HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolutions 2025-71 - Adopting the Technical Compliance Update of the Bozeman Community Plan as the City's Land Use PlanVersion February 2023
RESOLUTION 2025-71
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF BOZEMAN, MONTANA,
ADOPTING THE TECHNICAL COMPLIANCE UPDATE OF THE BOZEMAN COMMUNITY PLAN AS
THE CITY’S LAND USE PLAN AS REQUIRED BY THE MONTANA LAND USE PLANNING ACT (TITLE
76 CHAPTER 25 MONTANA CODE ANNOTATED) AND REPEALING ALL GROWTH POLICIES
ADOPTED PREVIOUSLY.
WHEREAS, the City of Bozeman has had a comprehensive plan since 1958; and
WHEREAS, the City of Bozeman adopted its growth policy known as the Bozeman
Community Plan through Resolution 5133 on November 17, 2020; and
WHEREAS, the 2023 Montana Legislature adopted the Montana Land Use Planning Act
which replaces all prior planning, zoning, and subdivision enabling language for Bozeman; and
WHEREAS, the Montana Land Use and Planning Act established a deadline for the City to
complete both adoption of a land use plan with all required elements as defined in state law and
all implementing regulations not later than May 17, 2026; and
WHEREAS, the City of Bozeman has, as a matter of practice and good community service
voluntarily met most of the Montana Land Use Planning Act requirements with previous planning
work; and
WHEREAS, after consideration of the recent timing and content of existing land use
planning documents, required elements, and available resources, Staff recommended to the City
Commission preparation of a limited update to the City’s growth policy addressing only those
items necessary to complete compliance with the Montana Land Use Planning Act; and
WHEREAS, after consideration of the matter at a public meeting, the City Commission
concurred with this recommendation; and
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WHEREAS, the City Commission, by Resolution 5534, designated the existing Community
Development Board to be the Planning Commission required by the Montana Land Use Planning
Act; and
WHEREAS, after receiving the recommendation of the Planning Commission, the City
Commission on July 15, 2025, adopted a public engagement plan for the update to the Bozeman
Community Plan identifying methods of informing the public of the upcoming project, and
methods of receiving oral, written, or electronic public input; and
WHEREAS, the City established a project website, conducted public meetings, and
otherwise informed the public of the project consistent with the adopted public engagement
plan and Montana law; and
WHEREAS, notice was provided to the public of the opportunity to review and comment
on a proposed draft of the technical compliance update of the Bozeman Community Plan through
the newspaper, website, meeting agendas, and other outreach methods; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission conducted a public hearing to receive public
comments on the draft document and future land use map on October 6, 2025; and
WHEREAS, after consideration of all submitted public comment, the City of Bozeman
Planning Board has transmitted their recommendation to adopt the Staff proposed revisions to
the Bozeman Community Plan through the video recording of the public hearing and a draft of
the document to the City Commission; and
WHEREAS, on October 28, 2025, the City Commission conducted a public hearing to
consider the recommendation of the Planning Commission, comment from the public, and the
draft document and future land use map; and
WHEREAS, in accordance with the Montana Land Use Planning Act, the City Commission
must adopt a compliant land use plan by resolution; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Commission of the City of Bozeman,
Montana:
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Section 1
The City Commission makes the following findings:
A. The Montana Land Use Planning Act requires the adoption of a land use plan and
implementing regulations.
B. The Bozeman Community Plan is the document the Commission designates to meet
the requirements to adopt a land use plan.
C. The required Planning Commission has been properly established by Resolution, as
required by the Montana Land Use Planning Act.
D. The required public engagement plan has been properly adopted and contains all
elements required by law.
E. The public has been provided opportunity consistent with the engagement plan and
legal requirements to be aware of and participate in adoption of the revised Bozeman
Community Plan.
F. Proper and adequate formal notice of public hearings was provided to the public. The
public had a meaningful opportunity to comment at the Planning Commission and City
Commission orally, in writing, and through electronic means.
G. The Planning Commission and City Commission reviewed, considered, and responded
appropriately to public comments submitted during the review process.
H. The Bozeman Community Plan, as updated, contains all elements required of a land
use plan by the Montana Land Use Planning Act and all supporting documentation
and issue plans have been made available for public review prior to adoption of the
Bozeman Community Plan technical compliance update.
I. Adoption of the Bozeman Community Plan satisfies all requirements for a land use
plan and by itself, and by incorporation of various issue plans and other supporting
data, provides a sufficient basis for implementing regulations to govern zoning and
subdivision development.
Section 2
The City Commission approves this Resolution adopting the attached text and future land
use map of the Bozeman Community Plan as the City’s land use plan as required by the Montana
Land Use Planning Act.
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Section 3
That the growth policy adopted by Resolution 5133 and all subsequent amendments are
hereby repealed and replaced with the land use plan adopted in Section 2.
Section 4
The following Area Plans are continued forward with this adoption and remain in effect.
A. Downtown Bozeman Improvement Plan adopted April 15, 2019.
B. Bozeman Creek Neighborhood Plan adopted April 18, 2005.
C. Midtown Action Plan adopted August 21, 2017.
D. Bozeman Health Subarea Plan adopted October 8, 2024.
Section 5
The City Commission requests the City Manager to work with appropriate staff to
publish and make the final document available to the public, implement the document as
described in Chapter 4, and integrate the document in continuing city operations.
Section 6
The Bozeman Community Plan must be available on the City’s website. Issue plans
referenced in the document may be updated during the period of the plan. The latest edition of
any referenced issue plan must be the document referenced during review of any site
development.
Section 7
A. Pursuant to Montana Code Annotated section 76-25-301, the adoption of any zoning
regulations must be in substantial compliance with this adopted land use plan.
Application 21381, the Unified Development Code Update, will be analyzed for
compliance with this adopted land use plan and conformance with all applicable aspects
of Title 76, Chapter 25, Part 3 of the Montana Code Annotated, including criteria found at
76-25-304(2) and (5), MCA.
B. Applications for quasi-legislative actions, including amendments to the Bozeman
Community Plan or zoning regulations within Chapter 38 of the Bozeman Municipal Code,
will be reviewed under the statutory criteria found in Title 76 Chapter 25, if City staff
determine the application contains all necessary information and materials to complete
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review of the application on or after the effective date of this Resolution.
C. Applications for annexations and associated zone map amendments will follow
procedures and be reviewed under the statutory criteria in effect at the time City staff
determine the application contains all necessary information and materials to complete
review of the application. If staff determine an application is complete prior to the
effective date of any newly adopted zoning regulations, including the Unified
Development Code update, the application will be subject to the process and criteria
found in Montana Code Annotated Title 76, Chapter 2, Part 3. If staff determine an
application is complete after the effective date of any newly adopted zoning regulations
implementing requirements of the Montana Land Use Planning Act, including the Unified
Development Code Update, the application will be subject to the process and criteria
found in Montana Code Annotated Title 76, Chapter 25, Part 3.
D. Pursuant to Montana Code Annotated section 76-25-305, all quasi-judicial development
applications will be reviewed by the appropriate review authority under the regulations
in effect at the time City staff determine the application contains all necessary
information and materials to complete review of the application.
Section 8
Effective Date: This Resolution is effective on November 1, 2025.
PASSED, ADOPTED, AND APPROVED by the City Commission of the City of Bozeman,
Montana, at a regular session thereof held on the 28th day of October 2025.
___________________________________
TERRY CUNNINGHAM
Mayor
ATTEST:
___________________________________
MIKE MAAS
City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
___________________________________
GREG SULLIVAN
City Attorney
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BOZEMANMT
COMMUNITY PLAN
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BOZEMANMT 2025 COMMUNiTY PLAN i
BOZEMAN CITY COMMISSION
_________________________
Mayor Terry Cunningham
Deputy Mayor Joey Morrison
Commissioner Jennifer Madgic
Commissioner Douglas Fischer
Commissioner Emma Bode
BOZEMAN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BOARD
Henry (Hap) Happel, President
Mark Egge
Jennifer Madgic, Commission Member
Ben Lloyd
Chris Egnatz
Jason Delmue
SIGNATURE PAGE
This certifies that the Bozeman Community Plan has been duly adopted by the Bozeman City
Commission by City of Bozeman Resolution No. 2025-71, dated October 28, 2025.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
CITY OF BOZEMAN CITY COMMISSIONMAYOR TERRY CUNNINGHAMDEPUTY MAYOR JOEY MORRISON
COMMISSIONER JENNIFER MADGIC
COMMISSIONER DOUGLAS FISCHER
COMMISSIONER EMMA BODE
CITY OF BOZEMAN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BOARDHENRY (HAP) HAPPEL, CHAIRMARK EGGE
JENNIFER MADGIC, COMMISSION MEMBER
BEN LLOYD
CHRIS EGNATZJASON DELMUE
CITY OF BOZEMAN STAFFERIN GEORGE, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
REBECCA HARBAGE, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
CHRIS SAUNDERS, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
TOM ROGERS, SENIOR PLANNERSARAH ROSENBERG, ASSOCIATE PLANNERCITY OF BOZEMAN GIS DIVISION
CONSULTANT TEAMECONOMIC PLANNING SYSTEMS
HDR
Special thanks to the community members who participated in the process and contributed to the development
of the Community Plan.
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CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 1
01 | BASICS 3
ORGANIZATION 3PLANNING AREA 6PLANNING TIME HORIZON 8
To GROW OR NOT TO GROW? IF SO, HOW? 8
PUBLIC OUTREACH 16
RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER PLANS 18BASIC PLANNING PRECEPTS 19
02 | THEMES 23THEME 1 | A RESILIENT CITY 24
THEME 2 | A CITY OF UNIQUE NEIGHBORHOODS 27
THEME 3 | A CITY BOLSTERED BY DOWNTOWN AND COMPLEMENTARY DISTRICTS 31
THEME 4 | A CITY INFLUENCED BY OUR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT, PARKS, AND OPEN LANDS 35THEME 5 | A CITY THAT PRIORITIZES ACCESSIBILITY AND MOBILITY CHOICES 39THEME 6 | A CITY POWERED BY ITS CREATIVE, INNOVATIVE, AND ENTREPRENEURIAL ECONOMY 43
THEME 7 | A CITY ENGAGED IN REGIONAL COORDINATION 46
03 | FUTURE LAND USE 50
IMPORTANCE 50
FUTURE LAND USE MAP - LAND USE DESCRIPTIONS 52
CORRELATION WITH ZONING 58THE FUTURE LAND USE MAP 59
04 | IMPLEMENTATION 62IMPORTANCE 62
SHORT-TERM ACTION LIST 63
MONITORING AND UPDATES 63
05 | AMENDMENTS + REVIEW 65
PLAN AMENDMENTS 65
REVIEW OF AMENDMENTS AND AMENDMENT CRITERIA 66ZONING AMENDMENT REVIEW 66SUBDIVISION REVIEW 72
ZONING REVIEW 73
06 | APPENDICES
APPENDIX A: ENGAGEMENT AND PROCESS TO CREATE THE PLAN
APPENDIX B: INFRASTRUCTURE AND SUPPORTING DATAAPPENDIX C: HISTORY AND PHYSICAL SETTINGAPPENDIX D: GLOSSARY
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INTRODUCTION
The City of Bozeman is set in an expansive valley, surrounded by mountain
ranges, and intersected by blue ribbon fishing waterways. Over the last 150
years, Bozeman has grown from a small town supported by agriculture to a
maturing city. Desirable attributes such as immediate access to year-round
recreation, high-quality schools, a growing high-tech culture, advanced
education, rapidly expanding economy, and thoughtful and forward-
thinking city policies have all contributed to strong population growth, high
employment and rapid development.
Bozeman had a 2024 estimated population of 57,894 people, which is up
from 22,660 people in the year 1990 (refer to Appendices for additional
information on population). It is the fourth largest city in Montana.
Bozeman is home to Montana State University, the largest university in
the State with a total enrollment of 17,144 students in 2024. Montana State
University is one of only 187 universities in the nation to be designated a very
high research activity school. Bozeman is a growing regional healthcare hub,
serves as the major trading center for much of southwestern Montana, has
a sophisticated and growing high-tech industry, and is a renowned summer
and winter recreational center that attracts many hundreds of thousands of
visitors annually.
Bozeman's high rate of growth and changing economics, the rapid
development in surrounding Gallatin County, and state law mandating that
community plans be kept up to date, all make it necessary for Bozeman to
update its community plan. Without guided growth and development, the
community’s identity and overall quality of life could be diminished by lack
of housing and jobs, congestion, reduced services, and pollution. The City
has had seven community plans dating back to 1958, the most recent being
its 2020 plan. Each plan builds upon the others, reflecting the community’s
characteristics, vision and needs over time. This plan is a technical update of
the 2020 plan.
This community plan (the Plan) is a policy document guiding further growth
and community development in Bozeman. It sets forth Bozeman's policy for
land-use and development. It reflects the community’s shared values and
priorities. The Plan is the City’s long-range growth land use plan that meets
the statutory requirements of Title 76 Chapter 25, the Montana Land Use
Planning Act, Montana Code Annotated.
This Plan helps guide residents, City staff, and elected officials’ decisions.
It brings land use policy into larger community discussions on many issues
addressed by the City. Its measure of success is continuation of the Bozeman
tradition— a flourishing, safe, healthy, and a vibrant place to live, work, and
raise a family.
The City, as an institution, takes many actions to implement the Plan as well
as track the progress of the Plan’s implementation through established
indicators. These indicators will help determine the objectives that are
working, where they can be improved, and the objectives that need to
be reevaluated. The residents and businesses in the City, through their
aspirations and hard work, will carry out the Plan
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01
01 | BASICS
ORGANIZATION
The Plan is organized into five main sections: Basics, Themes, Land Use Map, Implementation, and
Amendments + Review. Appendices provide additional details.
01 | Basics outlines the organization of the plan, describes the Planning Area and the Planning Period,
provides an overview of the public outreach process, summarizes existing conditions, and describes
the relationship of the Plan to other City planning documents. Finally, this section describes the basic
planning principles employed in developing the Plan. Recommendations are discussed within the
context of the issues most important to Bozeman residents.
02 | Themes set forth community desired outcomes and the Plan goals and objectives to achieve these
outcomes. The Themes include framework maps that show key opportunity areas related to each
Theme.
03 | Future Land Use sets forth and discusses Bozeman’s Future Land Use Map.
04 | Implementation details a monitoring program that will be used to track progress toward meeting the
community’s vision.
05 | Amendments + Review contains information concerning amendment of the Plan, and the principles
involved in the City’s subdivision and zoning review processes.
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APPENDICES
APPENDIX A: ENGAGEMENT AND PROCESS TO CREATE THE PLAN
Appendix A details the outreach and engagement process that helped shape the Community Plan. The four-phase process used in-person and digital approaches to engagement to capture the community’s voice and the technical update process. The technical update process is also described.
APPENDIX B: INFRASTRUCTURE AND SUPPORTING DATA
Appendix B references the City’s issue plans, with descriptions of, and links to each plan document. included are future and existing plans for transportation, storm water, wastewater, parks and open lands, public safety, economic development, housing, neighborhood plans, and other topics. Other supporting data is also referenced.
APPENDIX C: HISTORY AND PHYSICAL SETTING
Appendix C details the history of the City of Bozeman, and its physical setting.
APPENDIX D: GLOSSARY
Defines specific terms used in the Plan.
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PLANNING AREA
Bozeman’s Planning Area is generally the area of the City’s future
municipal water and sewer service boundary. It includes the City of
Bozeman as well as a half-mile to two-mile area around the City in
the Gallatin County jurisdictional area. The Planning Area is nearly
70.8 square miles and has not changed since the 2020 plan. The
City’s footprint as of December 31, 2024, is 22.03 square miles.
Much of the area within the planning area and outside of the City has
already been developed at rural intensities. This Plan encourages
development within the municipal boundaries where City services
are available or can be made available. Thoughtful development in
the Planning Area is guided by the Plan’s goals and policies.
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City of Bozeman Current City Limits (in grey shade) and Growth Policy Boundary (in blue)
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PLANNING TIME HORIZON
The time horizon for this Plan is 20 years—until 2045. This time horizon is referred to in the Plan as
the “Planning Period.” As the time horizon increases so does uncertainty. The future land use map and
other elements (i.e. plans for water, sewer, transportation, and parks) look into the future to envision
development that is not predicted to occur over any specific time frame.
TO GROW OR NOT TO GROW? IF SO, HOW?
Bozeman has seen nearly continuous growth since its founding. The population of the City has expanded
306% since 1970. Many factors, including but not limited to: nearby extensive outdoor recreation
opportunities, Montana State University, people who left the area for careers returning, an international
airport providing ready access, changing technology enabling remote work, and people becoming
familiar with the area during visits to Yellowstone National Park influence the decisions of individuals and
businesses to move to Bozeman and the Gallatin Valley. Developing factors that appear to be increasing
interest in the local area include climate change, increasing economic opportunities in the local area with
technology and other sector growth, and the COVID-19 pandemic 2020-2023.
The increasing number of people and associated impacts cause changes in the community. Those
changes stimulate an examination of whether the City should continue to grow or if it should try to “put
on the brakes” by attempting to constrain growth in some manner.
Such a question reflects the deep concerns of people in many areas and issues.
Diverse changes have caused increases in number of homes and expanding areas of development.
Extensive development outside of the City’s jurisdiction further raises concerns. As household sizes have
decreased over time additional houses are required to serve the same population. The number of homes
in Bozeman required to house 10,000 people increased 48.4% between 1970 and 2020. That increased
number of homes requires more streets, water and sewer pipes, and similar expanded municipal and
private facilities. The cost of services per person correspondingly increases. Should this household size
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trend reverse, the City could see large population increases without construction of additional homes.
Such shifts in demographics are difficult to predict.
Bozeman has expanded in population and land area from in- migration, change in the demographic
makeup of the community, new births, and annexation of new areas to serve new or existing residents.
Community change is dynamic and affected by many forces. It is also inevitable. Even if population
stayed the same, there are forces that cause outward and inward changes in a community.
CONTEXT OF THE GROWTH QUESTION
Consideration of Bozeman’s growth cannot be separated from the larger context of the Gallatin Valley.
Bozeman has been 45-50% of the county population over time. Belgrade and Four Corners have seen
rapid growth over the past 10-15 years. When people discuss growth in Bozeman, they are often thinking
of more than just the legal boundaries of the City. Rapid growth has also been happening in other valley
municipalities and the unincorporated areas of the County.
The Planning Area for the BCP is approximately 70 square miles. Most of that area lies outside of the
existing municipal limits.
However, it is not free from development pressure or change. As shown on the map on the next page,
much of the land within the Planning Area and outside the City has already been subdivided and
developed to some degree, mostly as suburban and rural housing.
Analysis in 2019, showed that about 92% of all parcels in the nearly 49 square miles outside of the City
Limits were smaller than 20 acres, and they occupied approximately 29 percent of these 49 square
miles. Twenty acres is the minimum area generally considered eligible to be classified as agricultural
property. This parcel pattern reflects many decades of land use decisions by private property owners as
well as various governmental agencies.
The Planning Area outside of the City’s legal limits remains under the final authority of Gallatin County.
The County and City do not have a shared planning board or regulations at this time. As described in
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Chapter 2, Theme 7 the City works with Gallatin County on land use planning issues. However, should a
landowner outside of the City ask to change zoning or subdivide land the County Commission has the
final decision. Gallatin County adopted an updated growth policy, Envision Gallatin, in 2021 and a future
land use map and housing strategy in November 2024. The City’s regulations only apply within its legal
limits. Areas that people often describe as being in Bozeman such as the Woodland Park and Middle
Creek developments along Huffine Lane are outside of the City limits and were approved by the County.
DOES THE CITY HAVE TO GROW?
The Montana Land Use Planning Act requires the City to plan for growth, to identify factors that may
constrain growth, and identify how limiting factors may be overcome. If the City did not do so, the
undeveloped areas in town would eventually fill in with development. The City could choose to not
annex new property which would result in increased pressure to place additional homes in existing
areas. The City could stop acquiring water rights, stop expanding treatment capacity for water or sewer,
or could strictly limit development opportunities through regulations on development intensity or rate. All
of these would result in fewer homes and businesses than would otherwise be present but are contrary
to the land use planning direction required by law. There is additional capacity presently in the City’s
systems due to planned “working room” to account for the fact that expansion of capacity often comes in
large increments and therefore some excess capacity is needed at any given time to meet needs while
the next increment of expansion is designed and constructed. Such capacity could be used up and not
replaced.
A key sub-question and consequence in this subject is whether lack of capacity in municipal land area
or systems would cause people to stop seeking to come to the Gallatin Valley. The residents of the
City of Bozeman have for many decades been between 45-50% of the total county population. Since
half or more of the county population has chosen to locate outside of the Bozeman limits it is highly
likely that growth would continue but would locate outside the City within the unincorporated areas
or other municipalities. The factors that draw people to the area would be unlikely to be changed by a
City decision to restrict development. Therefore, the character of the valley, including areas adjacent to
Bozeman, would continue to change but without material influence from the City.
Some US cities and towns have attempted to artificially constrain growth by limiting annual growth
percentages, limiting building permits, establishing greenbelt buffers, significantly restricting building
height, etc. Generally speaking, such artificial growth limits tend to redistribute future growth outside city
boundaries, drive up housing prices and rental costs, increase commuting times, and limit employment
opportunities within city boundaries.
As the population and development of the Gallatin Valley has occurred the degree of interdependence
has increased. The Bozeman economy relies substantially on persons living outside of the city to work at
jobs located in the city. Data prepared for this plan in 2025 shows a total of 45,538 jobs in the City. The
2022 data from On The Map by the US Census shows that 16,216 jobs were serviced by City residents,
12,456 residents left the city for work, and the number of non-City residents coming into the City for work
was 23,348.
A key outcome of this situation is that tens of thousands of people are commuting every day into the City
and consuming street capacity, police and fire services, and other municipal services. However, revenue
generated by their homes does not come to the City to offset those demands for service.
On a national level, the supply of housing is not keeping up with demand for housing. On a local level,
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Bozeman Community Plan 2020 Context Map
0 2 41Miles
Revised: 10/30/20 City of Bozeman Strategic Services Department
´City Limits
Growth Policy Boundary
Conservation Easements
Government & Education Agencies
Parcels Up to Twenty Acres
City of Bozeman Context Map dsiplaying development inside Growth Policy Boundary
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this issue was examined by the 2019 Housing Needs Assessment (HNA) for the City. A similar effort was
conducted by Gallatin County for their growth policy update, Envision Gallatin. The HNA identified a
deficiency of available housing as a strong contributor to housing price escalation in the area. Housing
prices, both nationally and locally, have increased substantially faster than incomes. Housing scarcity
is a substantial concern and impacts the ability of businesses to hire workers. As local unemployment
has been low for many years, attraction of new employees is dependent on the availability of additional
housing in the area.
As discussed above, the majority of the Planning Area is outside of the City limits. The City of Bozeman
and Gallatin County have worked together to encourage annexation and development within the
City limits. Development within the City is more land efficient than rural or suburban development in
unannexed areas. Urban intensity development, whether more intensive apartment style development or
more typical medium density residential, is much more land efficient than rural/suburban development.
Comparing suburban development with an average density of one home per 1.25 acres and rural at
one home per 5.5 acres to the more intensive apartment style development of a project downtown; the
suburban development consumes 135 times the amount of land and the rural consumes 594 times the
amount of land per home. Development within the City also provides for a wide range of housing types
to meet a wide range of housing needs. Development within the City lessens likelihood of conversion of
agricultural and open spaces to other uses but does convert uses on some land with annexation.
Municipal development enables use of highly effective centralized water and sewer systems. Such
centralized systems are more protective of water quality both at the surface and underground. Areas
such as the Helena Valley in Lewis and Clark County are experiencing problems with ground water
contamination resulting from significant use of on-site water and sewer systems.
Gallatin County has been a partner in encouraging potential development to annex and develop within
the City. The County growth policy and the Triangle Community Plan support such action. However, if the
City is unable or unwilling to annex and provide services the County will not prohibit development on
that parcel. As shown on the context map, there has been considerable rural and suburban development
within the Planning Area.
IF WE GROW, HOW?
In many planning efforts and discussions
over the decades, the Community
Development Board and City Commission
have considered the various elements of
the question of to grow or not grow and
the consequences of either approach.
After considering this question, they have
concluded that having growth within the
physical boundaries of Bozeman results
in better outcomes than not. Therefore,
the BCP approaches growth as something
that overall is positive but recognizes that
it does not come without drawbacks and
that the community will change over time.
The City has adopted land development
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regulations and policies to reasonably mitigate negative impacts. These have been adopted to address
the question of “If so, how.” Regulations can do many things to ensure adequate physical facilities and a
visually appealing and functional development of sites. They support expansion of employment and tax
base for the community. They ensure provision of new parks and walking trails, keep the water flowing if
there is a home fire to be put out, and provide a framework within which people may pursue dreams of
their own homes and businesses.
