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HomeMy WebLinkAbout004 Project NarrativeGrowth Policy Amendment - Application Narrative MSU Innovation Campus The Montana State University Alumni Association along with the MSU Innovation Campus (MSU-IC), propose to amend the Bozeman Community Plan Future Land Use Map to allow the 41.976 acre property between W. Garfield St. and W. College St. to be designated as “Regional Commercial and Services”. The intention driving the future development of the MSU Innovation Campus (MSU-IC) is to create a vibrant neighborhood that is dense with research and is supporting of a culture of collaboration and interaction. The future development of the site will seek to depart from the siloed nature of traditional business park developments and to instead create a portion of the city that is more urban in nature and amenities, and which is focused on creating interactions between users and facilitating creative breakthroughs. These goals, which we believe to be broadly in line with the goals of the city’s growth policy, are not well served by the current zoning designation of Business Park (B-P). The future development of the site will likely pursue a zone map amendment or the creation of a Planned Development Zone to make the accomplishment of these goals possible as a subsequent step to this process. This proposed Growth Policy Amendment, to more accurately align the Future Land Use designation with the core intentions of the MSU-Innovation Campus rather than being lumped in with the larger MSU campus, is seen as a precursor to these next steps with the city. The applicant seeks the Future Land Use designation of “Regional Commercial and Services” as the individual companies that are locating within the development, as well as the eventual combined intensity of the entire campus, are much more regional or national in scale than they are of a neighborhood scale. This land use designation will extend the Regional Commercial and Services designation of the properties immediately to the west of the property. In addition, the appropriateness of this proposed land use designation is supported by the ‘significant transportation routes’ adjoining the site or in the immediate vicinity. These include Huffine, W. College, and S 19th Ave. as Principal Arterials, and W Garfield and S. 23rd Ave. as Collectors. Regional Commercial and Services. Bozeman is a retail, education, health services, public administration, and tourism hub and provides opportunities for these activities for a multi-county region. Often the scale of these services is larger than would be required for Bozeman alone. Because of the draw from outside Bozeman, it is necessary that these types of facilities be located in proximity to significant transportation routes. Since these are large and prominent facilities within the community and region, it is appropriate that design guidelines be established to ensure compatibility with the remainder of the community. Opportunity for a mix of uses which encourages a robust and broad activity level is to be provided. Residential space should not be a primary use and should only be included as an accessory use above the first floor. Any development within this category should have a well-integrated transportation and open space network which encourages pedestrian activity, and provides ready access within and to adjacent development. Bozeman Community Plan Detailed responses to the following questions are required as part of the application narrative. a. Does the proposed amendment cure a deficiency in the growth policy or result in an improved growth policy which better responds to the needs of the general community? How? The proposed amendment will cure a deficiency in the existing growth policy by changing the future land use designation of the MSU Innovation Campus from Public Institutions to Regional Commercial and Services. While a core goal of the MSU-IC is to help establish collaborative partnerships between Montana State University and the private sector, the function, the ownership, and the means of development of the MSU-IC are all very different from the MSU campus and agricultural lands. The Innovation Campus is in fact a nearly 42- acre commercial development owned by the MSU Alumni Association that seeks to create a culture of collaboration and interaction between a number of high-tech companies to be located there. As such, the parcel is much more in line with the developments to its west, which are designated as Regional Commercial and Services, than any of the MSU ag lands to the south or the MSU campus in general. The proposed amendment will also result in an improved growth policy in that it will allow a greater emphasis on density and connectivity in an area of the city that is an appropriate location for this function. Goal N-1.5 of the Bozeman Community Plan encourages the development of neighborhood focal point developments with functions, activities and facilities that can be sustained over time. This growth policy amendment is an important step toward moving away from a low-rise office park model of development and facilitating developments of sufficient density to create a neighborhood node and a sense of place for this portion of the city. This amendment will also be in direct support of ‘Goal DCD-1: Support Urban Development within the City’ by acknowledging this parcel as an important area of urban infill between the parcels designated as Regional Commercial & Services to the west and the parcels designated as Community Commercial Mixed Use to the east. b. Does the proposed amendment create inconsistencies within the growth policy, either between the goals and the map or between goals and objectives? Why not? If inconsistencies are identified, then additional changes must be provided to remove inconsistencies. The proposed amendment does not create inconsistencies within the growth policy, but rather corrects an inconsistency as discussed in the previous point. This proposed map amendment will acknowledge that the Innovation Campus is a potential regional center for high-tech jobs and an important infill development within the city, rather than its current designation that was perhaps a result of the parcel being mistakenly considered to be part of the Montana State University Lands. c. Is the proposed amendment consistent with the overall intent of the growth policy? How? The amendment is consistent with the overall intent of the growth policy. The change to match the