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Home My WebLink About08-04-22 Public Comment - J. Butynski - Re_ Opposition to the FAC projectFrom:Jake Butynski To:Agenda Subject:Re: Opposition to the FAC project Date:Thursday, August 4, 2022 10:32:20 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Hello, I was unable to attend Tuesday's (Aug 2nd) City Commission meeting regarding the Fowler Avenue Connection project. I am writing to reiterate a position of opposition to the connection. There appears to be a lack of evidence suggesting this is a necessary and high- value project for the city. There is also significant evidence that this has the opportunity to be detrimental to it's citizens, neighborhoods and local ecosystem. Please note page 43 (Decision Criteria Matrix) is not legible as the uploaded resolution is too low. Please correct. From review of the Pre- Design report, the data collected does not seem to clearly highlight a problem with traffic that will be solved via this project. As noted in the report: "The results of the Existing Conditions (2021) intersection capacity calculations showed that all intersections and approaches currently operate at LOS C or better during both peak hours. Projected 95th percentile queuing is generally minor at all intersections...". There is note that Huffine intersection experiences high demand but most latter content in the report discusses what could happen if the connection was made and people adjust to use it. It does not clearly indicate what the current "pain" is that the city experiences and to what level this connection will reduce this "pain" to justify such a significant project. As a local resident using this road network on a daily basis for years I have never been aware of any traffic issues or congestion. Although the environmental assessment does not deem this critical habitat, it is nonetheless one of the last large corridors of undeveloped land in the city and plays a critical role if local ecosystem and wellbeing of its citizens. There may not be endangered species or official wetland within its limits but by destroying it we are compromising what has made Bozeman a great city to live in and why so many people have come to call this home. We are destroying what makes people love this city for the sake of growth which is a concerning and conflicting priority. Bozeman is allowing the quality of life for current citizens deteriorate. My request is: 1. The City provide a clear and concise reasoning that this level of disruption is truly value- added among many other more pressing projects. Perhaps you can point me to to existing documentation. I am among many concerned citizens living on the west side of town who see very limited benefit from the connection even though we are the key stakeholders using these arteries on a daily basis and experiencing the current state of the road network. 2. Can the city provide any examples of citizens that are pro- project? What are they saying? I'm looking to rationalize this project's disruption but can't seem to find the evidence. I have become aware of a growing number of concerned citizens with strong views on this project but have not encountered any that have strong pro views favoring the development. This is concerning with limited clear reasoning and proposed value presented by the city for pushing this project forward. I realize I have not been able to attend recent meetings. All summary notes suggest that the involved "aware participants" shared views to limit change as much as possible with a focus on preserving the current natural state. Thank you for your time. I would appreciate your feedback. Jake Butynski From: Jake Butynski Sent: Monday, July 11, 2022 11:22 AM To: agenda@bozeman.net <agenda@bozeman.net> Subject: Opposition to the FAC project I appreciate your time to read this email in its entirety. Apologies for the length. It is only intended to be constructive. I am writing to voice my opposition to the city’s Fowler Ave Connection (FAC) road project. As a local resident who uses the greenspace corridor daily, I find the proposition to extend Fowler Ave from Oak Street to Babcock Street by building a paved road system through what is largely a greenspace corridor damaging, unnecessary and focused on aggressive city growth over the well-being of existing residents and environment of the area. I do not live close enough to have direct impact from the project to my neighborhood. I am a practicing engineer trained to be both as unbiased as possible and critical of tradeoffs and realize that these decisions are complex and difficult. I have lived in the area for multiple years. In my years driving, biking and walking between Huffine/ Main street, local neighborhoods and Oak street on a daily basis I have never felt the need for this connection (by car) nor observed any congestion due to the lack of it. I have, however, observed how beneficial it has been as an undisturbed walking and bike corridor for many citizens. With the Ferguson connection mere blocks west of Fowler it appears that the FAC project is aimed solely at destroying some of Bozeman's last remaining ecologically connected spaces in favor of rampant development. I have not seen sufficient evidence nor documentation to justify this connection and yet the detrimental effects, cost and opposition from Bozeman residents are strong and clear. Has a clear traffic assessment and simulation been performed for this connector and are the simulation results publicly available? There seems to be risk of the shorter, direct corridor redirecting currently dispersed traffic and opening a risk of what is called Braess's paradox, a known scenario where a change in concentration of traffic on a shorter route actually increases congestion due to typical driver behavior. I imagine the engineers involved are familiar. The Oak Street-to-Babcock Street greenspace corridor is a subsection of Bozeman’s 122-year- old (circa 1900) Section Line Ditch Corridor (SLDC), which over 20 years ago was found to be ecologically important to native Montana plants (e.g., cottonwood trees) and wildlife (e.g., migratory birds). The ecological importance of the SLDC was documented in a 2001 study titled Habitat and Wetland Assessment: Section Line Ditch Corridor, Bozeman, MT (https://weblink.bozeman.net/WebLink/DocView.aspx? id=262180&dbid=0&repo=BOZEMAN). The study was published by a Bozeman- based environmental consulting firm, with a cover letter written by a Bozeman-based ecology professor. Moreover, the study was commissioned by Bozeman residents in response to the city’s early plans to build a road through the SLDC. 20 years later residents are still opposed to this project. The city should be focused on mitigating the impact of development through traffic reduction provisions that encourage the use of public transit and working to create more, and safer, bike lanes. This is something I, as a Bozeman resident, would strongly support. If this cost could be channeled towards improving Bozeman's bicycle path network I feel we could all see the benefit in a more profound way. Please consider the impact this project will have on the well-being of Bozeman's diminishing natural environment and current and future residents. From an FAC-opposed Valley Dr. resident, Jake Butynski Happy to share my number below if there is interest of future discussion or any way I can support the decision process. I would also be happy to share any input if valuable as a engineer, product manager and urban cycling advocate with the whole of my career in the bicycle industry internationally. 480-278-0551