For all they can accomplish, there are things they cannot do. They cannot make there be fewer people
on a favorite walking trail, make certain you see people you know as you walk down the street, or control
things that happen outside of the City limits. They don’t set school service boundaries; or change the
floodplain or water quality or wetland standards established by federal and state agencies. They can’t
assure that buying a house will work out well for you. They can’t change the flight path of aircraft headed
to the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport.
They cannot assure you of a neighbor you want to have. They don’t change any state or federal policy.
They do not prevent change or guarantee that change will happen in the way any individual prefers.
MITIGATING IMPACTS
For new people and businesses to come and establish in the community the City must be able to provide
land area, utility services, and other functions. It is the long-standing policy of the City to balance the
interests of new and existing residents. Therefore, the City has established standards and procedures to
strive to ensure that new development proportionately contributes to the services and facilities needed
to support new development. The following
examples identify significant policies, but it is not
an exhaustive list.
• Annexation: Annexation is almost entirely
initiated by the landowner. The City has
limited ability to start an annexation process.
Annexation is often motivated by a desire to
develop property or to address a failed on-
site septic system. At the time of annexation,
landowners commit to provide or do provide
easements for major roadways, and to follow
the City’s land development standards
requiring the landowner to provide needed
infrastructure for development of the land.
• Water Rights: All water in the state not
reserved to the Federal Government or
Tribal Government is owned by the State
of Montana. No one can use water without
the State’s permission. Such permission is
called a water right. When new development
occurs, the City requires that new
development to provide either water rights
to the City or to pay an equal amount of
money so the City can acquire water rights
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adequate to serve the new development.
Existing water users are not required to pay
for water rights for new development. The
City proactively pursues additional water
supply.
• Impact Fees: Impact fees are fee for
service costs charged to new development
to construct fire, water, sewer, and
transportation facilities to support new
development. There are strict rules to
ensure that the impact fees don’t fix
existing problems. Impact fees enable the
City to more closely keep up with water
and sewer treatment capacity and other
infrastructure needed for new development
to be functional and safe.
• Utility and Service Planning: The City conducts long range planning for water, sewer, transportation,
parks, and other services. This planning work examines the needs for existing users and future users.
This enables the City to construct facilities before big bottlenecks occur. Since a water line can have
a service life of at least 70 years, sizing them correctly is a significant concern to avoid future service
limits and failures. Knowing what services are needed enables the City to work effectively and cost
efficiently to serve existing and future users. Recent expansion and upgrades at the City’s water
and sewer treatment facilities were required both for maintaining legal compliance with treatment
standards for existing users and to enable new users.
• Regulations: The City adopts standards for development to correlate timing of new development
with the services needed to serve it. This protects the public health and safety. The regulations
also provide predictability in decision making to both existing and new members of the community.
Predictability is a very important element in the complex and difficult public and private decisions
relating to growth.
• Geographic Information Systems: The city maintains large amounts of information and using various
GIS tools shares that information with the public to enable early identification of potential issues,
coordinate development activities, inform the public, and enable robust asset management.
• Capital Improvements Plan. The City annually updates a five-year plan for capital expenditures.
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This lines out locations and funding for water
main or sewer extensions, street expansion, park
development, and other capital work. The CIP
covers all areas of city operations and is supported
by issue plans developed for most functions.
PUBLIC OUTREACH
Developing Bozeman’s Community Plan in 2020
involved a lengthy public outreach period. The
Community Development Board and City Commission
provided guidance throughout the process.
Development of the Plan included four distinct phases.
The community was provided many opportunities
throughout the process to voice their opinion including
large-scale community events, small group listening
sessions, stakeholder interviews, and a series of
progressive, easy-to-use online surveys.
Events were advertised through print and social
media, as well as on the City’s website and calendar.
Additionally, postcards and flyers were handed out
and posted throughout the community to encourage
high levels of participation and to increase overall
awareness. Appendix A details the City and its
residents’ process to develop and update this Plan.
For the Love of Bozeman
Foundation
Project Branding
One-on-One interviews
Listening Sessions
Community Social +
Questionnaire
Bozeman Talks
Analysis + Vision
Existing Plans Review
Existing Conditions Analysis
Community values
identification
Community Workshop
+ Questionnaire
Bozeman Thinks Big
Opportunities + Choices
Opportunities identification
Land Use Options
Development + Refinement
Community Events
+ Open House
Bozeman The Plan
Plan Development + Approval
Draft Plan Development
Community Open Houses + Questionnaire
Draft Plan Review
Final Plan Development
Formal Adoption Hearings
Community Plan Process and Outreach, 2018 - 2020
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EXISTING CONDITIONS
POPULATION
Bozeman’s estimated 2024 population (57,894) was more than two and a half times the City’s population
in 1990 (22,660). The median age of Bozeman residents is 30.07 years old, which can partially be
attributed to the enrollment of over 17,144 students at Montana State University. The City’s percentage of
residents with a bachelor’s degree or higher is greater than the national average. The City is projected to
grow by 20,406 to 29,506 people through the year 2045. See appendices for more detail.
Net migration accounted for 75 percent of Gallatin County’s population change between 2010 and 2017
and continues to support a large fraction of population growth. A high rate of net migration indicates that
an area is a desirable place to live and is a sign of a thriving economy.
EMPLOYMENT
Bozeman’s largest employer is Montana State University (MSU), with over 4,495 full and part-time
employees. Gallatin County has experienced strong employment growth over the past decade and is
expected to add up to 44,500 additional jobs by 2045. Bozeman is expected to add 26,100 jobs by
2045. See appendix for more detail.
INCOME
The median household income in Bozeman is $74,113; however, the Bozeman median household income
is $104,824 for homeowners and $56,715 for renters. This disparity may reflect, to some extent, the
impact of MSU students on Bozeman statistical averages.
HOUSING
Figures in this section are from a variety of sources. About 48% of households in the City own their
homes, up from 43.5% in 2010. The median sale price of homes, including single-detached homes,
townhomes, and condominiums, was $784,500 in 2024, an increase of 170 percent since 2019.
According to the 2023 American Community Survey there are 24,846 total households in Bozeman.
Forty-eight percent of renters in Bozeman are cost-burdened meaning they pay more than 30% of
income for housing.
The median year of construction for occupied housing units in the county is 2001, up from 1997 in 2022.
Over half the homes county-wide are less than 20 years old. The City has permitted an average of 1,161
homes per year between 2018 and 2023. Of those homes, 66.9% of homes were multi-unit (3+), 16.9%
were single-detached, 14.4% were townhomes and duplexes, and 1.9% percent were accessory dwelling
units (ADUs). Bozeman has 78.5% of all multihousehold dwellings in the county. There is an estimated
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demand for 10,700-15,100 new residences in Bozeman by the year 2045 to house projected population
increase.
TRANSPORTATIONBozeman residents have access to a range of transportation options, including an extensive sidewalk
and trail system, the six citywide routes offered by Streamline Bus service, Skyline Bus service to Big Sky,
Galavan transportation service for seniors and people with disabilities, taxi service and rideshare, and the bike network, which consists of 71.2 miles of on-street and 73.28 miles of off-street facilities.
Sixty-three percent of Bozeman commuters drive alone, 12.8% walk or ride a bike, 15% work from home,
and less than one percent use public transit .in 2023. The average commute time, which has been increasing, is approximately 15 minutes, compared to the state average of 19 minutes and the national average of 26 minutes.
GROWTH
Bozeman’s land area and its population is growing. Since November 2020, Bozeman has annexed, at
landowners’ request, 680 acres of land, about 1.06 square miles or 5%. Additional annexations are in
review. Fifteen of those annexations were of wholly surrounded county properties.
The projected land demand for residential purpose over the Planning Period, based on estimated
population growth, ranges from 2,275 to 2,935 acres, depending largely on levels of density in future
residential developments and the amount of redevelopment in existing areas. Faster rates of population
growth or restrictions on redevelopment will require additional land area.
See Appendix B for more on Bozeman's existing conditions and projections.
RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER PLANS
The Bozeman Strategic Plan is a general policy statement for broad areas of City responsibilities. It
was first adopted by the City Commission on March 5, 2018, after a 24-month process of community
discussion and evaluation. The Strategic Plan provides direction for this Plan primarily through its Vision
Statement #4 entitled A Well-Planned City. This Vision Statement focuses on five goals listed in the table
below. The Strategic Plan also provides direction on related issues through its Vision Statements entitled
A Sustainable Environment, An Innovative Economy, and A High Performance Organization. The seven
Themes in this Plan further the goals of the Strategic Plan.
Table 1. Strategic Plan Alignment
A Resilient CityA City of NeighborhoodsA City Bolstered by Downtown and Complementary DistrictsA City influenced by our Natural Environment, Parks, and Open LandsA City that Prioritizes Accessibility and MobilityA City Powered by its Creative, innovative, and Entrepreneurial EconomyA City Engaged in Regional CoordinationCovered by Other PlansFuture Land Use MapStrategic Plan vision Statement | A Well-Planned City
1 informed Conversation on Growth ••••••
2 High Quality Urban Approach •••••••••
3 Strategic infrastructure Choices •••••••••
4 vibrant Downtown, Districts & Centers •••••••
5 Housing and Transportation Choices •••••••
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The Themes reflect community priorities in prior plans, demonstrating a level of consistency in
community values over time. This land use plan is also influenced by, and will influence, a number of
other local plans, guidelines, policies, and manuals as listed below. These are intended to be used
together to achieve a set of community goals while minimizing redundancies. See Appendix B for
information on individual plans and other data. Given the City’s extensive operations, several plans are
reviewed and updated each year. Please consult the most recent version of each plan. Information on
individual issue plans and other data are available in Appendix B. Please consult the most recent version
of each plan.
BASIC PLANNING PRECEPTS
PRINCIPLES APPLIED IN THIS PLAN
Drawing on best land use practices, community input, Bozeman’s land use planning experience, and
the ideas discussed in the Themes, the City used the following principles to prepare the policies, goals,
objectives, land use designations, and future land use map in this Plan:
• The health and well-being of the public is an essential focus and is influenced in turn by urban design
and land development.
• Urban design should integrate residential and commercial land use activities, multi modal
transportation, and open spaces.
• Variety in housing and employment opportunities are essential.
• Land use designations must respond to a broad range of factors, including infrastructure, natural, and
economic constraints, other community priorities, and expectations of all affected parties concerning
private development.
• Transportation infrastructure is vital in supporting desired land use patterns. Therefore, the two
must be coordinated. Future infrastructure should favor interconnected multi modal transportation
networks (i.e. infrastructure for bicycle, pedestrian, and transit modes of transport in addition to
automobiles).
• Diverse uses of land should occur relatively close to one another.
EXISTING PLANSBozeman Creek Enhancement Plan – 2012
Bozeman Creek Neighborhood Plan – 2005
Bozeman Health Subarea Plan -
2024
Climate Action Plan – 2020
Community Housing Action Plan - 2020
Community Transportation Safety Plan – 2013
Downtown Improvement Plan – 2019
Downtown Strategic Parking Management Plan – 2016
Drought Management Plan – 2022
Economic Development Strategy Update – 2023
Fire and EMS Master Plan – 2017
Gallatin County Hazard Mitigation Plan and Community Wildfire Protection Plan – 2020
Housing Needs Assessment – 2019
Integrated Water Resources Implementation Plan – 2013
Midtown Action Plan – 2017
Neighborhood Conservation
Overlay District (NCOD) Policy
Report - 2019
Parks, Trails, and Active Transportation Plan - 2023
Stormwater Facilities Plan – 2025
Transportation Master Plan – 2017:
Triangle Community Plan – 2020
Urban Forestry Management Plan – 2016
Wastewater Collection Facilities Plan Update – 2025
Water Facility Plan Update – 2017
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BOZEMANMT 2025 COMMUNiTY PLAN 19
• The City intends to create a healthy, safe, resilient, and sustainable community by incorporating
a holistic approach to the design, construction, and operation of buildings, neighborhoods, and
the City as a whole. Developments should contribute to these goals and be integrated into their
neighborhood and the larger community.
• The needs of new and existing development coexist and they should remain in balance; neither
should overwhelm the other.
• Infill development and redevelopment should be prioritized, but incremental compact outward
growth is a necessary part of the City’s growth.
• Gathering places and open spaces, including parks and trails, should be in convenient locations to
those they serve. Quality and function is superior to quantity alone.
Subdivision/ Site Plan
Apply development standards to a
specific piece of property prior to
physical construction
Zoning Map Amendment
Selection of a zoning district and associated
development standards on one or more
distinct properties
Growth Policy
Broad policy and coarse geographic
detail dealing with multiple zoning
districts
The growth policy forms the foundation of the land development process.
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CITY RESPONSIBILITIES
The City’s primary function is to provide a safe, healthy, and high-quality environment that supports
the physical, social, and economic welfare of its residents. For the Bozeman community to continue to
prosper, all residents need equitable access to opportunities to advance their well-being regardless
of their circumstances. The way a community is shaped through development patterns, infrastructure,
transportation systems, housing options, economic opportunities, and green spaces can contribute to
the well-being of residents or can make it harder for people to live healthy and successful lives.
COMMUNITY DESIRES
People who have participated in this Plan have consistently stated a desire for safe and accessible
streets that support and encourage a variety of transportation preferences including walking, bicycling,
transit, and driving. They want to live in walkable neighborhoods where they have easy access to
everyday services, employment opportunities, healthy and affordable food, recreation, and social
gathering places. Housing affordability is a concern; residents of all ages, abilities, and income levels
require a diversity of housing types to meet their specific needs. Open space, parks, trails, and the
preservation of local agricultural lands and view sheds were also priorities. A description of public
participation is presented in Appendix A.
CITY’S ROLE
Development occurs most efficiently, and with best results, when the public and private sectors work
together to achieve mutually compatible goals. It is worth emphasizing that the vast majority of the future
built environment will be designed, paid for, and constructed by the private sector. The City provides
foundational work by providing infrastructure, public services, and implementing design standards to
shape the fabric of the community.
GROWTH
Bozeman’s employment, population, and built environment have been growing rapidly. This has created
community benefits including a strong local economy, increased diversity, and innovation. It has also led
to growing pains—higher housing costs and increased traffic to name two. The City’s response to this is
to pursue policies that mitigate these growing pains. These policies are described throughout this Plan.
HOUSING AFFORDABILITY
Housing affordability is a critical issue for the community and has been an ongoing concern since it was
identified as an issue in the 1972 community master plan. Housing instability and homelessness are
public health issues and are exacerbated by the rapid rise in housing prices.
The positive attributes that make Bozeman a desirable place to live contributed to ever-increasing
housing demand. Comparatively low wages have not increased at the same rate as housing costs. Home
price increase exceeding wage increase is a national trend. The sale price of homes has more than fully
recovered from the 2008 recession for all housing types. The median sale price of homes, including
single-households, townhomes and condominiums, has increased significantly over the past five years.
Especially sharp increases were seen in 2020-2022. Recently, there has been a slight decrease.
According to the Bozeman Housing Needs Assessment, an estimated 5,405 to 6,340 housing units
for residents and employees were needed by 2025, or an average of about 770 to 905 units per year.
This figure included housing for employees, units needed to improve the previously tight rental and
ownership markets, provides choice to households, housing for employees filling jobs vacated by
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BOZEMANMT 2025 COMMUNiTY PLAN 21
retirees, workers filling new jobs, plus related non-employee citizen housing needs. This report predated
the surge of in-migration related to COVID. Actual permitted construction has exceeded 9,300 dwellings
as of September 2025. Most of these homes have been apartment style construction. Demand remains
strong for opportunities for housing to purchase and new developments are bringing ownership housing
onto the market.
Bozeman has taken the issue of housing seriously. It developed a housing needs assessment in 2019,
hired a Community Housing Program Manager, and released the Community Housing Action Plan (CHAP)
in October 2019. The CHAP was updated in April 2020. Many action steps followed.
The availability of affordable housing, whether for rent or for purchase, is one of Bozeman’s most serious
problems, as demonstrated by the CHAP and the EPS 2024 Q2 Market Report. Mitigating this shortage is
a top priority of the Bozeman City Commission, the Community Development Board, and Bozeman staff
in conjunction with local and regional authorities. The three top action items in the Community Affordable
Housing Action Plan are:
• Ensuring community housing serves the full range of incomes without losing sight of safety net
programs for extremely low income and homeless families. This includes safety net rentals below
30% AMI (about $26,200 per year), additional resident and employee rentals up to 80% AMI (about
$69,800 per year), and ownership housing up to 150% AMI (about $130,800 per year).
• Producing community housing at a rate that exceeds, or at least matches, job growth so that new
employees can find homes.
• Striving to produce community housing at a rate that matches the spectrum of community housing
needs, while also preserving what we have through a target of no net loss of existing community
housing stock below 80% AMI.
The CHAP identified 19 priority action strategies to be evaluated and, where appropriate, utilized over
the following five years in an effort to accomplish the objectives. Since that time hundreds of price
capped rentals have been constructed. Because housing, including affordability, is the subject of the
detailed CHAP, and other City programs, this Plan does not address housing affordability issues in detail.
For additional, up-to-date detail, see the Economic Vitality Board and the Community Housing Action
Plan.
However, zoning and land use regulations are processes that influence the cost of housing and are
addressed in this Plan. This Plan supports housing regulations that allow for a range of housing types
intermixed with one another in a given neighborhood, denser development, and efficiencies of various
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types that can help reduce housing costs while not jeopardizing public safety and other community
priorities.
More housing, in a variety of type, size, and cost, is needed at prices that residents can afford. This will
provide choices, the ability to move as life circumstances change, allows employers to fill jobs, recruit,
and retain employees, supports businesses, and supports citizen and student growth.
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02
02 | THEMES
Seven Themes describe community-derived desired outcomes. The Themes contain objectives and
actions to guide the City towards its Vision. Application of the Themes evolve as the City grows, and
allow the City to incorporate new objectives as needed. The Themes are:
A RESiLiENT CiTY
A CiTY OF UNiQUE NEiGHBORHOODS
A CiTY BOLSTERED BY DOWNTOWN AND COMPLEMENTARY DiSTRiCTS
A CiTY iNFLUENCED BY OUR NATURAL ENviRONMENT, PARKS, AND OPEN LANDS
A CiTY THAT PRiORiTiZES ACCESSiBiLiTY AND MOBiLiTY
A CiTY POWERED BY iTS CREATivE, iNNOvATivE, AND ENTREPRENEURiAL ECONOMY
A CiTY ENGAGED iN REGiONAL COORDiNATiON.
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THEME 1 | A RESILIENT CITY
Our City desires to be forward thinking, collaborative, and deliberate in planning
and execution of plans and policies to enable our community to successfully ride
the waves of change.
IMPORTANCE
Communities and the world around them are constantly changing. Resilient communities rebound,
positively adapt to, and thrive amidst changing conditions or challenges and maintain quality of life,
healthy growth, durable systems and conservation of resources for present and future generations.
Resiliency addresses both short-term or one-time shocks as well as long-term stressors.
Resiliency is needed to address a wide range of circumstances affecting all elements of the community
and its operations. Stressors include natural disasters, climate change, economic shocks and transitions,
and in 2020, a pandemic. Long term systems and adaptations, not just initial responses, are needed to
maintain a healthy community. Resiliency takes a holistic approach towards protecting and improving a
community. Bozeman is well positioned with diverse subject plans to address many of the likely areas
where stressors occur. The staff and elected officials work to coordinate between plans and actions. The
process of coordination is integrated with the constant process of updating plans, capital improvement
programs, budgets, and ordinances.
INFRASTRUCTURE
WATERSHEDS & NATURAL RESOURCES
COMMUNITY
HEALTH & SOCIAL
ECONOMIC
HOUSING
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BOZEMANMT 2025 COMMUNiTY PLAN 25
During the development of the 2020 Community Plan, the world was
beset by the COVID Pandemic and the subsequent COVID Financial
Crisis.
Southwest Montana fared better with COVID than most communities
on a global scale. Bozeman and Gallatin County experienced
significant in-migration during this period. This placed additional
demand for housing and substantially impacted housing costs. The
economy was also affected with increased remote work, supply
chain restrictions, and uncertainty.
The impacts of COVID and an influx of new citizens to our community
are examples of events that can rapidly impact the community
and require resilience, agility, and outside-the-box thinking, by all
participants, the development community, including the City of
Bozeman Commission and staff at all stages of the development
process.
THEME 1 | GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND ACTIONS
Goal R-1: Continue to strengthen and develop resilience as a
community.
R-1.1 Be reflective: use past experience to inform future
decisions.
R-1.2 Be resourceful: recognize alternative ways to use resources.
R-1.3 Be inclusive: prioritize broad consultation to create a sense of shared ownership in decision making.
R-1.4 Be integrated: bring together a range of distinct systems
and institutions.
R-1.5 Be robust: well-conceived, constructed, and managed systems.
R-1.6 Be redundant: spare capacity purposefully created to accommodate disruption.
R-1.7 Be flexible: willingness and ability to adopt alternative
strategies in response to changing circumstances.
Goal R-2: Pursue community decisions in a manner that
supports resilience.
R-2.1 Co-Benefits: Provide solutions that address problems across multiple sectors, creating maximum benefit.
R-2.2 High Risk and Vulnerability: Ensure that strategies directly address the reduction of risk to human well-being, physical infrastructure, and natural systems.
THEME 1: OTHER RELEVANT
PLANS
Climate Action Plan – 2020
Community Transportation Safety Plan – 2013
Drought Management Plan – 2022
Economic Development Strategy Update – 2023
Fire and EMS Master Plan – 2017
Gallatin County Hazard Mitigation Plan and Community Wildfire Protection Plan – 2020
Housing Needs Assessment – 2019
Integrated Water Resources Implementation Plan – 2013
Stormwater Facilities Plan – 2025
Transportation Master Plan – 2017:
Urban Forestry Management Plan – 2016
Wastewater Collection Facilities Plan Update – 2025
Water Facility Plan Update – 2017
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R-2.3 Economic Benefit-Cost: Make good financial investments that have the potential for economic
benefit to the investor and the broader community both through direct and indirect returns.
R-2.4 Social Equity: Provide solutions that are inclusive with consideration to populations that are often most fragile and vulnerable to sudden impacts.
R-2.5 Technical Soundness: Identify solutions that reflect best practices that have been tested and proven to work in similar local or regional contexts.
R-2.6 Innovation: Advance new approaches and techniques that will encourage continual
improvement and advancement of best practices.
R-2.7 Adaptive Capacity: Include flexible and adaptable measures that consider future unknowns of changing climate, economic, and social conditions.
R-2.8 Harmonize with Existing Activity: Expand, enhance, or leverage work being done to build on existing efforts.
R-2.9 Long-Term and Lasting Impact: Create long-term gains to the community with solutions that are
replicable and sustainable, creating benefit for present and future generations.
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BOZEMANMT 2025 COMMUNiTY PLAN 27
THEME 2 | A CITY OF UNIQUE NEIGHBORHOODS
Our City desires to be diverse, healthy, and inclusive, defined by our vibrant
neighborhoods, quality housing, walkability, excellent schools, numerous parks
and trails, and thriving areas of commerce.
IMPORTANCE
Bozeman is indeed a city of unique neighborhoods. From the traditional neighborhoods north and south
of Bozeman’s downtown, to the developments of more recent times, Bozeman’s neighborhoods are as
diverse as the periods of time in which they were built. This eclectic mix of housing opportunities within
differing geographic parts of town helps define who we are, where we came from, and where we’re
going.
Neighborhoods or communities that offer a mix of housing, needed services, and opportunities within
close proximity of each other are considered “complete communities”. They promote walking or short
commutes to the things in life we value and depend on including jobs, schools, places of worship,
friends, goods and services, open spaces, trails, appropriately scaled urban agriculture such as
community gardens, and more. Neighborhoods help improve community safety and overall community
health.
The City supports policies that maintain and build neighborhoods designed to provide equitable access
to amenities and opportunities for all. Housing type diversity within neighborhoods helps ensure
community benefits are available to households of different size, income, and age. Mixed neighborhoods
can help provide the density of people needed to support nearby commercial activities.
The need for a path to the emergence of small-scale neighborhood commercial development and its
ability to bring pedestrian access to coffee shops, groceries, and other daily experiences, and related
employment opportunities, is a critical part of Bozeman’s municipal maturation.
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Neighborhood
ElementsServices
Parks and R e c r e a tio nJ obsSocial Netw
or
k
s
S e n s e o f Identity
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BOZEMANMT 2025 COMMUNiTY PLAN 29
Such a path is dependent on sufficient population density in such
neighborhoods to make neighborhood commercial viable. Typically,
this viability cannot be achieved co-emergently with construction of
neighborhood housing—for this reason other subsidy approaches
must be developed and deployed to make co-emergence possible.
THEME 2 | GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND ACTIONS
Goal N-1: Support well-planned, walkable neighborhoods.
N-1.1 Promote housing diversity, including missing middle
housing.
N-1.2 Increase required minimum densities in residential districts.
N-1.3 Revise the zoning map to lessen areas exclusively zoned
for single-type housing.
N-1.4 Promote development of accessory dwelling units (ADUs)
N-1.5 Encourage neighborhood focal point development with functions, activities, and facilities that can be sustained over time. Maintain standards for placement of community focal points and services within new development.