Regional Commercial and Services designation of the properties to the west of the parcel supports a number of goals within the growth policy: - Goal N-2: Pursue simultaneous emergence of commercial nodes and residential development through diverse mechanisms in appropriate locations. o The proposed growth policy amendment will support the creation of a significant node as the MSU-IC emerges as a center for technology jobs and research within the city. - Goal DCD-1: Support urban development within the City. o The primary motivation of this proposed growth policy amendment is to allow for a development pattern that is more urban in nature than the suburban, low-rise office park development pattern that is allowed within the current zone and land use designations. - Goal DCD-2: Encourage growth throughout the city, while enhancing the pattern of community development oriented on centers of employment and activity. Support an increase in development intensity within developed areas. o The proposed growth policy amendment will allow for a meaningful change toward an increase in development intensity above that which is allowed within the current zone and land use designations. - DCD-2.2 Support higher density development along main corridors and at high visibility street corners to accommodate population growth and support businesses. o The location of the subject parcel relative to the Principal Arterials of Huffine, W. College, and S. 19th Avenue argues for the appropriateness of higher density development for this infill site. - Goal M-1: Ensure multimodal accessibility o The allowance for a more significant intensity of infill within a parcel that is located on existing bus lines and bicycle infrastructure between the transportation nodes of the MSU campus and the Gallatin Valley Mall is consistent with and supportive of future increases in the utilization of multimodal transportation options. - Goal EE-1: Promote the continued development of Bozeman as an innovative and thriving economic center. o The proposed growth policy amendment will help to facilitate a move away from the low-rise suburban office park model that is currently allowed and encouraged within the B-P zone and toward the creation of a more urban development that is economically significant and a center of technology jobs within the city. - Goal EE-2: Survey and revise land use planning and regulations to promote and support economic diversification efforts. --- EE-2.2 Review and revise, or possibly replace, the Business Park Mixed Use zoning district to include urban standards and consider possible alterations to the allowed uses. o While this is application is for a Growth Policy Amendment rather than a Zone Map Amendment, it is worth noting that this Growth Policy Amendment is the first step in pursuing zoning allowances that will allow the development to support a number of the city’s goals in ways that would not be possible within the current B-P zone. d. Does the proposed amendment adversely affect the community as a whole or significant portion by: i. Significantly altering acceptable existing and future land use patterns, as defined in the text and maps of the plan? How does it not? The proposed amendment does not significantly alter the existing and future land use patterns as it assigns the parcel a land use designation that is consistent with a modern research and business park, or an innovation district, rather than being lumped into Public Institutions. As previously stated, this commercial development, while associated with MSU and the land being owned by the MSU Alumni Association, is very different than the MSU campus or agricultural lands within the city. This designation would also be compatible with the adjoining parcels, and would actually extend the land use designation of the properties to the west. ii. Requiring unmitigated larger and more expensive improvement to streets, water, sewer, or other public facilities or services and which, therefore, may impact development of other lands? How does it not? The subject parcel is already well served by existing roads, bicycle and utility infrastructure. The parcel is bounded by a principal arterial to the north, a collector to the south, and will be bisected by the extension of Technology Boulevard. As such, the future development of the parcel is more than adequately served by the existing street network. The project that is extending Technology Blvd. will also be extending utility infrastructure. The impacts to the city infrastructure systems are not anticipated to exceed those that were planned for in this previously approved project. Furthermore, the creation of nodes of density near the center of the city and along existing transportation corridors is more supportive to the utilization of multimodal transportation systems in the long term than a suburban or distributed office park would be. iii. Adversely impacting existing uses because of unmitigated greater than anticipated impacts on facilities and services? How does it not? The proposed Growth Policy Amendment will not adversely impact existing uses due to unmitigated greater than anticipated impacts on facilities and services. As stated in the previous point, the impacts to the city infrastructure systems are not anticipated to exceed those that were planned for in the current construction project that was approved to extend infrastructure and circulation onto the site. iv. Negatively affecting the health and safety of residents? How does it not? This growth policy amendment will not negatively affect the health and safety of Bozeman residents. The designation of the subject parcel as “Regional Commercial and Services” is compatible with the adjacent land uses. The future development of the MSU Innovation Campus is presumed to be dominated by a combination of office space and light manufacturing space serving locally-grown and national-level technology firms. This light manufacturing is anticipated to primarily include prototype development with some small- scale manufacturing. The type of processes and emissions that would negatively affect health and safety are antithetical to the culture of interaction and collaboration that is the goal of the public spaces of the campus, and as such are not anticipated to be a part of this development. In regard to the office space and light manufacturing that will be included on the Innovation Campus, it is presumed that these will have no negative impact on the public health and safety of residents.