivision. Advance Drive and Alpha Drive will also be affected disproportionately compared to other streets in the subdivision.This new concentration of internal traffic impact seems excessive and we believe the City needs to exercise its right to request a new traffic study that focuses on the impacts of this traffic on the existing streets within Loyal Gardens as a requirement for development of this lot. Stormwater The stormwater retention plan appears to rely on underground retention chambers in order to minimize the area required for retention ponds, in order to further maximize the density of housing units. It should be noted that underground retention chambers are only effective for stormwater detention when they are empty prior to a storm event. The presence of groundwater above the elevation of the bottom of these retention chambers means that they will be at least partially full,and not be fully useful for stormwater retention. It should also be noted that the depth to groundwater in Loyal Gardens is notoriously shallow. And the proposed development is at the downhill end of Loyal Gardens, and is bounded on both the east and the west sides by wetlands with standing water, cattails,etc. Given that the proposed density and layout relies on minimizing the area for stormwater detention ponds by shifting much of the total required stormwater detention volume from detention ponds to underground retention chambers,the viability of the proposed design/layout should be questioned by the Design Review Board(DRB)in consideration of the fact that the detention chambers may well be permanently full or partially full of groundwater. It is clear that the design of the proposed development was taken to the absolute maximum of what is allowed by the various applicable regulations,and probably beyond what is allowed in some aspects. Now we need the City Commission that represents us to invoke good judgment by intervening to pull back this development to what is compatible with the neighborhood, reasonable for its location and still compliant with the R-4 high density residential zoning. It is still very possible for this property to be developed with a density well in excess of the minimum of 8 units per acre for R-4, and with more reasonable and responsible buffers from the adjacent densities of 4 units per acre. For example, see the attached layout showing five 8,100 square foot lots fronting Golden Gate, with three multi-unit buildings containing-45 units. This would yield a density of-15 units per acre. We recognize the need for affordable housing in Bozeman and we understand that this is achieved, in part, by higher densities. But doesn't the unprecedented density that is proposed really belong closer to the center of town or campus, rather than at the outskirts of the City limits? And wouldn't ultra-high density development like this be more successful if it could rely on its residents using small cars, bicycling,and walking to destinations such as work,shopping areas,campus or downtown? Loyal Gardens is 3 miles from campus and 3.5 miles from the center of downtown...any further west and you are not even in the City limits! Regards, Jags g IO fL (Name) IZZS AA\_)an c2 02i y-0— (Address) Enclosures: One possible layout that would restore buffers and result in a density of 15 units per acre • y �..:. , 4-4 4-4 04 LO ..Ni • � \ +� \� �, . j �-:Opp .� ♦ � ' . lk top 1 'v.,�� W -/ W V tiP