N-1.6 Encourage urban agriculture as part of focal point development, in close proximity to schools, and near dense or multi-unit housing.
N-1.7 Review and where appropriate, revise block and lot design standards, including orientation for solar power generation throughout city neighborhoods.
N-1.8 Install, replace, and maintain missing or damaged sidewalks, trails, and shared use paths.
N-1.9 Ensure multi modal connections between adjacent
developments
N-1.10 Increase connectivity between parks and neighborhoods through continued trail and sidewalk development. Prioritize closing gaps within the network.
N-1.11 Enable a gradual and predictable increase in density in developed areas over time.
N-1.12 Encourage major employers to provide employee housing within walking/biking distance of place of employment.
Goal N-2: Pursue simultaneous emergence of commercial
nodes and residential development through diverse
mechanisms in appropriate locations.
THEME 2: OTHER RELEVANT
PLANS
Bozeman Creek Neighborhood Plan – 2005
Bozeman Health Subarea Plan -
2024
Downtown Improvement Plan – 2019
Housing Needs Assessment – 2019
Midtown Action Plan – 2017
Neighborhood Conservation
Overlay District (NCOD) Policy
Report - 2019
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N-2.1 Ensure the zoning map identifies
locations for neighborhood and
community commercial nodes early in the development process.
N-2.2 Revise the zoning map to support
higher intensity residential districts near
schools, services, and transportation.
N-2.3 Investigate and encourage development
of commerce concurrent with, or soon
after, residential development. Actions, staff, and budgetary resources relating to neighborhood commercial development should be given a high priority
N-2.4 Evaluate design standards. Encourage development in appropriate districts of buildings that are capable of serving an initial residential purpose and be readily
converted to commercial uses when
adequate market support for commercial services exists.
N-2.5 Ensure that new development includes
opportunities for urban agriculture, including rooftop and home gardens, community gardens, or urban farms.
Goal N-3: Promote a diverse supply of
quality housing units.
N-3.1 Establish standards for provisions of
diversity of housing types in a given area.
N-3.2 Review zoning districts to assess the
range of housing types in each district.
N-3.3 Encourage distribution of affordable housing units throughout the City
with priority given to locations near
commercial, recreational, and transit assets.
N-3.4 Require development of affordable
housing through coordination of funding for affordable housing and infrastructure.
N-3.5 Strongly discourage private covenants
that restrict housing diversity or are contrary to City land development
policies or climate action plan goals.
N-3.6 Include adequate residentially-designated areas for anticipated future housing in the future land use map.
N-3.7 Support compact neighborhoods, small lot sizes, and small floor plans, especially through mechanisms such as density bonuses.
N-3.8 Promote the development of "Missing Middle" housing (side by side or stacked duplex, triplex, live-work, cottage housing, group living, rowhouses/
townhouses, etc.) as one of the most critical components of affordable housing.
N-3.9 Ensure an adequate supply of
appropriately designated land to accommodate Low Income Housing Tax Credit development in qualifying census tracts.
Goal N-4: Continue to encourage Bozeman’s
sense of place.
N-4.1 Continue to recognize and honor the unique history, neighborhoods, neighborhood character, and buildings that contribute to Bozeman’s sense of
place through programs and policy led
by both City and community efforts.
N-4.2 Incorporate features, in both public and
private projects, to provide organization,
structure, and landmarks as Bozeman grows.
N-4.3 Revise Design Guidelines within
the Conservation Overlay District
to distinguish Downtown from the residential neighborhoods, to encourage neighborhoods and neighborhoods near transition areas, both north and south of
Downtown.
N-4.4 Ensure an adequate supply of off-leash facilities to meet the demand of
Bozeman dog owners.
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BOZEMANMT 2025 COMMUNiTY PLAN 31
THEME 3 | A CITY BOLSTERED BY DOWNTOWN AND COMPLEMENTARY DISTRICTS
Our City is bolstered by our Downtown, Midtown, University and other
commercial districts and neighborhood centers that are characterized by higher
densities and intensities of use.
IMPORTANCE
Thoughtful city planning provides a host of advantages from economic vitality to environmental health to
overall quality of life. Many of Bozeman’s neighborhoods have a concentration of housing with a variety
of housing types that support nearby commercial centers. The City intends to look inward by prioritizing
infill. Concentrated development uses land more efficiently, may reduce infrastructure costs, and reduces
the overall amount of road surface and need for parking lots, improving overall access to parks, schools,
and shops. Access is ultimately improved and places are connected through a variety of transportation
options.
Concentrated development makes sense for our pocketbooks and overall health. When it comes to
promoting a walkable, bikeable, safe, affordable, and energy-efficient community, density and design
matter. Preventing sprawl and increasing resource efficiency depend on an intensity of urban life found
in our commercial centers. Innovative design and planning include ideas like pocket neighborhoods,
smaller housing, green alleys, urban agriculture, and creativity in our public spaces.
Docusign Envelope ID: FF496515-9C4E-471A-9B3B-DAF35570AB1A
Sources: ESRI, USGS, NOAA
OAK
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MAIN
KAGY7TH19THCOTTONWOODTo
B
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To Living
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HIGHLANDCHURCHBRIDGER
ROUSEBAXTER
VALLEY CENTER
SPRINGHILLLakes
Rivers
City and Private Parks
County Park
Major Roads
Local Roads
Fowler District
Downtown District
Cottonwood District
City Limits
Baxter/Cattail District
Midtown District
Montana State University District
North 19th District
Story Mill DistrictBase LayersFramework Layers0 0.25 0.5 1 Miles Ü
Story Mill District
N 19th
Midtown District
Downtown District
Montana State University District
Baxter/CattailDistrict
Cottonwood District
FowlerDistrict
32 BOZEMANMT 2025 COMMUNiTY PLAN
This Diagram is for illustrative purposes, and is conceptual only.
Complementary Districts
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BOZEMANMT 2025 COMMUNiTY PLAN 33
THEME 3 | GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND ACTIONS
Goal DCD-1: Support urban development within the City.
DCD-1.1 Evaluate alternatives for more intensive development in proximity to high visibility corners, services, and parks.
DCD-1.2 Remove regulatory barriers to infill.
DCD-1.3 Work with state regulatory agencies and the legislature to remove disincentives in state law and regulations to municipal development.
DCD-1.4 Update the Unified Development Code (UDC) to reflect density increases or minimums within key districts.
DCD-1.5 Identify underutilized sites, vacant, and undeveloped sites for possible development or redevelopment, including evaluating possible development incentives.
DCD-1.6 Investigate expansion of existing or creation of new urban renewal areas to encourage redevelopment of key properties.
DCD-1.7 Coordinate infrastructure construction, maintenance, and upgrades to support infill
development, reduce costs, and minimize disruption to the public.
DCD-1.8 Collaborate with the Montana State University School of Architecture and the Sustainable Foods and Bioenergy Systems department to develop educational materials and
opportunities for local architects, community planners, and citizens on how to do quality urban design for infill and greenfield sites.
DCD-1.9 Promote mixed-use developments with access to parks, open space, and transit options.
DCD-1.10 Support University efforts to attract development near campus.
DCD-1.11 Pursue annexations consistent with the future land use map and adopted facility plans for development at urban intensity.
DCD-1.12 Prioritize the acquisition and/or preservation of open space that supports community
values, addresses gaps in functionality and needs, and does not impede development of the community.
DCD-1.13 Pursue acquisition and development of diverse water sources and resources.
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.
DCD-2.1 Coordinate infrastructure development, land use development, and other City actions and
priorities through community planning.
DCD-2.2 Support higher density development along main corridors and at high visibility street
corners to accommodate population growth and support businesses.
DCD-2.3 Review and update minimum development intensity requirements in residential and non-residential zoning districts.
DCD-2.4 Evaluate revisions to maximum building height limits in all zoning districts to account for contemporary building methods and building code changes.
DCD-2.5 Identify and zone appropriate locations for neighborhood-scale commercial development.
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DCD-2.6 Evaluate and pursue joint mitigation of development
impacts across multiple developments.
DCD-2.7 Encourage the location of higher density housing and public transit routes in proximity to one another.
DCD-2.8 Revise the zoning ordinance, reducing the number of zoning districts to be more consistent with the designated land use classifications, to simplify the development
process, and support affordability objectives of the plan.
DCD-2.9 Evaluate increasing the number of stories allowed in centers of employment and activity while also directing
height transitions down to adjacent neighborhoods.
Goal DCD-3: Ensure multimodal connectivity within the City.
DCD-3.1 Expand multimodal accessibility between districts and throughout the City as a means of
promoting personal and environmental health, as well as reducing automobile dependency.
DCD-3.2 Identify missing links in the multimodal system, prioritize those most beneficial to complete,
and pursue funding for completion of those links.
DCD-3.3 Identify major existing and future destinations for biking and walking to aid in prioritization of route planning and completion.
DCD-3.4 Support implementation of the Bozeman Transportation Master Plan strategies.
DCD-3.5 Encourage increased development intensity in commercial centers and near major
employers.
DCD-3.6 Evaluate parking requirements and methods of providing parking as part of the overall
transportation system for and between districts.
Goal DCD-4: Implement a regulatory environment that supports the Community Plan goals.
DCD-4.1 Ensure that the Planning Department is supported with the resources required to effectively implement this plan, to dedicate staff to long range and regional planning efforts, and to process development applications expeditiously.
DCD-4.2 Continuously invite and give due consideration to the input of design and development professionals in the improvement of the city's project evaluation processes and development code.
DCD-4.3 Complete the transition to a form-based code and simplification so that it can be understood by the general public and consistently applied by planning staff.
DCD-4.4 Differentiate between development and redevelopment. Allow relaxations of code
provisions for developed parcels to allow redevelopment to the full potential of their zoning district.
EXISTING PLANSBozeman Creek Enhancement Plan – 2012
Bozeman Creek Neighborhood Plan – 2005
Bozeman Health Subarea Plan -
2024
Climate Action Plan – 2020
Community Housing Action Plan - 2020
Community Transportation Safety Plan – 2013
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BOZEMANMT 2025 COMMUNiTY PLAN 35
THEME 4 | A CITY INFLUENCED BY OUR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT, PARKS, AND OPEN LANDS
Our City is home to an outdoor-conscious population that honors and protects our
natural environment and our well-managed open space and parks system.
IMPORTANCE
Surrounded by mountains, within close proximity to world-class rivers and Yellowstone National Park,
Bozeman’s natural environment is hard to beat. It’s the foundation of our healthy tourist economy and the
reason why many people move here, start businesses, and raise their families. It’s also the reason behind
the City’s prioritization of parks, trails, and open space. And while Bozeman residents value and enjoy
many forms of outdoor recreation, community members also understand and appreciate the need for
maintaining and protecting the natural resources that support a healthy ecosystem.
Protecting our immediate and regional ecosystem requires diligence and careful planning as Bozeman
and Gallatin County continue to grow. Responding to climate change, protecting the health of our water
systems and our air quality, and grappling with the impacts of increased human population and invasive
plants and animals are some of our challenges.
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Parks and Open Lands
P u b l i c P a r k s
L a n d U s e P l a n
Boundary
City Limits
36 BOZEMANMT 2025 COMMUNiTY PLAN
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BOZEMANMT 2025 COMMUNiTY PLAN 37
THEME 4 | GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND ACTIONS
Goal EPO-1: Prioritize strategic acquisition of parks to provide a variety of recreational
opportunities throughout the City.
EPO-1.1 Coordinate the location of existing and future parks to create opportunities for linear parks to connect larger parks. Prioritize quality locations and features in parks over quantity of parks.
EPO-1.2 Collaborate with partner agencies and organizations to establish sustainable funding sources for ongoing acquisition, construction, and operations of City parks, trails, gardens, and open space.
EPO-1.3 Incorporate unique and inclusive recreational and artistic elements into parks.
EPO-1.4 Research and implement multi-use features within parks to promote increased use and visitation. Wherever possible, parks are connected to multi-modal transportation options
and accessible for people with disabilities.
EPO-1.5 Work with partner organizations to identify and reduce impacts on at-risk, environmentally sensitive areas that contribute to water quality, wildlife corridors, or wildlife habitat,
specifically wildlife habitat as we continue outward growth.
EPO-1.6 Upon completion of an update to the City’s park master plan, review standards of the UDC for adequacy and update, as needed, to coordinate with development review standards and practices.
Goal EPO-2: Work to ensure that development is responsive to natural features.
EPO-2.1 Where appropriate, activate connections to waterways by creating locations, adjacent trails, and amenities encouraging people to access them.
EPO-2.2 Work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to keep wetlands mitigation within the Gallatin
Valley rather than locating to other watersheds.
EPO-2.3 Identify, prioritize, and preserve key wildlife habitat and corridors.
Goal EPO-3: Address climate change in the City’s plans and operations.
EPO-3.1 Support development of maintenance standards including sidewalk clearing, sidewalk surfaces, bike lanes, and procedures for consistent implementation.
EPO-3.2 Ensure complete streets and identify long-term resources for the maintenance of year-
round bike and multi-use paths to improve utilization and reduce annual per capita vehicle miles traveled.
EPO-3.3 Support water conservation, use of native plants in landscaping, and development of water
reuse systems.
EPO-3.4 Review and update landscape and open space standards for public and private open spaces to reduce water use. Likewise, review and update standards for reuse systems.
EPO-3.5 Update land development standards to implement the Integrated Water Resources Plan.
EPO-3.6 Review and revise stormwater standards to address changing storm profiles.
EPO-3.7 Review and update development regulations to implement facility and service plans when those plans are updated.
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EPO-3.8 In coordination with the Sustainability Division, provide
public education on energy conservation and diversified
power generation alternatives.
EPO-3.9 Integrate climate change considerations into development standards.
EPO-3.10 Inclusion of community gardens, edible landscaping, and urban micro-farms as part of open spaces outside of watercourses and wetlands in subdivisions is
encouraged where appropriate.
EPO-3.11 Support resource conservation through recycling, composting, and other appropriate means.
Goal EPO-4: Promote uses of the natural environment that
maintain and improve habitat, water quantity, and water
quality, while giving due consideration to the impact of City
regulations on economic viability.
EPO-4.1 Eliminate reliance on private maintenance of public infrastructure, including public parks, trail systems, and stormwater facilities. Identify a sustainable and reliable public funding source for this infrastructure.
EPO-4.2 Update floodplain and other regulations that protect the environment.
EPO-4.3 Pursue an inter-jurisdictional effort to establish
baseline information on air quality trends and enhance monitoring facilities.
EPO-4.4 Collaborate with other Montana cities working with
regulatory agencies to establish fair and technologically
feasible water treatment standards.
EPO-4.5 Complete the update for an integrated Hazard
Management and Mitigation Plan.
EPO-4.6 Develop a plan to mitigate conflicts between humans and wildlife through the use of proactive, non-lethal measures.
THEME 4: OTHER RELEVANT
PLANS
Bozeman Creek Enhancement
Plan – 2012
Cemetery Master Plan - 2018
Climate Action Plan – 2020
Drought Management Plan – 2017
Integrated Water Resources
Implementation Plan – 2013
Parks, Trails, and Active
Transportation Plan - 2023
Stormwater Facilities Plan – 2025
Transportation Master Plan – 2017:
Urban Forestry Management Plan
– 2016
Wastewater Collection Facilities
Plan Update – 2025
Water Facility Plan Update – 2017
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BOZEMANMT 2025 COMMUNiTY PLAN 39
THEME 5 | A CITY THAT PRIORITIZES ACCESSIBILITY AND MOBILITY CHOICES
Our City fosters the close proximity of housing, services, and jobs, and desires to
provide safe, efficient mobility for pedestrians, cyclists, transit users, and drivers.
IMPORTANCE
The best transportation plan is a good land use plan. Transportation systems impact the following: 1)
livability (in terms of traffic congestion, but also noise, pollution, physical activity, accessibility, safety,
and aesthetics); 2) affordability (after housing, transportation is the second largest expense for most
households); and 3) sustainability (transportation accounted for more than one third of Bozeman’s 2016
greenhouse gas emissions). Notably, the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport is the busiest airport
in the state. An affordable, livable, sustainable city should grow with reduced reliance on driving alone to
reach daily destinations.
Active transportation increases daily physical activity, improving health and lowering healthcare costs.
Motor vehicle accidents are one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in our country. Designing
streets to prioritize safety (rather than speed) significantly reduces fatal injuries for all users and
promotes active transportation.
Living in housing that’s far from daily destinations usually means the only reasonable transportation
choice is your personal car. Thoughtful community planning provides residents and visitors with a wide
range of transportation options. Appropriately designed trails, sidewalks, crossings, bike lanes, and
transit networks help us move around our neighborhoods and promote safe, efficient passage to our
destinations.
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40 BOZEMANMT 2025 COMMUNiTY PLAN
This Diagram is for illustrative purposes, and is conceptual only.
MSU Strand Union
Downtown Transfer
Gallatin Valley Mall n
n
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Sources: ESRI, USGS, NOAA
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Bozeman CreekEast Gall
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Brid
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To
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HIGHLANDCHURCHBRIDGER
ROUSEBAXTER
VALLEY CENTER
SPRINGHILLLakes
Rivers
City and Private Parks
County Park
n Schools
Major Roads
Local Roads
Bicycle Facilities
City LimitsBase LayersFramework LayersMajor Streamline Hubs
0 0.25 0.5 1 Miles Ü
For additional information, please visit: https://www.bozeman.net/visitors/bike-routes
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BOZEMANMT 2025 COMMUNiTY PLAN 41
THEME 5 | GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND ACTIONS
Goal M-1: Ensure multimodal accessibility.
M-1.1 Prioritize mixed-use land use patterns. Encourage and enable the development of housing, jobs, and services in close proximity to one another.
M-1.2 Make transportation investment decisions that recognize active transportation modes and transit as a priority.
M-1.3 Develop service standard levels for multimodal travel.
M-1.4 Develop safe, connected, and complementary transportation networks for pedestrians, bicyclists, and users of other personal mobility devices (e-bikes, electric
scooters, powered wheelchairs, etc.).
M-1.5 Identify locations for key mobility hubs (e.g. rideshare drop off/ pick up areas, bike/scooter share, transit service, bike,
and pedestrian connections).
M-1.6 Integrate consideration of rideshare and other mobility choices into community planning regulations.
M-1.7 Develop a trunk network of high-frequency, priority transit service connecting major commercial nodes and coinciding with increased density.
M-1.8 Establish standards and procedures for placement of bus
shelters in City rights of way.
M-1.9 Prioritize and construct key bicycle infrastructure, to include
wayfinding signage, connections, and enhancements with
emphasis on completing network connectivity.
M-1.10 In conjunction with the transportation plan, work to develop a core network of “AAA” (appropriate for all ages
and abilities) bike routes covering at least 75 percent of
households and 75 percent of jobs within ½ mile of the network.
M-1.11 Prioritize and construct key sidewalk connections and
enhancements.
M-1.12 Eliminate parking minimum requirements in commercial districts and affordable housing areas and reduce parking
minimums elsewhere, acknowledging that demand for
parking will still result in new supply being built.
M-1.13 Work with community partners to expand the Main Street to
the Mountains network and integrate the larger community
recreational travel network.
M-1.14 Identify possible routes for future bicycle and pedestrian beltway/greenway.
Anticipating Changes in Multimodal Transportation OHM Advisors
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42 BOZEMANMT 2025 COMMUNiTY PLAN
Goal M-2: Ensure multimodal safety.
M-2.1 Work with the Public Works Department, Police Department, and other partners to provide education on safe travel behaviors and rules.
M-2.2 Review and, as appropriate, update the City’s complete streets policy.
M-2.3 Work with School District #7 and other community partners
in planning and operating safe routes to local schools.
M-2.4 Encourage the design of school sites to support walking and biking.
M-2.5 Develop safe crossings along priority and high utilization pedestrian and biking corridors.
THEME 5: OTHER RELEVANT
PLANS
Bozeman Community
Transportation Safety Plan – 2013
Downtown Strategic Parking
Management Plan – 2016
Parks, Trails, and Active
Transportation Plan - 2023
Transportation Master Plan – 2017
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BOZEMANMT 2025 COMMUNiTY PLAN 43
THEME 6 | A CITY POWERED BY ITS CREATIVE, INNOVATIVE, AND ENTREPRENEURIAL ECONOMY
Our City benefits from and desires to further an expanding economy that
is powered by the talents of its residents, a dedicated and engaged business
community, and strong regional partnerships.
IMPORTANCEBozeman’s economy is diverse and expanding, with a mix of businesses and industries centered on
technology, healthcare, education, recreation, and tourism, and regional services. This is one of the City’s great strengths. The City also has many lower wage jobs in service roles. Bozeman has access to
cutting edge education and research at opportunities from Montana State University. With an enrollment
of nearly 17,000 students, the University hosts ten colleges that includes subjects such as Engineering, Agriculture, Business, and Nursing. Graduates have created offshoot industries that foster competencies
in several national industries, including businesses in opto-electronics, biofilm, and outdoor gear and other industries. Continued investment in job training and education is needed to support continued
economic growth.
The City’s commitment to broadband availability through its Economic Development Division has
improved availability of national-level broadband speeds in key areas of the City, making state of the art communications and information from distant consultants available locally. Immediate and short-distance
proximity to outdoor recreation opportunities provides significant daily mental and physical health
benefits to residents and employers, making Bozeman one of the most desirable innovation centers in
the country.
Bozeman’s growing economy makes possible its increasing dynamism, diversity, and wealth. Each of the
major sectors of our economy – education, technology, outdoor recreations, tourism, health care, and regional services – benefits from and reinforces the others. The growing economy provides resources
the money that enables the City to pursue its priorities.
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Maxar00.7 1.4 2.10.35
Miles
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Financial and Economic Areas
South BozemanTechnology District
P o l e Y a r d U r b a nRenewal District
NortheastNeighborhood UrbanRenewal District
Downtown TaxIncrement District
N o r t h P a r k U r b a nRenewal District
M i d t o w n U r b a n
Renewal District
L a n d U s e P l a nBoundary
City Limits
44 BOZEMANMT 2025 COMMUNiTY PLAN
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BOZEMANMT 2025 COMMUNiTY PLAN 45
THEME 6 | GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND ACTIONS
Goal EE-1: Promote the continued development of Bozeman
as an innovative and thriving economic center.
EE-1.1 Support the goals and objectives outlined in the Bozeman Economic Development Strategy.
EE-1.2 Invest in those infrastructure projects that will strengthen
business and higher education communities as coordinated through the annual capital improvement plan.
EE-1.3 Continue to facilitate live/work opportunities as a way to
support small, local businesses in all zoning districts.
EE-1.4 Support employee retention and attraction efforts by encouraging continued development of affordable housing
in close proximity to large employers.
EE-1.5 Support expansion of current and emerging infrastructure technologies including fiber optic service and other
communication infrastructure.
EE-1.6 Update the zoning map to correct deficiencies identified in the annual land use inventory report.
Goal EE-2: Survey and revise land use planning and
regulations to promote and support economic diversification
efforts.
EE-2.1 Ensure the future land use map contains adequate areas of land for anticipated diverse users.
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.
EE-2.3 Adopt zoning regulations that establish and define the range of urban agricultural practices, including vertical
farms and other forms of urban farming, as a permitted or conditional use in appropriate locations. Urban agriculture can be compatible with a variety of land use designations shown on the Future Land Use Map.
THEME 6: OTHER RELEVANT
PLANS
Downtown Improvement Plan – 2019
Economic Development Strategy
Update – 2023
Transportation Master Plan – 2017
Wastewater Collection Facilities Plan Update – 2025
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46 BOZEMANMT 2025 COMMUNiTY PLAN
THEME 7 | A CITY ENGAGED IN REGIONAL COORDINATION
Our City, in partnership with Gallatin County, Montana State University, and
other regional authorities, desires to address the needs of a rapidly growing
and changing regional population through strategic infrastructure choices and
coordinated decision-making.
IMPORTANCE
Cooperation between agencies makes sense. Conflicting decisions and lack of trust between agencies
can create complications and uncertainty, adversely affect our overall public health and safety, and drive up costs. A good working relationship between city and county officials and staff can reduce conflicts, improve our overall infrastructure, lower taxpayer costs and ultimately create a safer, healthier community. Regional coordination creates and maintains a coherent land use pattern that supports the
needs of existing and future residents and the desire to protect community character and amenities.
Cooperation between jurisdictions supports development patterns that do not compromise the ability of municipalities to grow in the future or expand necessary infrastructure. The jurisdictional lines between City and County, state land and local land, are important in helping define the roles of various public agencies.
Belgrade, Bozeman, and Gallatin County have mutually agreed they will coordinate land use in the area of overlapping jurisdictions known as the triangle, and pursuant to the Triangle Community Plan, to achieve:
• Compact, contiguous development and infill to achieve an efficient use of land and infrastructure, reducing sprawl and preserving open space, agricultural lands, wildlife habitat, and water resources;• Well-planned transportation systems, consistent with the overall growth management vision, support the development of multi-modal and public transportation networks;• Community cores that have adequate transportation, utility, health, educational, and recreational
facilities. Residential areas that provide healthy surroundings; and • Opportunities for agriculture, industry, and business, while minimizing conflict between adjacent land uses.
