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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZone Map Amendment Project Narrative 3 28 2021Zone Map Amendment Project Narrative for 2103 Bridger Drive We are initiating annexation into the city of Bozeman, and requesting R2 zoning for our current parcel. Our interest in R-2 zoning is twofold: First, the property currently includes a detached single-family home with a garage ADU (approx. 500 sq ft, one bedroom). We would like the option to rent both the primary dwelling and the ADU in the event that our family has to leave Bozeman for other family or professional obligations. Second, we would like the option in the future to build a second dwelling, or possibly subdivide our current property and build two dwelling units on what would become an lot with no existing structures. This option could not be exercised until the current alley behind our property becomes a city street, which will require at least our immediate neighbors, and possibly the entire Bridger Drive neighborhood, to also complete annexation. At that point, infill and increased density will be an option for everyone, and we feel that R-2 zoning would allow us and our neighbors to contribute new dwelling units in a way that would be consistent with several growth goals (see below for more details). Overall, we would like to underscore that our request for R-2 zoning reflects our interest in both annexing and in contributing to increasing housing options in the Bozeman area. We see our property and our neighborhood, as well as those surrounding us, as an appropriate place to slightly increase density without majorly impacting any existing property owners. Detailed responses: a. On the Community Plan Future Land-use Map, our entire area is designated as urban neighborhood. In the Growth Policy, these are described as including a variety of “types, shapes, sizes, and intensities” of housing. Our request for R-2 zoning on our property as we pursue annexation reflects the goal of increasing diversity of housing types along with increasing overall density, both of which feature prominently in the Growth Policy. The most specifically relevant objectives to which R-2 zoning can contribute include N-1.1 (promote housing diversity), N-1.3 (lessen areas exclusively zoned for single-type housing), N-1.4 (promote development of ADUs) and N-1.11 (gradual and predictable increase in density over time). b. R-2 zoning will maintain safety from fire and other dangers because any future structures enabled as a result of the new zoning will be built within the boundaries of existing large neighborhoods (not on the urban-wildland interface, thus minimizing wildfire list) and well outside of any current and proposed-to-be-changed floodplains. c. The requested R-2 zoning will promote public health, safety and welfare by ensuring that no new dwellings are built on the property without these dwellings having direct street access. The current detached primary dwelling and garage ADU have access from a state highway, and any future building will not occur until the alley currently bordering the north side of the property becomes a full city street. Thus there is no chance that additional dwelling units could be built and have only alley access, which can be a limiting factor for public safety services. d. With the requested R-2 zoning now and a possible subdivision of the lot in the future, at most there could be two new full-sized dwelling units built. Given the constraints of the lot width and overall size, however, the total square footage of the new dwelling units could be no more than 4800 sq ft. With these limitations, the impacts of R-2 zoning on the schools, transportation networks and parks would be fairly negligible as compared to R-1 zoning (two or three more possible children, one more household’s car trips per day). As best we can tell, water and sewer infrastructure was put in place in the Legends neighborhood with the goal of annexation and hook-up by the Bridger Drive neighborhood, and with the knowledge that lots sizes are large enough that additional dwelling units would likely be built. A requirement of annexation will be to deed a suitable width of our property to the city, to facilitate expansion of the current alley into a full city street (on the north side of our property). Because no new structure could be built on our property until there is a city street from which to provide access, adequate transportation infrastructure will co-evolve with any possible additional dwellings. e. There is no demonstrable difference in light and air provision between R-1 and R-2 zoning, and any lighting requirements for dwellings that do or will exist will be equally applied to all dwellings. f. The requested R-2 zoning itself does not impact motorized or non-motorized transportation systems. However, annexation and the deeding of a portion of our property to the city of Bozeman to expand an alley into a city street will improve traffic flow and public safety of both the Legends and any future dwellings added to the Bridger Drive neighborhood. g. We believe that the requested R-2 zoning does promote urban growth compatible with the surrounding neighborhoods by striking a balance of slightly increasing density while not opening the door to possible dwelling types that are wholly different from the current neighborhoods. h. The requested R-2 zoning is slightly more dense than the surrounding areas of the city, which are zoned R-1. However, the character of the surrounding subdivisions is distinct from that of the Bridger Drive neighborhood, where many people use the back half of their large lots for outbuildings, long-term parking of recreational vehicles, and non-permanent structures like teepees, geodesic domes and tiny houses. Although permanent dwellings are different in some ways from these other uses, the main point is that the current character of this neighborhood is to treat the north half of the lots as somewhat distinct from the front half, where all of the primary dwellings sit. The characters of the Legends neighborhood immediately adjacent to our property is large, single-family homes on small lots. Given the size of our overall property, even with R-2 zoning it is likely that there would be more open space on our lot or lots than that of many houses in the surrounding neighborhood. Finally, R-2 zoning comes will of the same height and set-back restrictions of R-1 zoning. i. We believe that given the emphasis within the city of Bozeman and the broader Gallatin County community to prioritize increasing diverse housing options, our request for R-2 zoning will maximize the specific characteristics of our property that make it suitable for potentially two new dwellings. Those characteristics include adequate size well beyond what is necessary for building two dwelling units and its position surrounded by existing neighborhoods that make it a prime candidate on which to conduct infill. j. We believe that requesting R-1 versus R-2 zoning would have no direct effect on the value of the existing dwelling. The lot size is large enough that constructing a second dwelling on the existing lot, or subdividing and constructing two units on the undeveloped north lot would not disrupt or negatively impact the value of either the existing dwelling on our property nor those surrounding us. k. The current Growth Policy categorizes the Bridger Drive neighborhood and the surrounding areas as urban neighborhood, and R-2 zoning will facilitate appropriate use of land by encouraging a diversity of housing types, increasing density, and supporting infill. These are all priorities of the Growth Policy and many other city plans, and seem to be very appropriate uses of land within the Bridger Drive neighborhood.