Sustainability Measures

On the topic of sustainability, I’d like to see water resources addressed in the UDC codes, given we are rapidly nearing a water crisis in Bozeman. I’d like to see requirements added to the UDC for water catchment systems, grey water use, and landscaping with drought tolerant plants, rain gardens, permeable surfaces, etc. The city has a great incentive program for homeowners, but we need to implement strict water wise requirements from the start with building codes.

In addition to electric vehicle charging station requirements in new buildings, I would also like to see requirements for rooftop solar built into UDC codes. We need to move our entire community into more renewable energy sources. Requiring rooftop solar will help us avoid the need for solar fields later, allowing us to keep our fields open for agriculture.

Finally, we need to create protected biking systems to encourage more people to bike around town rather than drive. Not only will biking support our climate goals, but a strong biking culture has been proven to support small businesses. On bikes, people are more likely to make multiple stops and frequent downtown urban areas, rather than big box stores. Bozeman is an active, outdoorsy town. Let’s channel our “Mountains to Main Street” culture into our mode of transportation! We need our building codes and city planning efforts to take the lead in prioritizing the creation of safe in-town biking routes.

Thanks!