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Bozeman commits to Gallatin County and the City of Belgrade to work together in pursuit of these goals.
The Planning Coordinating Committee will play a key role in coordinating this work.
THEME 7 | GOALS, OBJECTIVES AND ACTIONS
Goal RC-1: Improve communication and coordination with Gallatin County, the City of
Belgrade, public schools, and other regional public entities regarding community planning
and associated matters.
RC-1.1 Consider regional impacts when making policy decisions affecting areas outside the City.
RC-1.2 Coordinate planning activities to promote consistency throughout the region for parks, transportation, bus service, and other community infrastructure.
RC-1.3 Research, understand, and collaboratively construct infrastructure and transportation improvements that benefit the region.
RC-1.4 Participate in regularly scheduled coordination meetings with Gallatin County and the City of
Belgrade planning departments and planning boards to coordinate planning issues.
RC-1.5 Implement the Triangle Community Plan in coordination between Bozeman, Belgrade, and Gallatin County.
RC-1.6 Prepare for establishment of a Metropolitan Planning Organization, anticipated to be required by federal law after the completion of the 2020 US Census.
Goal RC-2: Continue and build on successful collaboration with Gallatin County, neighboring
municipalities, and other agencies to identify and mitigate potential hazards and develop
coordinated response plans.
RC-2.1 Prohibit development in environmentally-sensitive or hazard-prone areas.
RC-2.2 Identify effective, affordable, and regionally-appropriate hazard mitigation techniques through the Gallatin County Hazard Mitigation and Community Wildfire Protection Plan and other tools. As a group, annually review the Gallatin County Hazard Mitigation Plan, and determine the
need for updates and enhancements.
RC-2.3 Along with non-profit and agency partners, identify, map, and utilize geographic information systems (GIS) data to locate and monitor developments on environmentally sensitive and
hazard-prone areas.
RC-2.4 Review and revise land use regulations and standards that affect the wildland urban interface to provide adequate public safety measures, mitigate impacts on public health, and encourage fiscal responsibility.
RC-2.5 Through coordination with non-profit and agency partners, identify and prioritize lands for acquisition or placement of conservation easements with the goal of lessening or eliminating development in environmentally sensitive areas and/or preserving areas consistent with the
other priorities of this Growth Policy.
Goal RC-3: Collaborate with Gallatin County regarding annexation and development patterns
adjacent to the City to provide certainty for landowners and taxpayers.
RC-3.1 Work with Gallatin County to create compact, contiguous development and infill to achieve an
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efficient use of land and infrastructure, reducing sprawl and
preserving open space, agricultural lands, wildlife habitat,
and water resources.
RC-3.2 Work with Gallatin County to keep rural areas rural and maintain a clear edge to urban development that evolves as
the City expands outwards.
RC-3.3 Prioritize annexations that enable the incremental expansion of the City and its utilities.
RC-3.4 Encourage annexation of land adjacent to the City prior to development and encourage annexation of wholly surrounded areas.
RC-3.5 Establish standard practices for sharing development application information and exchanging comments between the City and County.
RC-3.6 Develop shared information on development processes.
RC-3.7 Provide education and information on the value and benefits of annexation, including existing un-annexed pockets surrounding the City, to individual landowners and the community at large.
Establish interlocal agreements, when appropriate, to formalize working relationships and
procedures.
RC-3.8 Coordinate with Gallatin County for siting, development, and redevelopment of regional parks, emergency services, fairgrounds, transportation facilities, interchanges, or other significant
regional services.
Goal RC-4: Ensure that all City actions support continued development of the City, consistent
with its adopted Plans and standards.
RC-4.1 Enhance collaboration between City agencies to ensure quality design and innovation across public and private areas.
RC-4.2 Further develop reasonable and relevant metrics for community development within the City’s Planning Area to determine whether the intent of this Plan is being accomplished.
RC-4.3 Prioritize human well-being and health in the creation and implementation of land development
standards.
RC-4.4 Update the Unified Development Code (UDC) to:• Implement a twice-yearly code revision cycle. Identify and make revisions to optimize
the UDC current conditions.
• Incorporate development minimums in designated growth areas.• Revise the zoning map to harmonize with the future land use map.
THEME 7: OTHER RELEVANT
PLANS
Bozeman Strategic Plan – 2018
Fire and EMS Master Plan – 2017
Gallatin County Hazard Mitigation Plan and Community Wildfire
Protection Plan – 2020
Triangle Community Plan – 2020
Wastewater Collection Facilities
Plan Update – 2025
Water Facility Plan Update – 2017
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03
03 | FUTURE LAND USE
IMPORTANCE
Future land use is the community’s fundamental building block. It is an illustration of the City’s desired
outcome to accommodate the complex and diverse needs of its residents. Part of Bozeman’s appeal is
its distinct character. Its character comes from the natural setting and includes the sense of place created
by constructed landmarks such as Downtown and the MSU campus. Continuing Bozeman’s character
as a unique place rather than “Anywhere, USA” is important. There is increasing evidence that sense of
place is an important influence on economic development and overall community health.
Bozeman’s physical landscape provides residents and visitors variety when moving amongst its streets,
bike paths, and trails. This variety is often noted as an important part of Bozeman’s unique character – to
experience open, agricultural, and recreational spaces just minutes from dense, urban corridors from
the seat of a bike or a car, a bus, or when walking. As Bozeman continues to evolve, promoting this
landscape diversity will be important to maintaining the community character that people know and love.
Community development oriented on centers of employment and activity shorten travel distances and
encourage multi-modal transportation, increase business synergies, and permit greater efficiencies in the
delivery of public services.
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City activities all require continuous thoughtfulness and planning. Capital improvements, maintenance
programs, and plan implementation tools must be regularly evaluated and updated. Ensuring
a consistent set of guiding principles provides a higher level of service to residents, minimizes
contradictory or conflicting policies that waste resources, and enable a more accurate evaluation of
public policies.
All of these are reflected in, and shaped by, the way land is used. The character of our well-planned
City is defined by urban edges, a varied skyline, centers of employment and activity, pedestrian-friendly
streetscapes, and easy access to the natural world.
The land use map sets generalized expectations for what goes where in the community. Each category
has its own descriptions. Understanding the future land use map is not possible without understanding
the category descriptions. Land use categories are not regulatory. Each category description can be
implemented by multiple zoning districts. The land use categories and descriptions provide a guide for
appropriate development and redevelopment locations for civic, residential, commercial, industrial, and
other uses. The Future land use designations are important because they aim to further the vision and
goals of the City through promoting sustainability, citizen and visitor safety, and a high quality of life that
will shape Bozeman’s future development.
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FUTURE LAND USE MAP - LAND USE DESCRIPTIONS
The Future Land Use Map for the Planning Area is an indispensable part of this Plan. It utilizes ten land
use categories to illustrate and guide the intent, type of use, density, and intensity of future development.
The map does not always represent existing uses but does reflect the uses that are desired. Although
Gallatin County has final approval authority on land development outside the City of Bozeman, land
annexed by the City is under the City’s authority. The City has adopted facility plans that enable
coordination with Gallatin County. If one or more intergovernmental agreements are developed that
address areas outside City limits, development would need to meet the terms of these agreements. Land
use categories are not regulatory in and of themselves. The Correlation with Zoning table shows the
existing zoning districts that implement the intent of each district.
The future land use map is not limited to conditions or needs expected within a certain number of years.
It depicts what, at whatever time the land changes use, what the City sees as the best long term use.
It may take many plan update cycles before the depicted conditions on the future land use map occur.
The Planning Area boundary and development opportunities are coordinated with the City’s water and
sewer plans. These plans are periodically updated. The Planning Area boundary and capacity should be
reviewed to accommodate changes in these plans. Amendments to the FLUM follow the procedures in
Chapter 5. Due to limitations of scale and ability to predict the nuances of land development, the water
bodies and streams are not depicted nor are the locations of future parks.
The categories are as follows:
1. URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD.
This category primarily includes urban density homes in a variety of types, shapes, sizes, and
intensities. Large areas of any single type of housing are discouraged. In limited instances, an
area may develop at a lower gross density due to site constraints and/or natural features such
as floodplains or steep slopes. Complementary uses such as parks, home-based occupations,
fire stations, churches, schools, and some neighborhood-serving commerce provide activity
centers for community gathering and services. The Urban Neighborhood designation
indicates that development is expected to occur within municipal boundaries. This may require
annexation prior to development.
Applying a zoning district to specific parcels sets the required and allowed density. Higher
density residential areas are encouraged to be, but are not required or restricted to, proximity
to commercial mixed use areas to facilitate the provision of services and employment
opportunities without requiring the use of a car.
Near Enterprise Blvd. and Graf St.Northeast NeighborhoodsNear N. Black Ave. and E. Beall St.
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2. RESIDENTIAL MIXED USE.
This category promotes neighborhoods substantially dominated by housing, yet integrated
with small-scale commercial and civic uses. The housing can include single-attached and
small single-detached dwellings, apartments, and live-work units. If buildings include ground
floor commercial uses, residences should be located on upper floor. Variation in building
mass, height, and other design characteristics should contribute to a complete and interesting
streetscape.
Secondary supporting uses, such as retail, office, and civic uses, are permitted on the ground
floor. All uses should complement existing and planned residential uses. Non-residential uses
are expected to be pedestrian oriented and emphasize the human scale with modulation in
larger structures. Stand alone, large, non-residential uses are discouraged. Non-residential
spaces should provide an interesting pedestrian experience with quality urban design for
buildings, sites, and open spaces.
This category is appropriate near commercial centers. Larger areas should be well served by
multimodal transportation routes. Multi-unit, higher density, urban development is expected.
Any development within this category should have a well-integrated transportation and open
space network that encourages pedestrian activity and provides ready-access within and
adjacent development.
Cannery District Northeast NeighborhoodsNear Enterprise Blvd. and Graf St.
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3. COMMUNITY COMMERCIAL MIXED USE.
The Community Commercial Mixed Use category promotes commercial areas necessary
for economic health and vibrancy. This includes professional and personal services, retail,
education, health services, offices, public administration, and tourism establishments. Density
is expected to be higher than it is currently in most commercial areas in Bozeman and should
include multi-story buildings. Residences on upper floors, in appropriate circumstances, are
encouraged. The urban character expected in this designation includes urban streetscapes,
plazas, outdoor seating, public art, and hardscaped open space and park amenities. High
density residential areas are expected in close proximity.
Developments in this land use area should be located on one or two quadrants of
intersections of the arterial and/or collector streets and integrated with transit and non-
automotive routes. Due to past development patterns, there are also areas along major
streets where this category is organized as a corridor rather than a center. Although a broad
range of uses may be appropriate in both types of locations, the size and scale is to be
smaller within the local service areas. Building and site designs made to support easy reuse
of the building and site over time is important. Mixed use areas should be developed in an
integrated, pedestrian friendly manner and should not be overly dominated by any single
use. Higher intensity uses are encouraged in the core of the area or adjacent to significant
streets and intersections. Building height or other methods of transition may be required for
compatibility with adjacent development.
Smaller neighborhood scale areas are intended to provide local service to an area of
approximately one half-mile to one mile radius as well as passersby. These smaller centers
support and help give identity to neighborhoods by providing a visible and distinct focal point
as well as employment and services. Densities of nearby homes needed to support this scale
are an average of 14 to 22 dwellings per net acre.
Northeast Neighborhoods Ferguson FarmsCannery District
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4. TRADITIONAL CORE.
The traditional core of Bozeman is Downtown. This area exemplifies high quality urban design
including an active streetscape supported by a mix of uses on multiple floors, a high level of
walkability, and a rich architectural and local character. Additionally, essential government
services and flexible spaces for events and festivals support opportunities for civic and social
engagement. The intensity of development in this district is high with a Floor Area Ratio (FAR)
well over 1. As Bozeman grows, continued evolution is necessary for long-term resilience.
Challenges do exist, particularly around keeping local identity intact, balancing growth
sensitively, and welcoming more transportation modes and residents. Underdevelopment and
a lack of flexibility can threaten the viability of the land use designation. Future development
should be intense while providing areas of transition to adjacent neighborhoods and
preserving the character of the Main Street Historic District through context-sensitive
development.
5. REGIONAL COMMERCIAL AND SERVICES.
Regionally significant developments in this land use category may be developed with
physically large and economically prominent facilities requiring substantial infrastructure and
location near significant transportation facilities. Due to the scale of these developments,
location, and transition between lower-density uses is important. Residential space should be
located above the first floor to maintain land availability for necessary services. Development
within this category needs well-integrated utilities, transportation, and open space networks
that encourage pedestrian activity and provide ready-access within and adjacent to
development. Large community scale areas in this land use category are generally 75 acres
or larger and are activity centers for several surrounding square miles. These are intended to
service the overall community as well as adjacent neighborhoods and are typically distributed
by a one-to two-mile separation.
Main St.Main St.Babcock St.
1001 Oak Street Highland Blvd.Kenyon Noble
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6. MAKER SPACE MIXED USE
This classification provides areas for dynamic mixed uses including technology industries,
manufacturing, research and development, offices, and supportive uses to provide
employment and services to the community. Opportunity for live/work may be provided or
housing elements integrated on upper floors of mixed use buildings. Careful consideration is
given to public policies supporting compatibility to enable mixed uses to coexist in harmony.
Development within these areas is often intensive and the area is connected to significant
transportation corridors. Although use in these areas may be intense, they are part of the
larger community and standards for architecture and site design apply.
Multi-Modal Freight Terminal Northwestern EnergyStraightaway Motors
7. INDUSTRIAL.
This classification provides areas for manufacturing, warehousing, technology industries,
and transportation hubs. Development within these areas is intensive and is connected to
significant transportation corridors. Uses that would be harmed by industrial activities are
discouraged from locating in these areas. Although use in these areas is intense, they are
part of the larger community and standards for architecture and site design apply. In some
circumstances, uses other than those typically considered industrial have been historically
present in areas that were given an industrial designation in prior growth policies. Careful
consideration must be given to public policies to allow these mixed uses to coexist in
harmony.
S&S Building Employment with on site residentialOffices
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8. PARKS AND OPEN LANDS.
All recreational lands, including parks, are included within this category, as well as certain
private lands. These areas are generally open in character and may or may not be developed
for active recreational purposes. This category includes conservation easements or other
private property which may not be open for public use.
Sourdough Trail AreaStory Mill Park Meyers Lake
10. NO CITY SERVICES.
This category designates areas where development is considered inappropriate over the
20-year planning horizon of this growth policy because of natural features, negative impacts
on the desired development pattern, or difficulty providing urban services. As a result, the
City does not anticipate building infrastructure to serve these lands at any time during the
Planning Period. As the City’s growth policy is updated, some areas currently classified as No
City Services may be reclassified. Suburban or rural density subdivisions in these areas are
discouraged because they impede an orderly and cost effective expansion of the City.
9. PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS.
The land in this classification is owned by a public entity. A variety of activities are undertaken
in this land use classification. Schools are a dominant use including Montana State University.
Other typical uses are libraries, fire stations, and publicly operated utilities. A significant
portion of Bozeman’s employment occurs within this category.
Meadowlark Elementary SchoolBozeman Public Library, Main St.City Hall
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Legend
CORRELATION WITH ZONING
The zoning districts which implement each future land use category are shown in relation to each future
land use category in chart below. For zoning district intent, see 38.300. For permitted uses, see 38.310.
Urban Neighborhood
R-A, R-B, R-C, R-D, REMU, B-1, PLI
Residential Mixed Use
R-B, R-C, R-D, REMU, B-1, BLI
Community Commercial Mixed Use
REMU, B-1, B-2, B-2M, UMU, NEHMU
PLI
Traditional Core
B-2M, B-3, B-3C, PLI
Regional Commercial & Services
B-2, B-2M, PLI
Maker Space Mixed Use
BP, M-1, NEHMU, PLI
Industrial
M-1, M-2, BP, PLI
Parks & Open Lands
PLI
Public Institutions
PLI
Low Density Housing
Moderate Density Housing
Medium Density Housing
High Density Housing & Mixed Use
Neighborhood & Community Commercial & Business
Office
Downtown Business & Mixed Use
Large Commercial & Business
Manufacturing & Artisan
Public Lands, Parks, & Open Space
Educational Facilities
Civic Buildings & Institutions
Maker Space
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THE FUTURE LAND USE MAP
The Future Land Use Map on the following page identifies the
land use categories that are detailed on the previous pages in
Chapter 3. Due to the large scale of the map, any useful review
will require access to its digital version, which can be expanded
to show details. The City’s web viewer displays the most current
digital version of the map at all times. It is available at https://
gisweb.bozeman.net/Html5Viewer/?viewer=planning.
Outward development of the City is strongly connected to
locations of municipal water and sewer systems. The City has
planned for eventual utility services to the Planning Area. The
inset map at right shows the location of current City boundaries
and where utility services are presently available. New
development regularly expands this area.
Many mapping resources for utilities, land use, zoning, parks,
transportation, floodplains, and other land use related subjects
are available through the City’s web portal at https://www.
bozeman.net/government/gis-mapping.
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Earthstar Geographics
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BOZEMANMT 2025 COMMUNiTY PLAN 61FERGUSONSOURDOUGHDURSTON
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C i t y o f B o z e m a n
Future Land Use
Urban Neighborhood
Traditional Core
Residential MixedUse
RegionalCommercial andServices
CommunityCommercial MixedUse
Maker Space Mixed
Use
Industrial
Public Institutions
P a r k s a n d O p e n
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L a n d U s e P l a n
Boundary
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04 | IMPLEMENTATION
IMPORTANCE
Implementation of the goals, objectives, and actions of this Plan will require work in coordination with
action items listed below and referred to in more detail in Chapter 2. Implementation will proceed in
coordination with the City’s Strategic Plan, Capital Improvements Program, and other relevant plans and
documents guiding the City. Some of the actions are already underway while others will occur in the
future. Not all factors needed for success are controlled by the City. Successful implementation of this
Plan will require dedication, engagement, and hard work from the community.
This Plan is intended to be a living document used daily by the City. Measuring and reporting on the
Plan’s efficacy (or outcomes) is a main tenant of the Plan. Successful implementation of the Plan will be
enhanced by periodic reporting and by objective monitoring. These activities can determine how well
the City’s initial objectives are working, where they can be improved, and what is not working.
To that end, the Department of Community Development will annually provide a report to the Community
Development Board and the City Commission summarizing the actions taken to date to achieve each of
the Objectives and Actions described in Chapter 2 and the success of these actions.
In addition, objective monitoring will take place at specified intervals based on information availability.
Indicators have been identified for each Theme in order to track progress and setbacks. For example,
one indicator under the neighborhoods-based Theme evaluates housing stock diversity by looking at
square footages, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and the taxable value of homes. A diverse
housing stock is indicative of a City that is more accessible and affordable to those of all incomes.
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SHORT-TERM ACTION LIST
This Plan identifies many actions and objectives to address the listed goals. Many actions are ongoing.
Some are specific shorter-term actions to implement this Plan. The following list is not listed in any order
of priority and is drawn from those shorter-term actions listed in Chapter 2. The City completed many
implementation actions since initial adoption in November 2020. More actions remain to be finished.
1. Evaluate zoning map changes needed to implement objectives N-2.1, N-2.2 consistent with factors
identified in Chapter 5, Zoning Amendment Review.
2. Evaluate design standards as identified in objective N-2.4. Buildings are to be capable of serving
an initial residential purpose and be readily converted to commercial uses when adequate market
support for commercial services exists.
3. Identify missing links in the multimodal system, prioritize those most beneficial to complete, and
pursue funding for completion of those links as noted in objectives M-1.4, M-1.9, and M-1.11.
4. Revise current intersection level of service design standards to multimodal level of service or traffic
stress for people walking, biking, and using transit as identified in objective M-1.3.
5. Update zoning map to conform to the future land use map with the MLUPA compliance zoning
code adoption.
MONITORING AND UPDATES
Tracking and monitoring the accomplishment of the Plan is critical. Each Theme has one or more
identified indicators, which use data to measure success towards the goal. Each indicator listed below
identifies a source—from where the data should be drawn, description, frequency—defines how often
the data is available, and set forth notes describing key considerations.
The development of indicators requires the City to establish where we are now in relation to each
indicator. This provides a baseline from which to track changes over time. Indicators were selected to
be replicable, effective, and where possible, of a similar scope and nature as for indicators for with peer
cities. A target, or where we want to go, will be established for each indicator. In some cases the process
of setting a target will itself require substantial effort. The targets listed below are to give a general
indication of intended trends; further refinement will follow. If an indicator shows over time that the City
is getting farther from, rather than closer to, the intended target, it may be necessary to modify targets,
policies, or standards. The process for revising the growth policy is described in Chapter 5. Development
of specific targets for each indicator has been completed. An annual report on the status of each
indicator should be provided to the community. The City created an online dashboard to present the
ongoing results of the monitoring.
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Table 5. Monitoring and Updates
indicator Source Frequency Notes Target
Qualitative City Measures
Community Perception of City
Performance
Citizen Satisfaction Survey 3 year cycle intent to capture citizen quality of life
measures such as iCMA National Citizen
Survey
Maintain or improve
land use related
scores
A City of Unique Neighborhoods
Housing Stock Diversity State of Montana Department of Revenue, MLS 2 years Type, Square footage, number of bedrooms, and number of baths Maintain or increase
Residential Density State of Montana, Department of Revenue Real-time data analyzed and published annually Gross dwelling units per acre of residentially-zoned and developed land by zoning district
increase
Walk Score Walk Score®Annually Ability to meet basic needs within walking distance increase
A City Bolstered by Downtown and Complementary Districts
Location of Development City of Bozeman, CDD Real-time data analyzed
and published annually
Development within subdivisions platted
more than and less than 35 years ago
increase
redevelopment
A City influenced by Our Natural Environment, Parks, and Open Lands
Park Accessibility City of Bozeman, GiS 2 years Percentage of residents/households
within ½-mile walking distance to open
space or trails.
increase
Vehicle Miles Traveled MDOT 2 years Per capita Reduce
A City that Prioritizes Accessibility and Mobility Choices
Transit Accessibility Streamline Annually increase ridership.increase
A City Powered by its Creative, innovative, and Entrepreneurial Economy
Land Use Availability City of Bozeman, Community Development Division, GiS Division
Monthly data analyzed and published annually Availability of land not for economic activity based on annual land use inventory
Maintain
A City Engaged in Regional Coordination
City Expansion City of Bozeman, Community
Development Division; Gallatin
County Planning Staff
2 years Number of projects within the
Planning Area but outside of City limits
that conform to adopted interlocal
agreements
Maintain
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05
05 | AMENDMENTS + REVIEW
PLAN AMENDMENTS
NEED FOR BALANCE
A growth policy must balance consistency with responsiveness to changing needs of the community.
If the policy is not consistent, it will have little value as a planning tool, provide an inadequate basis
for implementation actions, nor have the confidence of the community. If the policy is not responsive,
policies and actions are continued that no longer address community needs, may conflict with changed
laws, and provides less than optimal guidance for future actions.
This Plan was prepared based on information available at this time. The nature of planning for the future
is imprecise. The plan is reviewed every five years to update information. As situations change it may be
necessary to update the plan to accommodate future events.
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State law requires review and consideration of the need for amendments through Section 76-25-202(1).
After a local government adopts a land use plan and future land use map in accordance with 76-25-201,
the land use plan and future land use map must be reviewed every fifth year after adoption to determine
whether an update to the land use plan and future land use map must be performed.
Assumptions regarding population growth, land use, and other subjects are embedded in the Plan.
Significant changes in the rates or the interaction of these items necessitate a review of the Plan;
although, a review may find that no changes are needed. Reviews help ensure that the information upon
which the plan is based remains accurate and timely.
Evaluating the existing land use plan text and maps is an essential part of any review. New inventory
maps should be made available for consideration during the review process if the new map would
display materially changed information. Periodic formal and informal reviews of the implementation
policies as well as the land use plan text and map themselves are desirable.
REVIEW OF AMENDMENTS AND AMENDMENT CRITERIA
AMENDMENT PROCESS
The Bozeman Community Plan was formed on the basis of significant community outreach efforts and
the input of many persons and groups. Alterations, whether the result of a review as described above
or another reason, to the growth policy must provide a significant opportunity for public participation
and understanding of the proposed changes. Amendments to the land use plan must meet the same
statutory standards as the original adoption. Therefore, prior to the adoption of any amendment to the
Plan, a public process must be provided.
A fundamental requirement for public participation is time for individuals to become aware of proposed
amendments and to study the proposed changes. A minimum active public review period of three
months is to be expected.
This Plan has been prepared to balance a wide variety of interests. Changes to the Plan must continue
the balance of needs and interests.
This Plan has been prepared to be internally consistent. Internal consistency meets one of the
fundamental purposes of community planning— coordination between government programs and
policies. All amendments must be carefully evaluated to ensure that changes do not create conflicts
between goals, maps, or implementation tools. If a proposed amendment would cause conflicts within
the Plan, additional amendments must be identified and reviewed so that conflicts are resolved.
