HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-04-16 Public Comment - J. Tribitt - Affordable HousingDear Mayor and Commissioners,
My name is Justin Tribitt. I am an the principal owner at Third Street Development, Inc. based
in Bozeman. My company has been developing small single family homes along N.
Cottonwood over the last six months. My partner and I believe small well designed homes at
sensible prices is the answer to Bozeman's affordable housing crisis.
I recently reviewed the draft Affordable Housing Ordinance and I want to bring one key issue to
your attention. The consulting company has specified a minimum size for single family homes
in the Affordable Housing Ordinance that will limit my company's ability to continue delivering
small moderate priced homes. On page 12 the size chart for a 2 bedroom home calls for a
minimum of 1,000 square feet of heated living area. The homes I have been building and selling
are between 800-900 square feet. I'm asking for your consideration to reduce the minimum
square foot area for new single family homes. The arbitrary size set by the consultants will
hamper developers and builders who want to build small well designed dwellings and sell them
to meet the Affordable Housing Ordinance initiatives.
I have included an email (see below) directly from one of my small home buyers. The house
she purchased was a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom home with a total of 840 sq.ft. of heated living
space. I also included a single car garage on the property. The sales price of that home was
$197,900.
By reducing the minimum areas in the Affordable Housing Ordinance builders and developers
will be able to deliver small single family and multi-family units in Bozeman at affordable
prices.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Justin Tribitt