WHO MAY INITIATE AMENDMENTS
Section 76-25-201, MCA specifies who may propose an amendment to the land use plan and the process
of analysis required to be followed prior to action on an amendment.
AMENDMENT CRITERIA
When an amendment to either the text of the Plan or the future land use map is requested, it must be
reviewed against the criteria in 76-25-201(8).
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ZONING AMENDMENT REVIEW
Zoning establishes most of the standards and review processes for the use of land. Amendments
to zoning change the rules for future development. Therefore, zoning amendments are reviewed
deliberately and in public. Review must be fair to all, allow for identification and resolution of concerns,
and provide meaningful opportunities for participation. The review process has been changed by the
Montana Land Use Planning Act.
BACKGROUND
Section 76-25-301, et seq., Montana Code Annotated, requires Bozeman to adopt zoning. As each
community uses zoning differently, the authorization identifies certain purposes and processes but
leaves many details to each community. Chapter 38, Unified Development Code, City of Bozeman
municipal code outlines local details and is the primary regulatory implementation of this land use plan.
DEFINITIONS
This section describes how the city considers several key elements that impact how zoning standards
are created and applied. Several of these are also subject to areas of state law outside of the Montana
Land Use Planning Act.
AGRICULTURE
The cultivation or tilling of soil or use of other growing medium for the purpose of producing vegetative
materials for sale or for use in a commercial operation and/ or the raising or tending of animals for
commercial sale or use. Agriculture does not include gardening for personal use, keeping of house
pets or animals as authorized under Chapter 8 of the municipal code, service animals as defined by the
Americans with Disabilities Act, or landscaping for aesthetic purposes.
The following presumptions apply:
1. Property annexed or seeking to be annexed within the depicted urban area shown on the future land
use map will generally not be utilized for agricultural purposes over the long term but may continue
agricultural practices in place at the time of annexation.
2. Urban agriculture may be appropriate within the City in limited areas where physical constraints
make an area undesirable for the construction of buildings, or in support of a commercial business
such as a plant nursery or a common community garden.
3. Urban density development within the City of Bozeman facilitates the preservation of agriculture in
Gallatin County. It provides a location for the development of residential and employment activities
in a compact and efficient manner. This reduces pressure to convert agricultural lands to non-
agricultural uses in the county.
4. Undeveloped lands within the City not constrained by physical features should be developed at
urban densities. This enables infill development and reduces outward expansion of the City.
AGRICULTURAL WATER USER FACILITIES
Agricultural water user facilities are defined as follows: Those facilities, which include but are not limited
to ditches, pipes, and other water- conveying facilities that provide water for irrigation and stock watering
including return flows on agricultural lands defined in 15-7-202, and also subject to Title 70 and Title 85,
MCA. The following presumptions apply:
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1. Agricultural uses are not generally urban uses. The transition of agricultural lands to urban uses
will often remove the need for agricultural water user facilities within the urbanized area. Where a
need for protection due to ongoing use for water conveyance can be demonstrated, provision for
protection of the facility must be made.
2. The formal abandonment and removal of any agricultural water user facilities within the City must
occur in accordance with Montana law. Should the beneficial use cease in the future, an easement
for protection of agricultural water user facilities may be removed in accordance with state law. Water
rights and conveyance facilities are property and holders of the property must be informed and
participate in development review as set forth in Chapter 38, BMC.
3. Agricultural Water User Facilities are subject to Section 70-17-112, and Section 85-7-2211 and 85-7-
2212, MCA.
LOCAL SERVICES
Local Services mean all services provided by local governmental bodies for the benefit of residents. This
includes, but is not limited to, police, fire, water, recreation, streets, parks, libraries, schools, wastewater,
and solid waste collection and disposal. Those criteria to which a specific response and evaluation of
impact must be made are listed within the City regulations.
The following presumptions apply:
1. When the City has assessed needs and the means of addressing those needs, Developers will not be
required to duplicate that work without good cause. If the City has completed a portion of a required
assessment, the developer may be required to submit the remaining portion of the necessary
information.
2. Capacity and capability in local services is limited. All development must equitably participate
in providing adequate services for itself, including replacement of consumed reserve capacity.
Development must meet levels of service and facility design standards established by the City.
3. Response times, physical space within facilities, compliance with applicable issue plans, and general
design of local service facilities within proposed development must be addressed in detail during the
review of development and necessary mitigation is to be provided.
4. Lack of adequate service capacity and capability within local services is grounds for denial of
approval when impacts of proposed development are not mitigated.
NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
The natural environment is defined as the physical conditions which exist within a given area, including
land, water, mineral, flora, fauna, noise, light, and objects of historic or aesthetic significance.
The following presumptions apply:
1. The natural environment is linked with our economic development, as an attraction to new and
expanding businesses, a tourist destination, and a basic component of Bozeman’s character.
2. Impacts to consider include road locations, stormwater treatment and discharges, potential
contamination of ground or surface water, building placement, and others that may be identified
through subdivision, zoning, data inventories, and other implementation tools.
3. Natural environment related regulations established by state or federal law is to be enforced by state
or federal agencies.
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WILDLIFE AND WILDLIFE HABITAT
Wildlife means animals that are neither human, domesticated, nor feral descendants of commonly
domesticated animals. Wildlife habitat means the place or type of habitat where wildlife naturally thrives.
Habitat excludes areas developed for human use including agriculture.
The following presumptions apply:
1. Lands within the urban area are typically utilized for development purposes and will have a minor
impact on wildlife habitat. Watercourse corridors and wetlands are an exception to this presumption.
The designated urban area includes all lands except the No City Services category shown on the
future land use map.
2. The habitat needs of larger and/or predatory wildlife species such as deer, moose, bears, coyotes,
or similar species will not be met within urban density development and will likely be in conflict with
people. Therefore, these types of animals are found to be undesirable within the City boundaries.
3. Smaller species, especially birds, may be compatible within urban density development and should
be preserved, including the encouragement of suitable habitats consistent with other community
priorities.
4. High value wetlands, stream corridors, and similar high value habitats should be preserved in
accordance with the City’s adopted standards. These provide a variety of recreational, environmental
sustainability, and safety values such as flood control as well as habitat.
PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY
Public health and safety means a condition of optimal well-being, free from danger or injury, for a
community at large, as well as for an individual or small groups.
The following presumptions apply:
1. Health is a comprehensive subject and threats to health include chronic as well as acute hazards.
2. Development design should encourage physical activity and a healthy community.
3. The creation of hazards to public health and safety are not acceptable and appropriate mitigation
must be provided.
4. Some level of risk is always present despite efforts to prevent harm. Developments are not solely
responsible for the correction of risks common to all. They should equitably participate in common
solutions to common problems. However, the presence of common risks, such as inadequate public
services, may prevent approval of a development until the hazard has been removed or corrected.
The developer may not accept hazards to public health and safety on behalf of future residents or
owners of a development by declaring that necessary infrastructure improvements or other actions
are unnecessary.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE ZONED?
It means the City has adopted standards and procedures for the development and use of property within
the City. Zoning is the primary implementation tool for this land use plan and includes both text and
map. Zoning sets standards to be followed during development. Zoning sets the character of an area
by applying use and development standards to an individual property. Zoning addresses public safety,
public welfare, and compatibility between uses. Chapter 38 of the Bozeman Municipal Code contains
the zoning code. The City applies standards and procedures to individual properties through the zoning
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map. The City will not modify those standards and procedures without public notice and participation.
The City does not represent or commit to anyone that the standards and procedures will not change.
Zoning is adopted under the authority of the Montana Land Use and Planning Act and the City must
periodically update zoning to remain consistent with changes in state law.
HOW IS ZONING APPLIED TO PROPERTY?
The zoning map shows the designation that applies to each property. The zoning map covers the entire
area within City boundaries. The zoning district map assigns a designation to each property in the City.
Once applied, the standards and procedures for each district apply to land designated within each
district until the City amends the map or text of Chapter 38. Since 1935, the City has adopted a change
to the zoning map or text over 650 times including replacing the entire code 19 times. A comprehensive
update is in public review at this time and will complete after adoption of this land use plan.
WHO CAN CHANGE THE ZONING TEXT OR MAP?
Only the City Commission can approve an amendment and only after notifying the public of the possible
change and giving people a chance to participate in review of the change. As a legislative action,
amendments are made through a process called a “map” or a “text” amendment. There is a defined
public process for amendments to occur. See below for a summary of that process. The process to
initiate amendments is established in 76-25-304, MCA and further expanded in 38.770, BMC.
WHAT IS NEEDED TO JUSTIFY A CHANGE IN A ZONING DISTRICT MAP OR TEXT?
A change to the zoning text or map is a legislative action. The City Commission can initiate or
approve amendments when they believe it is needed. In determining whether to begin a City initiated
amendment, the Commission can consider broad legislative factors such as the passage of time,
changes in the needs of the community, outside actions like court decisions or new laws, whether the
existing map or text is reaching the intended outcome, and changes like installation of new infrastructure.
Some examples include the following:
1. Changes to state or federal law that the zoning must address.
2. Court decisions changing the interpretation of meaning of the law that interacts with zoning.
3. Change in circumstances including the current zoning does not comply with the City’s adopted
Community Plan (i.e. its land use plan), policies within the land use plan have changed, land is
annexed, or infrastructure is newly available.
4. An owner(s) requests the change, and the request meets required standards.
Items 1 and 2 are most likely to generate changes in the text; items 3 and 4 are more likely to generate
changes in the zoning map.
The applicant must demonstrate the requested change meets the required criteria and guidelines for an
amendment set in the Montana Land Use Planning Act.
The City’s zoning establishes what responsibilities exist, such as controlling stormwater, and requires
people to meet those responsibilities. Zoning also addresses the balance of interests between adjacent
properties by defining districts where uses will not conflict and providing for transitions and buffers
between zoning districts where the City determines it is necessary to control impacts and prevent the
use of one person’s property right from inappropriately impacting another. When such protections are in
place it is appropriate for the property owner to have an opportunity to ask for changes to zoning. If an
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owner does not show that criteria and guidelines are successfully met the City Commission can choose
not to approve the change. This does not prevent the City from initiating a change on its own.
To provide transparency in decision making, accountability, and public participation the zoning map
or text amendment process requires public notice and hearings. Before any action to approve an
amendment, the Commission must address the criteria, which provide guidance in deciding whether an
amendment is acceptable.
WHEN DOES THE CITY INITIATE ZONING CHANGES TO INCREASE DEVELOPMENT
OPPORTUNITIES?
The City Commission may initiate an amendment to the zoning map to enable additional development in
a specific area. In examining whether to do so, the Commission may consider many factors including but
not limited to the following:
• The existing zone district does not match the future land use map in Chapter 3.
• Forty percent or more of the existing uses within an area are not principal uses within the zone
district presently in place.
• There is 40% or more available sewer capacity and there is less than 10% vacant land within the
sewer drainage area.
• Proximity to parks that are larger than 1 acre.
• Proximity to employment and services.
• Vacant annexed areas which are 10 acres or larger in size.
• Areas within ¼ mile of MSU (roughly 4 blocks) and not in a National Register Historic District.
• Revising zoning boundaries to better follow preferred boundaries such as streets or watercourses.
• Request of landowners in the area.
• Available capacity in the water plant and water reclamation facilities and permits.
REVIEW CRITERIA FOR ZONING AMENDMENTS AND THEIR APPLICATION
Section 76-25-304 of state law establishes the criteria for the creation and amendment of zoning. Due to
the range of subjects, the applicability of any individual criterion may be of more or less importance. The
City Commission must evaluate whether the applicable criteria are met, not applicable, or if the benefits
of the change offset negative impacts. Below is the state statute that provide the criteria and guidelines
for zoning decisions. The state may amend these criteria.
76-25-304. ADOPTION AND AMENDMENT OF ZONING REGULATIONS.
The state has created the following criteria to identify and where possible to determine impacts of
development that may follow a zoning amendment. This reduces the degree of work required by an
individual application to analyze issues of jurisdiction wide importance. The city relies on adopted
issue plans and similar documentation to consider the jurisdiction wide issues and establish policy. If
an amendment proposes something that has not been considered during issue plan or land use plan
development the applicant may be required to conduct a broader scale analysis.
(1)(c) make a preliminary determination as to whether the zoning regulation and map as proposed
or as amended would be in substantial compliance with the land use plan, including whether the
zoning regulation or map:
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(i) accommodates the projected needed housing types identified in 76-25-206;
(ii) contains five or more specific strategies from 76-25-302 to encourage the development of
housing within the jurisdiction;
(iii) reflects allowable uses and densities in areas that may be adequately served by public safety,
emergency, utility, transportation, education, and any other local facilities or services identified by the
local government in 76-25-207;
(iv) allows sufficient area for existing, new, or expanding commercial, industrial, and institutional
enterprises the local government has identified in 76-25-208 for targeted economic growth in the
jurisdiction;
(v) protects and maximizes the potential use of natural resources within the area, as identified in 76-
25-209;
(vi) minimizes or avoids impacts to the natural environment within the area, as identified in 76-25-
209; and
(vii) avoids or minimizes dangers associated with natural hazards in the jurisdiction, as identified in
76-25-209; and
(d) preliminarily determine whether the proposed zoning regulation, map, or amendment results in
new or increased impacts to or from local facilities, services, natural resources, natural environment,
or natural hazards from those previously described and analyzed in the assessment conducted for
the land use plan.
REVIEW
Many agencies review amendments to zoning regulations. Reviews are to be conducted by each agency,
as needed. The purpose of these reviews is to verify compliance with the law and identify concerns
which may require mitigation. These entities may include, but are not limited to the following:
• City staff from many departments
• Private utilities such as power and telecommunications
• Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks
• Montana Department of Transportation
• Gallatin County
• Community Development Board
• City Commission
Public notice is required in state law for amendments. The public review process has substantially
changed under the Montana Land Use Planning Act. The review process is laid out in 38.770 of the
Bozeman municipal code. The City Commission completes the process by adoption of an ordinance
containing the amendment.
REVIEW OF SUBDIVISION APPLICATIONS FOR COMPLIANCE
Subdivisions set the “bones” for a community by establishing the locations for roads, parks, and lots for
development. How a subdivision is designed and reviewed can impact Bozeman’s residents for many
years to come. Review must be fair to all, allow for identification and resolution of concerns consistent
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with adopted standards, and provide opportunities for documentation of compliance with adopted
standards.
BACKGROUND
Local governments in Montana must review proposed subdivisions. Section 76-25-401 et seq. Montana
Code Annotated governs the review of subdivisions. Bozeman is required to establish subdivision review
regulations and state law establishes the minimum requirements for those regulations. The state has
established surveying requirements which must also be followed. Primary establishment of development
standards and mitigation to avoid negative impacts is provided by zoning regulations.
Creation of a subdivision often precedes or accompanies a change in the use of that land. A subdivision
generally remains in perpetuity and continues to influence the location and intensity of land uses within
and adjacent to the subdivision.
Therefore, subdivisions are strongly connected to the planning process and may significantly advance
or hinder public goals. Because of this strong influence, the City has adopted zoning regulation to
implement policy priorities. Subdivisions must demonstrate compliance with the zoning regulations.
Applicants are entitled to approval when the application conforms to adopted standards.
REVIEW PARTICIPANTS
Many agencies review subdivisions. Reviews are to be conducted by each agency, as needed. The
purpose of these reviews is to verify compliance with zoning and other elements of the law and identify
concerns which may require mitigation. These entities may include, but are not limited to the following:
• City staff from many departments
• Private utilities such as power and telecommunications
• Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks
• Montana Department of Transportation
• Irrigation companies
• Gallatin County
Public notice within certain bounds is required in state law for subdivisions. The public review process
has substantially changed under the Montana Land Use Planning Act from the previously applicable
Subdivision and Platting Act. Review process is laid out in Division 38.750 of the Bozeman municipal
code. The decision maker for a subdivision is the Director of Community Development or designee.
REVIEW OF ZONING APPLICATIONS FOR COMPLIANCE
If Subdivisions set the “bones” for a community, zoning review fills in the rest. Zoning reviews range
from verification of compliance for a single home on an individual lot up to large residential complexes,
institutional buildings, and commercial facilities.
BACKGROUND
Bozeman must adopt zoning and must review development applications for compliance with that zoning.
Section 76-25-301 et seq. Montana Code Annotated governs the review of subdivisions. Zoning is
the primary tool for identifying and addressing development requirements. Applicants are entitled to
approval when the application conforms to adopted standards.
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REVIEW PARTICIPANTS
For smaller projects, zoning compliance is the responsibility of the Community Development department.
For larger and more complex projects addressing more topics, many agencies review applications.
Reviews are to be conducted by each agency, as needed. The purpose of these reviews is to verify
compliance with zoning and other elements of the law and identify concerns which may require
mitigation. These entities may include, but are not limited to the following:
• City staff from many departments
• Private utilities such as power and telecommunications
• Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks
• Montana Department of Transportation
• Irrigation companies
• Gallatin County
Public notice within certain bounds is required in state law for non-ministerial zoning reviews. The public
review process has substantially changed under the Montana Land Use Planning Act. Review process for
different types of zoning applications is laid out in Division 38.740 of the Bozeman municipal code. The
decision maker for a zoning application is the Director of Community Development or their designee.
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COMMUNITY PLAN
PLAN APPENDICES
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CONTENTS
ENGAGEMENT + PROCESS TO CREATE THE PLAN A-1
PHASE ONE | FOUNDATION A-1
PHASE TWO | ANALYSIS + VISION A-3
PHASE THREE | OPPORTUNITIES + CHOICES A-6
PHASE FOUR | DRAFT + FINAL PLAN A-9
TECHNICAL UPDATE 2025 A-11
INFRASTRUCTURE + SUPPORTING DATA B-1
SECTION 76-25-203 EXISTING CONDITIONS AND POPULATION PROJECTIONS B-2
SECTION 76-25-206 HOUSING B-6
SECTION 76-25-207 LOCAL SERVICES AND FACILITIES B-11
SECTION 76-25-208 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT B-18
SECTION 76-25-209 NATURAL RESOURCES, ENVIRONMENT AND HAZARDS B-20
SECTION 76-25-213 LAND USE AND FUTURE LAND USE MAP B-25
SECTION 76-25-214 AREA PLANS B-26
SECTION 76-25-215 ISSUES PLANS B-26
SECTION 76-25-216 IMPLEMENTATION PLAN B-27
HISTORY AND PHYSICAL SETTING C-1
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE C-1
PHYSIOGRAPHY C-13
GLOSSARY D-1
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SUMMARY BY APPENDIX
APPENDIX A: ENGAGEMENT AND PROCESS TO CREATE THE PLAN
Appendix A details the outreach and engagement process that helped shape the Community Plan. The
four-phase process used in-person and digital approaches to engagement to capture the voice of the
community.
• Phase One (Foundation) engaged the community and determined what people love about Bozeman,
what people believe could be improved about Bozeman, and their vision for Bozeman’s future.
• Phase Two (Analysis and Vision) built upon the engagement in Phase One and refined the plan
themes that were developed based upon Phase One comments from the community. Furthermore,
participants were asked to consider opportunities that can help the City realize its vision.
• Phase Three (Opportunities and Choices) outreach involved a community event held at the Bozeman
Public Library and an online questionnaire that were designed to gather community input on the
specific opportunities that coincide with each of the seven themes.
• Phase Four (Draft and Final Plan), the final phase in the Community Plan Update process was
conducted over the course of several months to ensure community opportunity to review the
document, satisfaction with, and acceptance of the Plan. Community comments provided throughout
the first three phases were incorporated into this final Plan which includes specific goals, objectives,
and designated indicators to measure success of each goal.
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APPENDIX B: INFRASTRUCTURE AND SUPPORTING DATA
Appendix B includes references to the City’s key infrastructure plans, with descriptions of, and links to
each plan document. Included plans detail future and existing plans for topics including but not limited
to transportation, storm water, wastewater, parks and open space, public safety, economic development,
housing, and parking. Also included are descriptions and connections to other data that addresses the
required contents of the land use plan.
Statistics and text in this section are taken from the Demographic and Real Estate Market Assessment
prepared by Economic and Planning Systems (EPS) in 2018, the 2025-2045 Population and Economic
Forecast, and other sources. Demographic information included highlights existing population
characteristics such as total count, income, and age, as well as housing, employment, and commercial
and industrial statistics.
APPENDIX C: HISTORY AND PHYSICAL SETTING
Appendix C details the history of the City of Bozeman and key physiographic details.
APPENDIX D: GLOSSARY
Defines specific terms used in the Plan.
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ENGAGEMENT + PROCESS TO
CREATE THE PLAN
Residents, property owners, stakeholders, and public officials shaped this Community Plan throughout
a progressive four-phase update process. The technical update in 2025 relies upon this process and
maintains the same Themes, Goals, and Objectives.
PHASE ONE | FOUNDATION
The Foundation Phase engaged the community and determined what people love about Bozeman, what
people believe could be improved about Bozeman, and their vision for Bozeman’s future. Outreach
efforts consisted of an ice cream social event at Dinosaur Park, one-on-one interviews, group sessions,
Planning Board and City Staff meetings, and an online questionnaire.
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Responses indicated that Bozeman’s outdoor lifestyle, sense of place and belonging while in a City
environment, and high quality of life were the three aspects of the City that people loved the most.
Areas where participants felt Bozeman could improve were; multi-modal transportation, the preservation
of farmland and open space, and housing affordability.
When asked about the desired future of Bozeman, people envisioned a larger city with a dynamic,
modern economy, a variety of attainable housing options, and a multi-modal transportation system.
SUMMARY
Background
What is the Community Plan and what is its purpose?
Imagine what Bozeman will look and feel like in twenty years. How will the community accept a large
increase of residents? How will transportation be addressed? Will we grow upward or outward in relation
to density? What will Bozeman be known for?
The Community Plan builds on the overarching vision and vision statements within the Strategic Plan and
specifically guides land use planning decisions.
The passage of time, as well as a high rate of development, changing economic conditions, and
maturing nearby communities make it necessary to update the Plan and through its process, identify the
community supported answers to those questions above.
Notification and Interview Process
Stakeholders were contacted directly through email and in-person interviews were conducted at
the Community Development building. The interviews focused on the aspects of Bozeman that the
participants loved, areas where improvement is needed in the future, and a vision for Bozeman in the
year 2040. Stakeholders were asked to complete the online survey as well as invite their colleagues in
the community to participate. In addition, everyone interested had access to multiple listening sessions
provided throughout the community. Participation was recruited by direct email, news releases, and
other broadly applicable outreach.
Overall Summary
What do you LOVE most about Bozeman?
Top 10 List (LOVES)
1. Small Town Feel
2. Outdoor Lifestyle
3. The People
4. Bike/Trail Network
5. Parks & Recreation
6. Architecture
7. Connectivity
8. Central Location
9. Downtown
10. Climate
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What would you like to IMPROVE about Bozeman in the future?
Top 10 List (IMPROVES)
1. Growth Management
2. Improve Transparency
3. Multi-modal Transportation
4. Improve Infrastructure
5. Neighborhood Identity
6. Reduce Regulations
7. City Leadership
8. Increase Walkability
9. Historic Preservation
10. Alleviate Traffic
In 2040, Bozeman will be…
Top 10 List (2040)
1. Multi-modal Transportation
2. Well-Preserved
3. Small Town Feel
4. High Quality of Life
5. Bikeable
6. Walkable
7. Distinct Neighborhoods
8. Regional Growth
9. Vibrant
10. Model City
Key Takeaways
The stakeholders of Bozeman are very passionate about the City and take pride in the sense of place,
belonging, and outdoor lifestyle that Bozeman provides. The close-knit community, access to nature,
the high quality of architectural design, and Downtown were also frequently mentioned as aspects that
interviewees loved about the City.
Stakeholders were most concerned about the potential for Bozeman to become sprawled and cited
its issues with the transportation system, the need for government transparency, and absence of
neighborhood identity. These are areas Bozeman should improve in the future.
In 2040, Stakeholders imagined Bozeman to be a well-preserved city that has maintained its sense of
place and belonging with a multi-modal transportation system that provides access to a series of distinct
and vibrant neighborhoods. Several comments highlighted that Bozeman will be a model city for others
to base their future development on.
PHASE TWO | ANALYSIS + VISION
Phase Two built upon the engagement in Phase One and refined the seven themes that were developed
based upon Phase One comments from the community. Furthermore, participants were asked to
consider opportunities that can help the City realize its vision.
Outreach efforts consisted of a community event, one-on-one interviews, group sessions, City
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Commission presentations, and an online questionnaire.
People stated that they would like to see increased corner-commercial developments in or near
neighborhoods, improved multi-modal transportation options and access throughout the community,
increased density, historic preservation, and greater regional planning efforts.
SUMMARY
Notification
This Community Event was publicized at two public events; at updates to the City Commission and
Bozeman Planning Board; direct emails to those who have supplied their contact info as part of this
process; social media outlets, including the City’s existing Facebook, Nextdoor, and Twitter accounts;
postcards at highly trafficked locations and other ongoing City and community events.
Purpose
Each step in the Community Plan update process is built to collect a greater level of detail than the
previous step, through thought provoking questions and exercises. The purpose of the Community Event
was to begin defining specific opportunities that can help the City realize the seven themes that were
developed through previous outreach efforts.
The Event
The Community Event took place at the Bozeman Public Library on Thursday, November 29th, between
5 and 7pm. Members from City staff and consultant team provided an overview of the Community Plan,
progress to-date, and instructions for the opportunities exercise. Participants were asked to choose four
themes to provide opportunities for, and given a chance to physically locate areas for opportunities by
drawing on a large-scale map of Bozeman. Approximately 45 people attended the event.
Identified Opportunities, Summarized by Theme
The Shape of the City:
Support the development of an additional regional park within the City
• Strengthen the viability of other areas to distribute goods and services and alleviate congestion
Downtown
• Integrate walkable areas throughout the City
• Foster increased development within the northeast area of the City
• Encourage appropriately-sized commercial nodes within neighborhoods
• Maintain and improve the City’s infrastructure
• Reduce the prevalence of large parking lots to promote walkability
A City of Unique Neighborhoods:
Define specific neighborhoods through the identification of unique features
• Facilitate increased community engagement through additional parks, community centers, and
commercial nodes
• Coordinate improved public transportation access throughout neighborhoods
• Increase neighborhood density through the rezoning / up-zoning of vacant lots
• Permit farmers’ markets and food trucks to use vacant lots
• Locate affordable housing near public transit and necessary amenities
• Expand workforce housing near Montana State University
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• Consider implementing a resort tax
• Preserve the unique identity of northeast Bozeman
A City Bolstered by Downtown and Complementary Districts:
• Identify a district at the west end of the City to promote a cohesive, walkable destination
• Investigate North 7th as the primary location for taller buildings
• Establish and enforce density minimums on North 7th
• Emphasize affordable housing along North 7th
• Reassess the historical significance of structures on North 7th
• Promote compatible infill Downtown
• Develop parklets and additional greenspace throughout districts
• Promote commercial development near Montana State University
A City Influenced by Our Natural Environment, Parks, and Open Space:
Maintain healthy urban forests
• Establish public transit connections to parks
• Implement trail corridors
• Preserve and utilize creek corridors as a way to support walkability and water quality
• Enhance wayfinding throughout parks and open space
• Create connections between parks and the neighborhoods around them
• Retain the mountain views through the development of wide streets
• Ensure parks and open space are accessible to all ages
• Improve lighting in parks to promote year-round use
• Incentivize trail construction in fringe developments
A City Influenced by Regional Cooperation and Defined Edges:
• Expand the City’s planning jurisdiction
• Focus on long-term water conservation to avoid additional infrastructure costs in the future
• Explore the annexation of inholdings to promote efficiency of services
• Adjust tax policy for inholdings to be commensurate with the surrounding zoning district
• Encourage school districts to stay within City limits
A City that Prioritizes Mobility Choices:
• Coordinate with the Streamline to develop a circulator transit route between Downtown, The
Cannery, and North 7th
• Expand access to public transportation and frequency of service
• Increase infrastructure funding for multi-modal transportation options
• Amplify winter maintenance of bike routes
• Reduce the frequency of large delivery vehicles on Main Street
• Further develop east/west bicycle corridors
• Explore commercial nodes to the west to reduce congestion Downtown
• Improve wayfinding to promote pedestrian activity
• Designate key locations for protected bike routes
A City Powered by its Creative, Innovative, and Entrepreneurial Economy:
• Attract high-paying jobs through the promotion of Bozeman’s high quality of life
• Consider a sales tax as an alternative to property tax increases
• Collaborate with local educational institutions to increase the qualified workforce base
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• Foster Bozeman’s local agriculture industry through the support of agri-hoods and food distribution
centers
• Recognize the potential benefit of attracting and promoting the sustainability industry and “green”
start-up companies
• Encourage the use of live/work spaces to support small businesses and housing affordability
PHASE THREE | OPPORTUNITIES + CHOICES
Phase Three outreach involved an online questionnaire that was designed to gather community input
on the specific opportunities that coincide with each of the seven Themes. Multiple tools were used
to encourage participation including news posts on the City website, direct emails to those who had
supplied their contact info as part of this process; and social media outlets, including the City’s existing
Facebook, NextDoor, and Twitter accounts.
Increasing walkability and access to neighborhood commercial uses, along with strategically locating
affordable housing were just some of the many proposed opportunities from the public event.
230 people took part in the online survey and, in addition to the objectives mentioned above, increasing
density, preserving open space, and establishing multi-modal connections were suggested.
SUMMARY
Overview
The Opportunities Survey was opened to the public on December 12, 2018 and closed on January 25,
2019. A total of 230 people took part in the survey, designed to identify and confirm opportunities related
to the seven vision statements. Later in the year, at the Sweet Pea Festival and SLAM festival, a follow-
up questionnaire was held with similar results from approximately 200 responses. As shown in the chart
below, the three most selected visions were:
1. A City Influenced by our Mountains, Open Space, and Parks;
2. A City that Prioritizes Mobility Choices; and
3. A City of Neighborhoods.
The Shape of the City
Participants indicated that commercial nodes are needed in the northwest neighborhoods, North 7th,
and south of Kagy and generally felt that the seven story height was appropriate and used the Baxter
Hotel as an example. However, some responses indicated a desire to see shorter buildings in the future
in areas where mountain views could be diminished.
Downtown, North 7th, 19th, and the Cannery District were all said to be areas where more intense
development should take place. Additionally, responses showed that there was a preference for more
intense development in those areas if open space in town was maintained and continually expanded
through new developments.
When asked about additional opportunities to fulfill this vision, responses included:
• Increasing density in appropriate areas
• Incentivizing infill as a way to increase density
• Preserving open space
• Promoting affordable housing along transit corridors
• Reducing parking minimums
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• Focusing on alternative transportation options
Participants in the questionnaire indicated that pedestrian-friendly streetscapes and the integration with
surrounding natural landscapes were the two items within the theme that they were most excited about.
*It is important to note that this theme was removed and its components were consolidated into the
other six themes, where appropriate.
A City of Unique Neighborhoods
It was recognized that a neighborhood is a concept without a simple definition. Characteristics of
neighborhoods included: proximity to parks; walkability; cohesiveness amongst neighbors; and diversity
of ages, specific boundaries, and historic or cookie-cutter nature. While 60% of respondents stated that
their neighborhood included walkable centers, commercial nodes, inclusivity, housing variety, schools,
and parks, the remaining 40% of people indicated that walkability and commercial nodes were missing
from their communities. When asked about additional opportunities to fulfill this vision, responses
included:
• Encouraging small grocery store development
• Maintaining housing character in new developments
• Increasing connectivity to parks and neighborhoods
• Encouraging affordable housing development
• Developing community gardens
• Improving pedestrian and bike access
• Enhancing traffic calming measures
• Promoting accessory dwelling units
Participants in the questionnaire indicated that they were most excited about convenient and accessible
neighborhoods, with strategic growth in developed areas also being of importance.
A City Bolstered by Downtown and Complementary Districts
Participants were asked about building height preferences in each of the three named districts
(Downtown, Midtown, and University) and responses were quite varied. In Downtown, height preferences
ranged from a maximum of three stories to a maximum of thirty stories with five to seven being the most
common answer. In Midtown, height maximums ranged from three stories to thirty with the most common
again between five and seven stories. Responses for height preferences in the University district had the
same results as Midtown and Downtown. In remaining areas of the City, the preferred height limit was
much lower, typically up to three stories with several comments stating that five story developments are
appropriate.
More mixed-use areas are desired within Bozeman along with strategic preservation of trees, open
space, and wetlands.
When asked about additional opportunities to fulfill this vision, responses included:
• Encouraging mixed-use development
• Expanding public transportation
• Reducing car-dependency
• Promoting commercial activity near the university
• Locating affordable housing developments in Midtown
• Defining additional districts on the west and northeast parts of Bozeman
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Responses to the questionnaire indicated that multi-modal connectivity between districts, and diversity in
housing and employment opportunities were the two most exciting components of this theme.
A City Influenced by Our Natural Environment, Parks, and Open Space
Over 94% of respondents indicated they live within a ten-minute walk of a park or open space. Of those
94%, 67% said that they walk to local parks or open space multiple times a week.
Connecting existing trail systems, along with expanding the trail systems in the west side of Bozeman
were frequently mentioned as important components of this vision.
When asked about additional opportunities to fulfill this vision, responses included:
• Researching sustainable funding options for Bozeman’s green spaces
• Increasing density in the city core
• Improving pedestrian safety
• Continuing partnerships with the Gallatin Valley Land Trust, Trust for Public Land, and others
• Creating more stringent development requirements that emphasize trail connectivity
Responses to the questionnaire showed an equal level of interest in natural environment protection
regulations, open space acquisition, and climate change impact considerations.
A City Engaged in Regional Coordination
Responses showed a strong desire to protect wetlands, floodplain, wildlife habitat, and key corridors
for north/south wildlife migration. Additionally, limiting sprawl, promoting sustainable practices,
and preserving agricultural land were mentioned. Participants also stated that greater coordination
between the City and regional authorities is needed in relation to transportation, water, sewer, growth
management, and more.
When asked about additional opportunities to fulfill this vision, responses included:
• Increasing public engagement efforts
• Expanding education and training sessions for elected officials
• Restoring and naturalizing regional waterways
• Coordinating planning efforts and documents
Questionnaire responses showed a substantial interest in the efficient use of land and thoughtful
expansion of the City’s area.
A City that Prioritizes Mobility Choices
46% of participants said that they have used public transit in the past year. For those that have not used
public transit, reasons comprised of: long commute times using public transit; inconvenient scheduling;
and lack of bus stops.
For those that are that said they are employed, 46% drive a car, 30% ride a bike, 17% walk, and 6% work
from home, and only 1% use public transit.
When asked about additional opportunities to fulfill this vision, responses included:
• Funding winter maintenance of trails and paths
• Enhancing traffic calming measures
• Developing protected bike-paths along main roads
• Establishing more east-west connections
• Promoting safe pedestrian access to all public schools
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• Increase funding for alternative transit options (bus, bicycle, walking)
• Researching the feasibility of an affordable airport shuttle
• Creating connectivity requirements for new development
Questionnaire respondents chose safe and functional walking and biking and interconnected systems as
the most exciting aspects of this theme.
A City Powered by its Creative, Innovative, and Entrepreneurial Economy
Low wages and rising housing costs are seen as the largest deterrents for those starting a business
in Bozeman, due to the difficulty for prospective employees to live in town. The high quality of life in
Bozeman, its excellent location, and Montana State University are seen as some of the most attractive
reasons why a business would locate here.
When asked about additional opportunities to fulfill this vision, responses included:
• Increasing minimum wage within the City
• Reducing regulatory restrictions on small businesses
Support for local companies and growing from within, as well as economic diversification were chosen as
the most exciting components of this theme.
PHASE FOUR | DRAFT + FINAL PLAN
The final phase in the Community Plan Update process was conducted over the course of several
months to ensure community awareness, satisfaction, and acceptance of the Plan. Community comments
provided throughout the first three phases were incorporated into this final Plan which includes specific
goals, objectives, and designated indicators that measure success of each goal.
COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE 1 | SUMMARY
Notification
The Community Open House was publicized through television; at updates to the City Commission and
Bozeman Planning Board; direct emails to those who have supplied their contact info as part of this
process; and social media outlets, including the City’s existing Facebook, Nextdoor, and Twitter accounts.
Purpose
Each step in the Community Plan update process is built to collect a greater level of detail than the
previous step, through thought provoking questions and exercises. The purpose of the Open House was
to present Future Land Use Categories and Maps to the public for feedback. Public input and comments
will be integrated into the final Community Plan.
Event
The Community Open House took place at the Bozeman City Hall Commission Room on Thursday,
October 17th, between 4 and 6pm. Members from City staff provided summaries of the draft Future Land
Use Categories, and presented the Future Land Use Map (shown to the right). Participants were asked
to assess whether the Future Land Use Categories match the needs of the community, and to provide
input on the Future Land Use categories’ spatial placement in the City. Meeting participants wrote
their answers to three main questions about the categories on white boards. Approximately 73 people
attended the event.
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COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE 2 | SUMMARY
Notification
The Community Open House was publicized through television; at updates to the City Commission and
Bozeman Planning Board; direct emails to those who have supplied their contact info as part of this
process; and social media outlets, including the City’s existing Facebook, Nextdoor, and Twitter accounts.
Purpose
The purpose of the Open House was to present the initial public draft of the Community Plan including
Future Land Use Categories and Maps to the public for feedback. Public input and comments will be
integrated into the final Community Plan.
Event
The Community Open House 2 took place at the Bozeman City Hall Commission Room on Tuesday,
December 3rd, between 4 and 6pm. Members from City staff were available to answer questions on the
text of the plan, provided summaries of the draft Future Land Use Categories, presented the Future Land
Use Map, and metrics for success. Approximately 20 people attended the event.
PUBLIC HEARINGS | SUMMARY
Notification
The City conducted multiple public hearings to share and receive information from the community prior
to making a decision on whether or not to adopt the draft Community Plan. The public hearings were
publicized through television; through newspaper articles and paid advertisements; posting dates on the
project website; at updates to the City Commission and Bozeman Planning Board; direct emails to those
who have supplied their contact info as part of this process; and social media outlets, including the City’s
existing Facebook, Nextdoor, and Twitter.
Purpose
The purpose of the public hearing is the formal opportunity for community participation in the adoption
process. Public hearings are required by state law prior to any final decision by the Planning Board or the
City Commission. Public input and comments were considered and many were integrated into the final
Community Plan.
Events
After developing the document draft for public review the Planning Board held three public hearings on
July 21st, July 28th, and August 10th, 2020. The Planning Board considered the draft document, heard
and considered public comments, and made several revisions to the map and text. On August 17th the
Planning Board formally passed Resolution 20-1 transmitting the recommended document to the City
Commission.
On August 18th the City Commission was formally presented the Planning Board’s recommended
document and the subsequent review process was outlined. The City Commission formally passed a
resolution of intent to adopt a growth policy on August 25, 2020. Adoption of the Resolution of Intent is
the formal initiation of the City Commission’s review.
To help encourage public understanding of the document and participation in the public review process
the City hosted three online workshops to present aspects of the plan and answer questions. There were
116 attendees at the three workshops. Recordings of the workshops were posted on the project website
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so those not able to attend could still obtain the information.
• Sept 16 - Public work session 1 focused on text of Plan with Q&A.
• Sept 23 - Public work session 2 focused on future land use with Q&A.
• Sept 30 - Public work session 3 focused on overall Plan and open Q&A.
On October 6, 2020 the City Commission conducted their first work session and public hearing on the
draft. They asked questions, heard public comments, and suggested possible revisions for consideration
at their following meeting. On October 20th the City Commission held their second work session and
public hearing. After considering a staff presentation and public comments the Commission directed
several amendments to be included in a revised draft of the growth policy.
On November 17, 2020 the City Commission conducted their final public hearing. After consideration of
all matters and public comment they adopted Resolution 5133 adopting the Bozeman Community Plan
2020.
TECHNICAL UPDATE 2025
Purpose
The purpose of the technical update is to bring information in the plan current and to conform to new
state laws. The technical update did not seek to modify policy or community priorities. Even with this
limited scope public engagement is an important element of the update. Public hearings are required by
state law prior to any final decision by the Planning Board or the City Commission.
Engagement Tools
The City Commission began the formal process in September 2024 by identifying the general process.
This was in conjunction with public engagement planning for the update to Chapter 38 of the municipal
code. The proposed approach and timing was shared with the public at many public events during
the fall of 2024 through spring 2025. A formal public engagement plan was adopted in July 2025
identifying the specific steps of engagement for the update.
ENGAGE BOZEMAN | SUMMARY
The Montana Land Use and Planning Act requires use of electronic means to share information and
receive comments. The City created a project website which provides scheduling information, frequently
asked questions, public engagement materials, and draft documents for public review. The City receives
electronic comments through the comments@bozeman.net dedicated email and all project comments
were archived and made publicly available through the City’s Laserfiche archive accessible through the
main City website.
People can also participate electronically in meetings through video streaming, call in comments, online
agenda and packet materials, and archived video recordings of all public hearings on the project.
COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE 1 | SUMMARYNOTIFICATION
The Community Open House was publicized through updates to the City Commission and Bozeman
Community Development Board; news posts on the project webpage, and emails to interested parties.
PURPOSE
To explain the intended update process, share information on existing conditions, population and
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housing need projections, and answer questions.
EVENT
The Community Open House took place twice, first online on August 25th and later in person on
August 27th at the Bozeman Library Community Room. The same information was provided to the City
Commission on August 26th and the Community Development Board on September 8th and the Inter-
Neighborhood Council on September 11th.
COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE 2 | SUMMARY
NOTIFICATION
The Community Open House was publicized through updates to the City Commission and Bozeman
Community Development Board; news posts on the project webpage, social media, and emails to
interested parties.
PURPOse
To explain the intended update process, share information on the draft land use plan, and answer
questions.
EVENT
The Community Open House took place on September 29th at the City Commission room at City Hall,
121 N. Rouse Ave.
PUBLIC HEARINGS | SUMMARY
NOTIFICATION
The City conducted multiple public hearings to share and receive information from the community prior
to making a decision on whether or not to adopt the draft Community Plan.
The public hearings were publicized through paid newspaper advertisements; posting dates on the
project website; at updates to the City Commission and Bozeman Community Development Board; direct
emails to those who have supplied their contact info as part of this process; and social media outlets.
PURPOSE
The purpose of the public hearing is the formal opportunity for community participation in the adoption
process. Public hearings are required by state law prior to any final decision by the Community
Development Board or the City Commission. Public input and comments were considered.
EVENTS
After the document draft was released for public review and notice was published, the Community
Development Board held a public hearing on Oct 6, 2025. The Community Development Board
considered the draft document, heard and considered public comments, and determined whether or not
to make revisions to the map and text, and passed a resolution transmitting the recommended document
to the City Commission.
On October 28, 2020, the City Commission conducted their public hearing on the draft. They asked
questions, heard public comments, and determined if possible revisions were needed for consideration
at their following meeting. After determining that the plan contains all required materials the Commission
will pass a Resolution of Adoption to complete the public review process.
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B
INFRASTRUCTURE + SUPPORTING
DATA
The Montana Land Use Planning Act (the Act), passed in 2023, requires extensive information on existing
conditions, expected future conditions, and consideration of impacts of growth. The Act explicitly allows
for use of issue plans to address required materials. An issue plan is a document that for all or part of a
jurisdiction provides a more detailed or thorough analysis for any component of the land use plan. The
City has a long history of developing issue plans for this purpose. Each issue plan considers needs for
the future to address future demand for services.
This Appendix identifies required data, organized by the section number in state law addressing that
topic. Information for issue plans is presented in tables with titles and links to the issue plans. The City
updates multiple plans every year. If you have a question on applicability of data, please contact the City.
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Some data is provided by state or federal agencies and links to websites or printed reports are provided.
Data is available for different time frames. Sources like the US Census American Community Survey
update annually but data is delayed in distribution for up to two years. Other data like the City’s GIS
viewers are active data that are continually updated to show recent zoning map changes. Information in
this Appendix comes from City of Bozeman, state, federal, and other sources.
Rather than sampling the available data for the plan, where reasonable a link to the entire report or
resource website has been provided. This allows the reader much greater latitude to explore areas of
interest to them. Some basic data is provided in each section to illustrate the scope and applicability of
the data to Bozeman. A grouping of maps is provided that address the topics below. Links in the table go
to the entire map set. Links in the text point to a specific map. For those interested in the entire data set
the documentation and maps are available.
Bozeman only has legal control on land development within its legal borders. The jurisdictional area of
this plan is therefore only the city limits. The Planning Area does extend beyond the city boundary but
only in an advisory capacity to coordinate internal City of Bozeman functions, with Gallatin County, and
landowners. As properties are annexed they are subject to the jurisdiction of this plan.
SECTION 76-25-203 EXISTING CONDITIONS AND POPULATION PROJECTIONS
Document Name Approval Process Date of Approval Resolution/Ordinance Hyperlink to Document
2025-2045 Bozeman Population and Housing
Forecast
Adoption by Resolution as part of the land use
plan
Link (external PDF)
Bozeman Annual Land
Use Inventory and map
No approval process
applies
On-going Link (external
PDF)
Link (external PDF)
GIS Data – Com. Dev.
Viewer & Public Works Viewer
No approval process
applies
Ongoing
data updates
Link (External
website)Link (External website)
Maps Adoption by Resolution as part of the land use plan
Link (External website)
Non-City materials
MT Dept of Commerce –
Community Profiles
No City approval process
applies
Link (external
website)
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US Census – American
Community Survey Income and Poverty
No City approval process
applies
On-going Link (external
website)
US Census – American Community Survey No City approval process applies On-going Link (external website)
US Census – American
Community Survey – SEC MT
No City approval process
applies
Link (external
website)
US Census – On The Map, Commuter flow No City approval process applies On-going Link (external website)Link (external PDF)
National Vital Statistics Report No approval process applies Ongoing data updates
Link (External PDF)
US Census ACS Birth Trends No approval process applies Ongoing data updates
Link (External PDF)
Montana Cadastral No approval process applies Ongoing data
updates
Link (External website)
MT Dep of Commerce – Residential Physical
Condition
No approval process applies Ongoing data
updates
Link (External website)
MSU Quick Facts – All Students No approval process applies Ongoing data
updates
Link (External website)
Bozeman’s planning area is 70.8 square miles and the current municipal area as of Dec 1, 2024, is 22.03
sq. mi. Bozeman has annexed approximately 680 acres on 27 sites since the adoption of the prior land
use plan in 2020. This represents roughly a 1% expansion in area per year. Fifteen of those annexations
were filling in unincorporated areas surrounded by the City.
The City area is zoned for 26% employment and services, 5.3% mixed use district, 14.9% public lands,
and 49.8% residential uses. All zoning districts allow for a range of uses. See the 2024 land use
inventory linked above for greater detail. Bozeman is a relatively recently constructed community with
MT Dept. of Revenue (MTDOR) data showing 47% of all structures being less than 30 years old. See the
Age of Structures map set for distribution. MTDOR data also shows that the great majority of residential
properties are in very good or better condition. This data excludes apartment buildings which are
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considered commercial properties.
Trends for population and job characteristics and growth are presented in various documents above.
Bozeman has a robust economy and has seen considerable in-migration for several decades. Montana
State University has been a significant
economic driver, as has a high amenity
setting, ready national and international
access through Bozeman-Yellowstone
International Airport, the growth of remote
work, increases in tourism, and being a
services hub for southwest Montana.
Future population increases, employment,
and housing demand are provided in
the 2025-2045 Bozeman Population
and Housing Forecast linked above and
elsewhere in this appendix. The City
considers many factors when evaluating
future trends and the forecast provides
multiple scenarios. It also considers the
larger region as the Bozeman economy and
housing marking is embedded in the larger
community.
Maxar
¯Annexations since
N o v e m b e r 1 s t , 2 0 2 0
D a t e E x p o r t e d a n d E n d o f D a t a R a n g e : 8 / 2 1 / 2 0 2 5 1 : 2 5
0 0.5 1 1.5 20.25 Miles
City Limits
Annexations
L a n d U s e P l a nBoundary
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2025-2045 Bozeman Population and
Housing Forecast
Bozeman’s population age
composition is substantially
impacted by the presence of
Montana State University with
over 17,000 students. Gallatin
County as a whole has seen a
decrease in poverty as wages
have increased significantly
over the past five years.
However, cost of housing has
increased faster than wages.
Bozeman has experienced
significant in-migration over
the past several decades. As
birthrates have declined most
population growth has come
from people choosing to move
to Bozeman. This trend is expected to continue. A large portion of the enrolled students at Montana
State University come from another state and tourism brings many people for the first time who decide to
make that trip to Bozeman a permanent thing.
2025 Labor Day Report, MT Department of Labor and Industry
The growth of Bozeman can be seen on historic fire insurance maps. The Sanborn maps were
published in cities and towns across the nation in the 19th and 20 centuries. The maps illustrate detailed
information about structures, streets, property boundaries, building uses and materials. Local information
on historic structures and historic districts is available through the City website and Map 14.
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B-6 CiTY OF BOZEMAN COMMUNiTY PLAN, APPENDiCES
SECTION 76-25-206 HOUSING
Document Name Approval Process Date of Approval Resolution/Ordinance Hyperlink to Document
2025-2045 Bozeman Population and Housing Forecast
Adoption by Resolution as part of the land use plan Link (external PDF)
Community Housing Needs Assessment Adoption by Resolution Mar 11, 2019 5024 Link (external PDF)
Community Housing Action Plan Adoption by Resolution Apr 20, 2020 5143 Link (external PDF)
Five Year CDBG
Consolidated Plan
Adoption by Resolution July 23,
2024
5604 Link (external
PDF)
Bozeman 2024 Q2 Market
Report
No approval process
applies
Ongoing
data updates
Link (external
PDF)
Bozeman Livable Sq. Ft.
Report 2020-2025
No approval process
applies
Ongoing
data updates
Link (external
PDF)
Bozeman 2020-2024
Building Data
No approval process
applies
Ongoing
data updates
Link (external
PDF)
Bozeman 2024 Building Permit Annual Report No approval process applies Ongoing data updates
Link (external PDF)
Bozeman Community Housing Map No approval process applies Ongoing data updates
Link (external PDF)
Bozeman Building Permit Dashboard No approval process applies Ongoing data updates
Link (external PDF)
Maps Adoption by Resolution as part of the land use plan Link (external PDF)
Non-City materials
MT Department of
Commerce – Housing
website
No City approval process
applies
Link (external
website)
US Census ACS Housing
Trend – Gallatin County
No City approval process
applies
Link (external
PDF)
One Valley Foundation
Regional Housing Report
No City approval process
applies
Link (external
website)
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CiTY OF BOZEMAN COMMUNiTY PLAN, APPENDiCES B-7
2025 Gallatin Valley Housing Report No City approval process applies Link (external PDF)
Bozeman has seen substantial residential construction over the past five years. The COVID pandemic
drove substantial demand for housing and purchase prices escalated over 170%. Data provided above
gives historical detail, projections for additional demand in the future, and information on the individual
buildings being constructed.
Montana State University is the largest housing demand generator in the valley. It provides a variety
of on-campus housing options for both undergraduate and graduate students. The University has
constructed several new residential facilities recently as enrolled has significantly increased. The majority
of students do not live on campus.
Housing demand and affordability have been an issue discussed in land use plans for the City since
1972. Affordable housing has been particularly concerning due to a consistent mismatch between
local wage levels and cost of housing. The City has facilitated construction of additional homes with
thoughtful infrastructure planning, review and adjustment of development regulations to match current
circumstances, and financial support for price limited homes. The City’s tools to support affordable
housing are limited by law. The great majority of all price limited housing constructed in the past five
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B-8 CiTY OF BOZEMAN COMMUNiTY PLAN, APPENDiCES
years has come through the federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit subsidy. All price limited housing
requires substantial subsidization. Bozeman has created regulatory housing incentives, however recent
state legislature action has reduced the effectiveness of the City’s incentives. The One Valley housing
report from 2021 describes some of the challenges. Rapid escalation in housing prices has increased the
degree of subsidy needed.
Concern on housing available housing at prices people can support is a national issue. Changing
demographics, increasing costs of labor and materials, land availability, and financing all influence
both need for and availability of housing. The 2025-2045 Bozeman Population and Housing Forecast
provides information on likely housing needs for the future. Bozeman has seen a recent spike on
housing construction as a deficiency in basic supply was addressed. Vacancy rates during the COVID
pandemic reached essentially zero which is very unhealthy for a housing market and the people who
need somewhere to live.
The City has established a community housing program hosted in the Economic Development
Department. This program works with price limited housing providers to identify locations and methods
and to leverage state and federal incentives like Low Income Housing Tax Credits. Hundreds of homes
have been constructed and are in construction now across the community through those programs in the
past five years. See the Bozeman Community Housing Map, Housing Action Plan, and Housing Needs
Assessment above for more information.
Most structures in Bozeman are quite young. According to MTDOR data, only 21.6% of structures in
Bozeman are greater than 50 years of age. The housing stock is also in good condition. The older areas
of the community have seen steady reinvestment and renovation of buildings. The good condition and
corresponding value increases decreases the likelihood of existing properties being redeveloped as
the difference in before and after construction value is less. The scope of this is shown on Map 7. Of the
parcels for which data is available almost all have improvements worth more than the value of the land
with 3,234 having a 3x improvement value to land value. In many older areas of town the improvement
value to land value trends higher as these areas are often seen as desirable.
Map set 6 shows several density analyses evaluating existing development density to potential density.
Many areas of the community have fewer homes on site than the zoning would allow. However, given
the high value of existing improvements the likelihood of redevelopment is lower. Some areas of the
map show greater development potential because they are zoned but not yet developed. Map 6d shows
where development projects are actively in the review process and overlay many of the areas presently
shown as vacant or undeveloped.
There is an estimated need for 10,700-15,100 new residences in Bozeman by the year 2045 to house
projected population increase. The City’s policies call for both infill and external expansion to meet
this need. Many smaller infill opportunities may come from the addition of units to existing structures,
accessory dwelling units, or new homes being added to larger lots. Larger projects may be able to
financially support removal and replacement of existing buildings. If the balance of zoning districts
remains as it is today, and minimum required density construction is completed then 2,275 to 2,935
acres will be needed to meet additional housing needs. The 2024 land use inventory shows that 1,084
acres are currently vacant, and 421 acres are currently undeveloped in residentially zoned districts.
See the inventory for definitions. Not all of the vacant or undeveloped land will be capable of being
developed as portions of those areas will be restricted by environmental limitations, dedication as future
parks, or other constraints. These figures indicate that it is highly likely that additional annexations will be
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CiTY OF BOZEMAN COMMUNiTY PLAN, APPENDiCES B-9
Table 1: 2024Q2 Market Report
Table 2: Bozeman, Montana Population & Housing Forecast
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B-10 CiTY OF BOZEMAN COMMUNiTY PLAN, APPENDiCES
required to meet residential needs over the planning period. The most likely areas of physical extension
of the City are to the northwest and southwest due to patterns of infrastructure and the natural grade to
support sewer flow.
The City’s zoning code and infrastructure planning are adequate to meet the future housing needs.
The City is actively updating its zoning and subdivision regulations to meet the requirements of MLUPA.
Completion of the updated process will occur prior to the May 2026 deadline for compliance. Execution
of specific development proposals will incrementally produce the housing.
POTENTIAL RESTRICTIONS ON HOUSING
MLUPA requires an analysis of potential constraints to housing development.
1) Landowner willingness. The City cannot compel construction and development. If the landowner does
not choose to bring land to market, the City cannot change that. This situation is equally applicable for
infill sites or land being added to the City. There are several sites within municipal boundaries well suited
for development for which the landowner has chosen not to develop or to do so in a very limited way. As
noted above, additional land will be required to be annexed to meet housing needs. Montana law places
primary control of the annexation process with the landowner. State tax rates set taxes for agricultural
land very low which removes one potential motivation to annex and develop property.
Bozeman established an annexation policy to identify City priorities, plans for expansion of utilities and
services, and has made a great amount of data available to the public. These actions lessen uncertainty
and risk for the landowner and are an enticement to annex. The City works with Gallatin County as
described in Theme 7 to encourage annexation. Annexations over the past 5 years are shown on Map
set 4 and were all landowner initiated. Annexations back to 1996 are shown on the GIS Community
Development viewer linked above. The City continues to encourage annexations consistent with the
City’s annexation policy.
2) Zoning restrictions are unlikely to limit housing production. Most of the residentially zoned property
does not develop to the maximum possible amount as shown on Map set 6. Therefore, zoning does
not appear to be a restriction to development. The City has long had a primarily administrative review
process except where required state law; and MLUPA transfers additional administrative responsibility for
review of subdivisions and other processes formerly reserved to the City Commission. Building permit
information is shown in Map set 5 and in the Building Permit Dashboard linked above. The majority of
residential zoning in Bozeman historically allowed buildings with multiple dwelling buildings and all
residential zoning allows multiple homes on an individual parcel.
3) Utility capacity. The City actively plans for the long-term capability to increase service. The water,
wastewater, and stormwater issue plans identify existing conditions, expected future demands, identify
needed capital investments to maintain or expand the systems, operational improvements to reduces
costs and improve efficiency, and enable coordination with other municipal services. The greatest
constraint on utility capacity is state and federal permitting. Water, sewer, and stormwater utilities are
subject to external permitting. Wastewater treatment requirements associated with the City’s Montana
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit impose substantial costs and may represent unsolvable
hurdles if the requirements are not well considered. Nutrient regulations are the current focus for MPDES
discharge permit regulations that must be thoughtfully considered before implementing new regulations.
New nutrient regulations may have a substantial impact on ability for wastewater treatment facilities to
accommodate new housing. Impracticable standards introduce uncertainty and unreasonable cost in
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CiTY OF BOZEMAN COMMUNiTY PLAN, APPENDiCES B-11
service capacity expansion.
Sewer collection infrastructure can also be a large barrier to adding housing. This barrier is often a
funding barrier. We have long-term plans for the infrastructure that lay out the most cost-effective means
of building the infrastructure. We also have developed some funding in conjunction with public-private
partnership funding. However, additional infrastructure funding would further remove barriers to housing
development.
The City actively pursues water conservation, water supply acquisition, and best industry practices
according to its 50-year water supply issue plan, which is currently being updated, to ensure high level of
service and constrained costs to citizens. The City has an annual capital improvement program to identify
priority projects, coordinate work within the utilities and across departments to minimize costs, and
avoid infrastructure limitations on development. The City actively engages with regulatory agencies to
get ahead of potential restrictions, ensure clear communications, and when necessary, pursue revisions
to law and permitting processes. As such, there is a significant barrier to developing municipal water
supplies, and therefore capacity for new housing, related to water rights permitting. Permitting needs
to be streamlined for clarity, predictability, and to reduce time to obtain municipal water rights permits.
Currently, municipal water rights permits take anywhere from 5-8 years and significant investment with
no guarantee a municipal right can be obtained at the end of such a long process. Other western states
with similar water scenarios have more refined and predictable processes for municipal water right
development that Montana could benefit from generally known as growing communities doctrine.
4) Private covenants. Most of Bozeman’s housing has been constructed in the last 30 years. It has been
common for private covenants to be established with new subdivisions restricting the use of the land
or establishing extensive design requirements and review processes. There is no state law governing
private covenants or property owner associations to require the transparency and accountability that
local governments must provide when restricting property. Covenants are not required to be modified to
respond to changes in state land use policy like local governments are required to do and therefore are
highly likely to conflict with recent state directives to allow increased building heights, greater flexibility
in the type of homes constructed, or other mandates. Covenants are often written with a limited view
and are not subject to the periodic review and update process required of local government land use
planning. Many covenants have amendment requirements that are very difficult to meet, so that even
practical or beneficial changes are not made. There is no legal expiration period for a private covenant
so restrictions continue long past the time of utility.
SECTION 76-25-207 LOCAL SERVICES AND FACILITIES
Document Name Approval Process Date of Approval Resolution/Ordinance Hyperlink to Document
Fire and EMS Master Plan Adoption by
Resolution
Nov 6, 2017 4848 Link (External PDF)
Fire Department Strategic Plan Administrative
Order
Link (External PDF)
Fire Department 2024 Annual
Report
No approval
process applies
Ongoing
data
updates
Link (external PDF)
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B-12 CiTY OF BOZEMAN COMMUNiTY PLAN, APPENDiCES
Document Name Approval Process Date of Approval Resolution/Ordinance Hyperlink to Document
Gallatin County Hazard
Mitigation Plan & Community
Wildfire Protection Plan
Adoption by
Resolution
Jan 12, 2021 5256 Link (External PDF)
Mutual Aid Agreements – Fire Approved by
Motion
Mar 5, 2012 Motion Link (External PDF)
City of Bozeman Law
Enforcement
Internal document 2020 Link (External PDF)
Mutual Aid Agreement –
Police
Approved by
Motion
July 9, 2012 Motion Link (External PDF)
Cemetery Master Plan Approved by
Advisory Board
Aug 4, 2017 Link (External PDF)
Integrated Water Resources
Plan
Approved by
Motion
Sep 30, 2013 Motion Link (External PDF)
Integrated Water Resources
Plan Implementation Plan
Approved by
Motion
Dec 2, 2013 Motion Link (External PDF)
Wastewater Collection
Facilities Plan
Adoption by
Resolution
December
17, 2024
5664 Link (External PDF)
Water Facilities Plan Adoption by
Resolution
Sep 25, 2017 4838 Link (External PDF)
Water Conservation and
Efficiency Plan
Adoption by
Resolution
Oct 23,
2023
5547 Link (External PDF)
Drought Management Plan Adoption by
Resolution
May 3, 2022 5398 Link (External PDF)
Storm Water Facilities Plan Adoption by
Resolution
May 6, 2025 Motion Link (External PDF)
Public Works Facilities Master
Plan
Internal document 2020 Link (External PDF)
Transportation Master Plan
2017
Resolution May 1, 2017 4790 Link (External PDF)
Bozeman Community
Transportation Safety Plan
Approved by
Motion
May 18, 2015 Link (External PDF)
Downtown Strategic Parking
Management Plan 2016
Approved by
Motion
July 18, 2016 Link (External PDF)
Downtown Strategic Parking
Management Plan Existing
Conditions Report 2023
Internal document
only
2023 Link (External PDF)
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CiTY OF BOZEMAN COMMUNiTY PLAN, APPENDiCES B-13
Document Name Approval Process Date of Approval Resolution/Ordinance Hyperlink to Document
Parks, Recreation, and Active
Transportation Plan 2023
Resolution Sept. 12,
2023
5502 Link (External PDF)
Appendices not
linked.
Urban Forestry Management
Plan
Commission
Resolution
February 22,
2016
4679 Link (External PDF)
GIS Data – Com. Dev. Viewer
& Public Works Viewer
No approval
process applies
Ongoing
data
updates
Link (External
website)
Link (External
website)
Maps Data is
Incorporated as
part of Land Use
Plan
Link (external PDF)
Non-City Materials
School District 7 Enrollment
Projections and Trends
No City approval
process applies
Updated
annually
Link (External PDF)
School District 7 Enrollment
Memo 2024
No City approval
process applies
Updated
annually
Link (External PDF)
Gallatin County
Superintendent of Schools
County-wide Data
No City approval
process applies
Updated
annually
Link (External PDF)
MT Office of Public Instruction
- School Enrollment
No City approval
process applies
Updated
annually
Link (External PDF)
Gallatin County GIS Analysis
of School Enrollment vs
Population Growth Trends
No City approval
process applies
NA Link (External PDF)
Gallatin Solid Waste District
Logan Facility License
Approved by MT
DEQ.
Nov 15, 1995 Link (External PDF)
Bozeman Health Community
Health Needs Assessment
2023
No City approval
process applies
NA Link (External PDF)
Medical Providers Exemplary
List
No City approval
process applies
NA Link (External PDF)
Montana Department of
Trasportation System Map
No City approval
process applies
On-going Link (External
website)
Metropolitan Planning
Organization
Approved by
Motion
Dec 12,
2023
Motion Link (External PDF)
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B-14 CiTY OF BOZEMAN COMMUNiTY PLAN, APPENDiCES
Document Name Approval Process Date of Approval Resolution/Ordinance Hyperlink to Document
Streamline Coordination Plan No City approval
process applies
Link (External PDF)
Streamline Bus – Urban
Transit District
No City approval
process applies
Link (External
website)
Triangle Trails Plan No City approval
process applies
November
23, 2021
Link (External PDF)
Infrastructure is a primary function of a municipality. The City prepares many issue plans to manage these very important and very expensive functions. The City also prepares issue plans and other documents to consider operational needs and data for services. The following table is an example of infrastrucfture
located in Bozeman.
Infrastructure Type Installed Total Miles Sept. 2025
Water 317.32
Sewer 256.03
Stormwater 135.90
Streets 399.03
Total Acres
Parks 1,078.09
Most services expand incrementally as the community grows. The City has integrated most departments
into the development review system so that all agencies can stay abreast of changes and likely
increased demand for services. The funding for some departments, like utilities, come primarily from
enterprise funds where regular fees are charged to cover the costs of operations. Some departments,
like finance and legal, are funded entirely from the general taxes paid by landowners. Others, like
community development, are a blend of fees and taxes. Historically, the state’s tax structure has not
provided a growth in tax revenues equal to the increase in demand for and cost of services. This has
resulted in a greater reliance on service fees to fund municipal operations. The City may only use
funding tools authorized by the state. Continuing change at the state level will directly affect the ability of
the City to provide services.
The City often coordinates with partner jurisdictions. Mutual aid agreements set terms by which agencies
support each other. When the City experienced a large gas explosion Downtown in 2006, many different
fire departments in the valley assisted in the response. The City also actively plans for emergencies
through the coordination of the Gallatin County Emergency Service. The hazard mitigation plan identifies
many possible events that could occur and how to prepare and respond. Locations of local emergency
service responders are shown on Map set 13.
MLUPA requires Bozeman to address with the land use plan a number of service subjects where the
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CiTY OF BOZEMAN COMMUNiTY PLAN, APPENDiCES B-15
City does not control the provision of services. Medical and schools are two examples. Those are
separate entities but have provided information included above on existing and future needs. Shifting
demographics will influence both municipal and non-municipal services. A declining national fertility
rate reduces the number of births and therefore, the required number of schools, changes the types of
recreation programming needed from the Parks Department, and likely effects enrollment at MSU. See
data links above and Map 16.
Some services, like solid waste are provided both by the City of Bozeman and various private
companies. Multiple companies provide composting, solid waste disposal, and recycling. There is one
landfill in the county managed by the Gallatin Solid Waste District, of which Bozeman is one participant.
The permitting for the landfill is managed by the state’s Department of Environmental Quality and
predated the preparation of this plan.
STRATEGY FOR DEVELOPMENT, MAINTENANCE, AND REPLACEMENT OF PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE.
The City of Bozeman actively manages its infrastructure. The issue plans listed above are integrated with
other information through tools like the GIS viewers linked above and asset management software.
The planning area for each facility plan generally matches the planning area for this growth policy. Minor
mismatches do occur at fringe locations. Over time, these will be corrected as each plan is updated and
matched to the land use plan boundary. The water plans rely on geographical features and facilities
located well outside of the land use planning area. This is reflective of the realities of watershed
operation.
The City draws water from three sources:
• Sourdough drainage: 33 square miles
• Hyalite drainage: 51 square miles
• Lyman Spring recharge area: 13 square mniles
Each plan contains analysis of existing and future needs. For detailed evaluation of each facility please
consult the appropriate facility plan. The City updates several issue plans each year. The planning time
period and frequency of update needed to remain current varies by type of facility.
Some facilities, such as transportation, address the demands placed by many thousands of daily
commuters and of persons passing through the community as well as residents. Others, like stormwater,
primarily address needs by residents. A comparison of individual plans will therefore show differences in
the size of anticipated service populations now and in the future.
The City has a highly robust web presence to share infrastructure information. Using web viewers,
anyone can see existing and planned future infrastructure. They can select individual segments to obtain
basic information on age, size, and type. This greatly facilitates infrastructure management and design
by both public and private parties to upkeep and expand systems. The City has invested in sophisticated
modeling systems that allow rapid evaluation of potential changes to the water and sewer systems.
The issue plan process provides a first level of review and mitigation for development impact. Facility
plans like water or transportation consider probable development and resulting demands. This enables
analysis of new demand against existing facilities, identification of where capacity expansion is required,
and preliminary system design for new areas. The annual capital improvement program schedules
specific projects for construction and coordinates funding. Individual development proposals provide a
final level of detail before construction.
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B-16 CiTY OF BOZEMAN COMMUNiTY PLAN, APPENDiCES
MAINTENANCE AND REPLACEMENT
City staff conduct daily maintenance and operations on all facilities and local services. Local services
are all services provided by the City for the benefit of citizens and visitors. These services include, but
are not limited to, police, fire, water, recreation, streets, parks, libraries, wastewater, and solid waste
collection and disposal. Daily maintenance is supported by the annual budget funded by the taxes and
fees assessed for services. The City’s adopted budgeting principles commit to adequate maintenance
and orderly replacement. Operational expenses from the water, sewer, sanitation, and stormwater
functions are paid by the monthly service fees assessed to users of the service. Maintenance of streets is
primarily funded by a city-wide special district that is billed with the semi-annual property tax bills. Where
appropriate, special improvement districts help reconstruct some local streets. Parks is supported by a
voter approved special district. For a more extensive discussion of budgeting and accounting principles,
individual operations, and expenditures please see the most current City budget.
The City maintains a substantial inventory of various facilities. The characteristics of each item are
included in the asset management program as well as its geographic location. This asset list enables
departments to consider age, condition, and other factors to determine when maintenance or
replacement is required. There are adopted standards for expected service life of each type of facility.
The City includes maintenance concerns in its design process and standards. The City of Bozeman
Engineering Division Design and Construction standards were updated in 2024. The operating
departments prepare budget requests each year to provide needed funding to replace deficient items
or those reaching the end of their service life. Substantial projects become part of the City’s Capital
Improvement Program (CIP) which provides public disclosure of substantial projects. The City has found
that adequate maintenance reduces the frequency of required replacement and is less expensive for
citizens over the long run.
INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT
The facility plans look forward to construction of additional infrastructure needed to service an
expanding City. Each considers where new work can best be located. Most facilities operate as networks
of connections and therefore, placement of one new improvement can facilitate further expansion or
improve function of existing work. The water, sewer, and transportation plans specifically identify needed
improvements to expand or upgrade service in areas not currently annexed to the City.
The facility planning process provides an essential opportunity to coordinate between plans and
agencies. As the City considers extensions of sewer and water it enables a change in land use from rural
to urban uses. The City prioritizes identification of larger scale facilities such as collector and arterial
streets. Local service items such as local streets and minimum sized water mains are most effectively
designed during the land development process when greater information on uses is available.
The City has established design standards and performance standards for all levels of infrastructure.
These standards guide the individual project designer during preparation of development applications.
The City uses a Capital Improvement Program system to plan for major projects over a five-year period
and is updated annually through a public process. The facility plans provide the basic material from
which to construct the CIP, having identified major needed projects to service an expanded city. This
provides transparency in City operations and enables participation by the public in decision making.
Individual projects are identified, benefits and costs are described, funding sources are assigned and
an overall picture of the revenue needed to construct the projects is determined. The CIP process
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CiTY OF BOZEMAN COMMUNiTY PLAN, APPENDiCES B-17
ensures that a longer-term vision of the community’s development is always considered in prioritizing
individual projects for construction. The annual update enables the City to be responsive to changing
conditions including needs identified for proposed development. Funding for the CIP primarily comes
from utility charges, street maintenance and stormwater assessments, and a park maintenance district
for maintenance functions. Impact fees for water, sewer, fire/EMS, and transportation provide essential
funding for capacity expanding work.
Much of the local scale infrastructure is constructed by private development and later transferred to
the City with final plats or other completion processes. These are minimum standard improvements
necessary to meet the day-to-day needs of residents and users of new development. In calendar year
2024, private installation of infrastructure resulted in 5.53 miles of streets, 5.52 miles of water mains, 3.31
miles of sewer mains, 2.91 miles of stormwater mains, and 6.965 acres of parks begin transferred to the
City. Once transferred they are a maintenance responsibility of the City and municipal fees and taxes pay
for their maintenance and operation.
After the 2020 US Census identified that the urban area had exceeded 50,000 persons, the City became
part of a new Metropolitan Planning Organization [MPO] during the effective period of of the prior plan.
An MPO is a federally required multi-community organization for areas over 50,000 in population that
supports multi-jurisdiction coordination in transportation planning, multi-modal networks, and road
development. As described in Theme 7 the City is committed to Regional Coordination and will take
many different actions to participate in shared decision making. The MPO coordinates transportation
planning across a defined area and includes the cities of Bozeman and Belgrade as well as Gallatin
County. The MPO conducts analysis and prepares a long-range transportation plan every four years. The
MPO is hosted by the City of Bozeman but is funded primarily by federal funds.
The Gallatin Triangle Planning Study in 2014 documented 10 different types of formal interlocal
cooperation tools in place in the valley. In 2016, the City of Bozeman, City of Belgrade, and Gallatin
County established the Planning Coordinating Committee to provide a forum for exchange of information
and discussion regarding common issues of land use and development. The City and County staff
regularly communicate on operations issues. Additional interlocal agreements will be adopted as needed
to formalize coordination. The Triangle Community Plan was completed and adopted in 2021 establishing
shared priorities in the area of common interest.
The City does not extend municipal services outside of its boundaries. Therefore, development desiring
access to water or sewer service must first annex. The City has most recently documented this policy
in Resolution 2025-007. This policy enables a clear delineation in service provision and supports a
rational expansion of infrastructure and city boundaries. All services within the City are provided by the
City. Services outside the City are provided by another government agency. Gallatin County’s recently
adopted future land use map identifies areas expected to annex over the near term. The City hopes to
extend its boundaries incrementally and avoid unannexed areas surrounded by the City. Such inholdings
complicate efficient delivery of service and can cause difficulties with extensions of utilities. Incremental
expansion of the City can be seen on the annexation layer available on the Community Development GIS
viewer linked above. Data shown is 1996 to current.
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B-18 CiTY OF BOZEMAN COMMUNiTY PLAN, APPENDiCES
SECTION 76-25-208 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Document Name Approval Process Date of Approval Resolution/
Ordinance
Hyperlink to
Document
2025-2045 Bozeman
Population and Housing
Forecast
Adoption by
Resolution as part of
the land use plan
Link (external
PDF)
2024 Q2 Economic and
Market Update
Data - No approval
process applies
Updated annually Link (external
PDF)
2023 Economic Vitality
Strategy
Adopted by
Resolution
Jun 6, 2023 5443 Link (external
PDF)
Urban Renewal Plans Adopted by
Resolution or
Resolution
Midtown – July 18,
2023
Pole Yard – July
18, 2023
North Park – Oct
9, 2017
South Bozeman
Technology – Nov
5, 2012
Downtown – Nov
20, 1995
Northeast
Neighborhood –
Nov 14, 2005
Midtown - Ord
2145
Pole Yard –
Ord 2146
North Park –
Ord 1979
South
Bozeman
Technology –
Res 4414
Downtown –
Ord 1409
Northeast
Neighborhood
– Ord 1655
Link (external
PDF)
Link (external
PDF)
Link (external
PDF)
Link (external
PDF)
Link (external
PDF)
Link (external
PDF)
Capital Improvement
Plan
Adoption by
Resolution of Annual
Capital Improvement
Plan
Dec 10, 2024
(most recent)
5662 Link (external
PDF)
Annual Bozeman Land
Use Inventory - 2024
Data - No approval
process applies
Link (External
PDF)
Maps Adoption by
Resolution as part of
the land use plan
Link (external
PDF)
MT Department of Labor
& Industry, 2025 Labor
Day Report
No approval process
applies – Non-city
document
Annual Report Link (External
PDF)
MT Department of
Labor & Industry –
Montana Labor Market
Information
No approval process
applies – Non-city
website
On-going Link (External
website)
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CiTY OF BOZEMAN COMMUNiTY PLAN, APPENDiCES B-19
MT Department of
Commerce – Site
Selector
No approval process
applies – Non-city
website
On-going Link (External
website)
MT Department of
Commerce – Workforce
No approval process
applies – Non-city
website
On-going Link (External
website)
Chamber of commerce
– Tourism Data
No approval process
applies – Non-city
document
On-going data
collection
Link (External
PDF)
USDA Economic
Research Service,
Natural Amenities Scale
No approval process
applies – Non-city
document
On-going data
collection
Link (External
website)
Bozeman international
Airport Annual Report
and Data
No approval process
applies – Non-city
documents
On-going data
collection
Link (External
website)
MSU Annual Research
Expenditure Report
No approval process
applies – Non-city
document
On-going data
collection
Link (External
PDF)
MSU Quick Facts
Employees
No approval process
applies – Non-city
document
On-going data
collection
Link (External
PDF)
MSU New Students and
Success
No approval process
applies – Non-city
document
On-going data
collection
Link (External
PDF)
Data on the jobs and economic
status are contained in the 2025-
2045 Bozeman Population and
Housing Forecast and 2024 Q2
Economic and Market Update
linked above. The City prepares
an economic development issue
plan, most recently completed in
2023 and also linked above.
Bozeman is a services hub for
southwest Montana. Bozeman-
Yellowstone International Airport
provides exceptional access to
the rest of the nation. As a main
gateway to Yellowstone Nation
Park, multiple well known ski
areas, a Tier 1 research university, Airport Route Map, Bozeman, Montana 2024Q2 Market Report
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B-20 CiTY OF BOZEMAN COMMUNiTY PLAN, APPENDiCES
and many other attractions Bozeman draws hundreds of thousands of visitors per year and many in-
migrants.
Bozeman and the Gallatin Valley are leaders in job creation in Montana with expanding sectors for
hospitality, retail, manufacturing, health care, technology, and education including the extensive research
activities of Montana State University. An expansion of 26,100 jobs is forecast for the planning period.
The 2025 Labor Day Report from the MT Dept. of Labor and Industry shows the Southwest region,
including Gallatin County, had the fastest employment growth in the state of 1.0% in 2024, adding nearly
1,700 jobs and the second lowest unemployment rate of 2.7%.
Low unemployment, housing availability limitations, high cost of housing, and limited availability of
childcare are all challenges in continued employment growth. Advantages are technology transfer from
research at Montana State University, a culture of entrepreneurship, excellent access to national and
international markets by broadband and air, and grow local approach to nurturing local businesses. The
City supports a healthy economic climate by establishing urban renewal districts to help remove barriers
to redevelopment, efficient provision of infrastructure, a land use regulatory environment that allows
substantial flexibility, and other tools as outlined in the Economic Development Strategy.
SECTION 76-25-209 NATURAL RESOURCES, ENVIRONMENT AND HAZARDS
Document Name Approval
Process
Date of
Approval
Resolution/
Ordinance
Hyperlink to
Document/Source
Bozeman Community Plan - Theme 4 and Theme 6 Adoption by Resolution as part
of the land use plan
November 17, 2020 –
Initial
5133
Bozeman Community Plan
Appendices
Adoption by
Resolution as part of the land use plan
GIS Data – Com. Dev. Viewer & Public Works Viewer
No approval process applies Ongoing data updates Link (External website)Link (External website)
Gallatin County Hazard Mitigation Plan and
Community Wildfire
Protection Plan
Adoption by Resolution Jan 12, 2021 5256 Link (External PDF)
Bozeman Climate Action
Plan
Adoption by
Resolution
Dec 22,
2020
5248 Link (external PDF)
2024 Green House Gas Inventory No City approval process applies Ongoing data updates Link (External PDF)
Gallatin Valley Sensitive Lands Protection Plan
Model Viewer
Acceptance by Resolution Dec 19, 2023 5559 Link (External website)
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Gallatin Valley Sensitive Lands Protection Plan Acceptance by Resolution Dec 19, 2023 5559 Link (External PDF)
Economic Development Strategy Update Adoption by Resolution June 6, 2023 5443 Link (external PDF)
Urban Forestry Management Plan Commission Resolution February 22, 2016 4679 Link (External PDF)
Bozeman Boulevard and Park Tree Inventory No City approval process applies Ongoing data updates Link (External website)
Maps Adoption by
Resolution as part of the land use plan
Link (external PDF)
Non-City Materials
Montana State Library
- Digital atlas, natural resources information system, and other data.
No City approval
process applies
Ongoing
data updates
Link (External
website) FWPLink (External website) NRISLink (External
website) NRIS
State of Montana Field
Guide
No City approval
process applies
Ongoing
data updates
Link (External
website) Montana Field Guide
FEMA flood insurance
studies
Adoption by
Ordinance
March 9,
2021
2057 Link (external PDF)
MT DNRC Water Rights
Query System
No City approval
process applies
Ongoing
data updates
Link (External
website)
MT Bureau of Mines and
Geology, Groundwater
Information Center
No City approval
process applies
Ongoing
data updates
Link (External
website)
MT Bureau of Mines and
Geology, Montana Geologic Maps
No City approval
process applies
Ongoing
data updates
Link (External
website)
MT DEQ Open Cut Mining No City approval
process applies
Ongoing
data updates
Link (External
website)
MT Climate Office No City approval
process applies
Ongoing
data updates
Link (External
website)
Gallatin County Wildlife and
Transportation Assessment:
Spatial Analysis
No city approval
process applies
Completed
May 2025
Link (External PDF)
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B-22 CiTY OF BOZEMAN COMMUNiTY PLAN, APPENDiCES
Gallatin Conservation District Water Supply Outlook Reports
No City approval process applies Ongoing data updates Link (External website)
Gallatin County Environmental Health Map No City approval process applies Ongoing data updates Link (External website)
MT Department of Natural Resources and Conservation State Lands
Map
No City approval process applies Ongoing data updates Link (External website)
MT Department of Fish,
Wildlife, and Parks
No City approval
process applies
Ongoing
data updates
Link (External
website)
US Census of Agriculture No City approval process applies Ongoing data updates Link (External website)
Bozeman is located in the Gallatin Valley and is part of the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem. Gallatin
County covers over 2,500 square miles of mountain lands varying in topography and climate from
temperate river valleys to snow-capped peaks and open ranch lands. Nearly half of all the land in Gallatin
County is under public ownership by the Gallatin National Forest, the State of Montana, Bureau of Land
Management or the National Park Service. There are also sizable areas of private land held under
conservation easements to restrict future development.
Bozeman is adjacent to the Bridger range to the east and the Gallatin range to the south; and the
Planning Area is crossed with many small streams. When Lewis and Clark came into the Gallatin Valley,
they described it as “a smooth extensive green meadow of fine grass in its course meandering in several
streams...and a distant range of lofty mountains ran their snow clad tops above the irregular and broken
mountains which lie adjacent to this beautiful spot.” Resource extraction from beaver pelts, mining, and
agriculture in support of the mines drew many early settlers to the area.
The waterways in the valley are primarily small streams, many of which have been modified as part
of the agricultural water user facility network. Determining legal status of each waterway is a material
challenge and ready and reliable data is difficult to find. One commonly referenced resource is the 1961
water resource survey. Although a very useful tool, the scale of mapping is becoming less useful as more
urban development is occurring. Also, the data is now a more than half a century old and becoming less
accurate as the area changes. The City has been working with Montana State University. water user
representatives, and other partners to upgrade locally available date in both the geographic depiction
and attributes of waterways across the planning area. This is a long term project but is making progress.
Bozeman took the lead in working with many community partners to assemble the Sensitive Lands Plan
and viewer, completed in 2023. This brings together many different natural resource data sets to enable
high-level evaluation of likely issues during development, consideration of conservation, and general
awareness. See links above.
Bozeman was originally settled as a supply center for mining activities in Virginia City and elsewhere.
Agriculture was a draw for the railroad to come to Bozeman to ship grain from the Story Mill complex
and cattle. Development of agricultural irrigation facilities has substantially altered the “plumbing” of
the valley, redirecting water flows, creating channels or modifying streams to carry additional flows for
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CiTY OF BOZEMAN COMMUNiTY PLAN, APPENDiCES B-23
irrigation. The creation of the sweet pea industry in the area in the early 1900’s created industrial facilities
and many jobs. Echoes of that industry live on in the Sweet Pea festival each summer. Although the
economic influence of agriculture has decreased in the community over time, the community character of
open fields and agricultural activities is still much appreciated and recognized. Multiple farmer’s markets,
.ocal food initiatives, and other activities help local agriculture continue to be valued. Preservation of
open lands and functional agriculture is a frequent comment on land use matters and agriculture uses a
large portion of the total land area of Gallatin Valley.
Bozeman citizens have planted a significant urban forest in the Bozeman municipal limits with over
27,000 public trees and a great number of trees on private property. Most native trees follow streams or
other water sources. The City Forestry Division is responsible for public trees. Development regulations
require trees in the public rights-of-way with new construction, in parking lots, and along watercourses.
This increases tree canopy, species variety, supports and increases wildlife habitat, and creates a more
pleasant and healthful environment for people.
Development to urban uses changes both the appearance and function of land. There are many public
resources, such as those linked above, which provide information on many aspects of the physical
environment. This information provides early identification of plants, animals, topography, and other
natural environment related issues that may need to be addressed through the development review
process. The scale and refinement of the data is rarely adequate to meet the site design needs in an
urban environment. For this reason, the development review process requires additional, more detailed,
information.
The City has adopted regulations to protect natural features such as wetlands or watercourses. These
regulations prioritize protection first and mitigation second. The regulations also recognize that humans
and larger animals can conflict to the detriment of both. For this reason, the city does not attempt to
preserve habitat within the city for larger animals like elk or bears. The 2025 Gallatin County Wildlife
and Transportation Assessment: Spatial Analysis evaluated wildlife mortality from vehicle collisions. It
documented vehicle related mortality along Montana Department of Transportation roadways (3,710
ungulates and 36 carnivores over 15 years) and identified methods of mitigation. Most of the study area
was outside of the Planning Area but still provides valuable information.
Water is a common feature in wildlife and human habitat. Bozeman has adopted aggressive water
conservation measures to reduce consumption. Attached housing such as apartment buildings consume
less water per home that detached homes. Water consumption per home in Bozeman is less than other
large Montana communities or rural development reliant on exempt wells. Development per Bozeman
standards and in city limits therefore reduces impact on water supply and reduces withdrawals from
natural sources. Bozeman has an active stormwater management program that ensures treatment
onsite, controls storm surges from runoff, and actively maintains city storm water infrastructure to reduce
pollutants and maintain a more natural water flow profile. The water reclamation facility treats sewage
to a very high standard before discharge reducing water pollution and is more effective at removing
pollutants than individual rural or suburban septic systems. Nutrient pollution in groundwater is an
increasing problem across the valley. The Environmental Health Services division of the Gallatin-City
County Health Department is responsible for review and issuance of septic permits in conjunction with
subdivision or individually. Their website provides many resources and information on the topic.
Development that meets standards has addressed the natural resources issue unless specific
information provided through the development process supports a different conclusion. Development
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B-24 CiTY OF BOZEMAN COMMUNiTY PLAN, APPENDiCES
within the city reduces land consumption and encroachment into more appropriate habitat areas, lessens
water consumption, and reduces water pollution. Streets in Bozeman also have lower speeds and urban
development consumes fewer acres per person. Therefore, development within the city is protective of
wildlife habitat and species when completed consistent with adopted standards.
The city also acts to protect the natural environment by enabling greater walking or biking in place
of solely motor vehicle dependence. This is done through creation of safe and functional multi-modal
transportation networks, both through parks and trails and also associated with the street network. This
consistent with the City’s Climate Action Plan, Parks Recreation and Active Transportation Plan, and
Transportation Master Plan. A compact urban form is supportive of use of non-motorized transportation
when paired with effective travel networks. Bozeman has been actively developing functional networks
for many years and continues to work to close gaps, extend travel corridors, and coordinate different
travel modes.
Natural Hazards in the Bozeman area include earthquake, flooding, wildfire, and drought. Earthquake
faults are nearby and Montana is the fourth most seismically active state. Flooding is primarily a threat
along Bozeman and Bridger Creeks as they pass through the community and floodplains are mapped
for those watercourses. Setbacks required from watercourses provides space for water to flow and
reduces likelihood of damage. Development regulations may require floodplain analysis for mapped and
unmapped areas. Bozeman is not embedded in a natural forested area but is still at risk of grassland
or other wildfire. City standards for street connectivity, water supply, and fire hydrant placement enable
evacuation and fire fighting tools. Wooded areas do enter the community along watercourses like
Bozeman Creek can provide entry points for fire hazard from rural into urban areas.
The City participates in a variety of hazard mitigation activities. Development regulations limit
development on steep slopes, development within floodplains is prohibited, emergency service
access is assured with each development, and the building codes address the physical construction of
structures to ensure earthquake resistance.
The City partners with other local governments in preparing and implementing the Gallatin County
Hazard Mitigation Plan to address these and many other hazards. The Integrated Water Resources Plan
and other water planning documents address water supply, water conservation, and water management
to limit the impacts of drought.
The natural environment contributes to Bozeman’s economy as well. Agriculture both large and small
scale continues to support local jobs. Artisan foodstuffs and products are featured in local restaurants
serving tourists and locals alike and are available through multiple farmer’s markets. Agriculture
maintains open spaces that provide habitat and visual enjoyment. Skiing, hiking, fishing, and biking as
well as other activities are tourism draws and amenities that encourage people to locate themselves and
firms in Bozeman. Proximity to Yellowstone National Park and multiple ski areas has enabled growth in air
services that in turn supports other business development.
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CiTY OF BOZEMAN COMMUNiTY PLAN, APPENDiCES B-25
SECTION 76-25-213 LAND USE AND FUTURE LAND USE MAP
Document Name Approval Process Date of
Approval
Resolution/
Ordinance
Hyperlink to
Document
Bozeman Community
Plan, Chapters 3 and 5
Adoption by Resolution as
part of the land use plan
Bozeman Annual Land
Use Inventory - 2024
No approval process
applies
On-going Link (external
PDF)
Maps Data is Incorporated as part
of Land Use Plan
Link (external
PDF)
Chapter 3 of the Bozeman Community Plan describes the future land use map (FLUM) and the
designations on it. The entire Planning Area has a designation. The FLUM is not tied to a specific
timeframe or projection of growth but represents a potential future condition to occur if land changes
from present use. The Planning Area boundary is not a limitation on municipal growth. Rather, it is
a practical area for evaluation of growth potential and needs considering physical and jurisdictional
limitations.
The FLUM indicates potential development options with multiple implementing zoning districts. This
approach allows for a “best fit” zoning district analysis based on the specifics of a property and wishes of
the owner. Municipal zoning does not apply until land is annexed and the land use plan likewise is only
advisory until land is annexed.
Future need for land is identified in the various issue plans and documents provided above. The
Planning Area is readily able to accommodate any of the population and employment forecasts from the
2025-2045 Bozeman Population and Housing Forecast. Discussion of the amount of land needed for
future housing is provided above under the Housing topic.
Bozeman publishes an annual land use inventory for the city. This data describes actual use on a site,
how much of each use is occurring within each zoning district, and the area of each type of zoning
district in the City. The report is by acres and does not count dwellings or square footage of non-
residential uses. The City has completed this work since 2000. The annual report includes the data for
the current year and nine prior years. A large map of the 2024 inventory is provided as Map 1. The data is
also available through the City’s Community Development website and the GIS Community Development
viewer.
The future land use map is focused on commercial nodes allowing for ready access to services and
employment as the community grows and new residential areas development. The node based plan
supports lower vehicle use, greater ability to walk or bike to services, and correspondingly lower costs
for transportation and lesser pollution. Map set 15 shows distances buffers from existing commercial
zoning and from proposed commercial areas. The placement of nodes allows reasonable service access
from nearly anywhere in the planning area. The distances of the buffers are based on walking and biking
generally accepted practical distances.
A small version of the future land use map is included in Chapter 3 of the Bozeman Community Plan. A
large format version is available through the City’s website and Map set 18. The area of different future
land use designations within the City and in the Planning Area overall are below.
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B-26 CiTY OF BOZEMAN COMMUNiTY PLAN, APPENDiCES
Designation Name Acres in City Acres in Entire Planning Area
No City Services 522.4 4566.1
Traditional Core 136.3 136.3
Regional Commercial and Services 1027.1 1028.4
Industrial 1119.3 1200.3
Makers Space Mixed Use 59.2 333.8
Residential Mixed Use 541.3 982.7
Community Commercial Mixed Use 1452.4 2115.0
Public Institution 1630.7 3428.3
Parks and Open Lands 1507.6 2905.8
Urban Neighborhood 6116.8 28,644.8
Total 14,113 45,341.4
SECTION 76-25-214 AREA PLANS
Document Name Approval Process Date of
Approval
Resolution/
Ordinance
Hyperlink to
Document
Downtown Bozeman
Improvement Plan
Adoption by
Resolution
April 15, 2019 5005 Link (external
PDF)
Bozeman Creek
Neighborhood Plan
Adoption by
Resolution
April 18,
2005
3786 Link (external
PDF)
Bozeman Health Subarea
Plan
Adoption by
Resolution
October 8,
2024
5597 Link (External
PDF)
Midtown Action Plan 2017 Adoption by
Resolution
August 21,
2017
4781 Link (External
PDF)
The City has adopted several area plans over the years. These four are still consistent with the land use
plan and are continuing forward. Area plans are periodically updated as necessary to remain consistent
with the land use plan or are dropped from future jurisdiction wide plans.
Each plan went through an independent development and review process with its own public
engagement and decision. Each plan is available through the Community Development website.
SECTION 76-25-215 ISSUES PLANS
The city prepares many issue plans to assess current conditions, identify future needs, and determine
courses of action for facilities and services. Most of them predate passage of MLUPA and when updated
will follow the issue plan process as identified in MLUPA. See responses for Sections 76-25-206 to 76-
25-213 MCA and Chapter 1 of the Bozeman Community Plan for identification of individual plans and links
to them. All plans referenced are available through the City’s Laserfiche archive.
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CiTY OF BOZEMAN COMMUNiTY PLAN, APPENDiCES B-27
SECTION 76-25-216 IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
Document Name Approval Process Date of
Approval
Resolution/
Ord
Hyperlink to
Document
Bozeman Community
Plan, Chapter 4
Adoption by Resolution
as part of the land use
plan
Bozeman Community Plan
Metrics Dashboard
Link (external
website)
Bozeman Community Plan
Annual Implementation
Report
Link (external
PDF)
Capital Improvement Plan
– Annually Updated
Adoption by Resolution
of Annual Capital
Improvement Plan
Dec 10, 2024
(most recent)
5662 Link (external
website)
Issue Plans Adopted independently
as described above.
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Chapter 4 of the Bozeman Community Plan discusses implementation of the plan. Metrics to evaluate
progress for each Theme are identified and an online dashboard displays aggregated data on
implementation. No changes to the metrics adopted in 2020 are made by this update. Chapter 4 also
calls for an annual report on implementation progress. The report for fiscal year 2024-2025 is linked
above.
The 2020 edition of the land use plan identified 14 short term actions to advance the goals and
objectives of the plan. The City completed 10 of 14 recommended actions or will complete them with
adoption of the Unified Development Code update now in review.
This technical compliance update carried forward the remaining four short term actions and added a fifth
to complete correction of identified inconsistencies between the future land use map and the zoning
map. This new action item will be addressed with completion of the Unified Development Code update
scheduled for completion by the end of calendar year 2025.
Short term action item #3 is currently underway. A gap analysis has been completed and prioritization
and identification of funding is occurring. The remaining action items will be considered as part of the
overall prioritization of work process.
Other goals and objectives of the plan are carried out as daily work. For example, “Goal RC-3:
Collaborate with Gallatin County regarding annexation and development patterns adjacent to the City
to provide certainty for landowners and taxpayers.” This goal was advanced by City participation in the
County’s recent development of their future land use map and is advanced with individual applications
for annexation as the City shares application information and provides an opportunity to comment to
Gallatin County and Fire Districts presently servicing the site. Gallatin County encourages landowners
adjacent to the City and considering development to contact the City regarding annexation.
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.” This goal moves ahead as the City works with landowners to
understand the opportunities they have for development of property. The zoning standards enable
the construction of accessory dwellings, addition of additional residential structures, renovation of
existing buildings, or removal and redevelopment of sites. No area of the city is blocked from further
development. The City actively maintains its infrastructure including upgrading water and sewer mains
as part of the regular maintenance cycle to provide additional capacity in areas of existing development.
The CIP also helps identify timing for correction and removal of service impediments.
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CiTY OF BOZEMAN COMMUNiTY PLAN, APPENDiCES C-1
HISTORY AND PHYSICAL SETTING
This Appendix includes the history of Bozeman and additional physiographic data that was not included
in the main body of the Community Plan.
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
Prior to the establishment of permanent settlements in southwestern Montana, a variety of nomadic
Native American bands frequented and utilized the region now known as the Gallatin Valley.
Archeological evidence documents that prehistoric peoples enjoyed the Valley’s natural resources
for more than 10,000 years. Later, members of the Bannock, Blackfeet, Crow, Flathead, Gros Ventres,
Shoshone, and several other historic tribes seasonally camped in the well-watered region en route to
and from the buffalo hunting grounds to the east of the Bridger Mountains.
Meriwether Lewis arrived at the Three Forks of the Missouri River on July 28, 1805. Lewis described
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C-2 CiTY OF BOZEMAN COMMUNiTY PLAN, APPENDiCES
the Gallatin Valley as “a smooth extensive green meadow of fine
grass in its course meandering in several streams...and a distant
range of lofty mountains ran their snow clad tops above the
irregular and broken mountains which lie adjacent to this beautiful
spot.” Nearly one year later, William Clark’s expedition, with the
navigational assistance of Sacajawea, a Bannock/Shoshone Indian,
ascended the Gallatin River and observed: “several leading roads
which appear to a gap in the mountains,” which is now known as
Flathead Pass. At the recommendation of his native guide, Clark
traveled east through what later became known as Bozeman Pass,
eventually making his way to the Yellowstone River drainage and
beyond.
Thanks in large measure to the lavish descriptions of the Lewis
and Clark Expedition; others were soon attracted to southwestern
Montana. Fur trappers harvested in the region until the 1850s,
when local beaver populations had been substantially depleted.
The first permanent non-indigenous settlements in the vicinity,
however, were established following the discovery of gold in
Bannock, Virginia City, and Last Chance Gulch between 1862 and
1865. John Bozeman and others guided immigrant trains along
the Bozeman Trail, which entered the Gallatin Valley via Bozeman
Pass. Perceiving the economic potential of having a community
at the mouth of this important gateway, John Bozeman and two
friends – Daniel Rouse and William Beall – planned a town site
directly west of the opening.
Possessing exceptionally fertile and well-watered soil, as well
as geographic proximity to several nearby mining camps that
provided a ready market for goods and services, Bozeman,
Montana, became one of the earliest and most successful
agricultural communities in the Rocky Mountain West. Early
resident William Alderson described the community’s surroundings
as “one of the most beautiful and picturesque valleys the eye ever
beheld, abounding in springs of clear water, flowers and grass in
abundance.” In sharp contrast to many other more arid regions of
the West, this comparatively fruitful local environment served as a
powerful magnet for settlement and economic development. As
Alderson’s diary noted, for example, farmers came to the Bozeman
area “expecting to make money,” and most were not disappointed.
The draw of the Gallatin Valley was strong enough that by
September of 1864, The Montana Post reported that the area
was “being fast settled up with farmers, many of whom came to
Montana as a better class of miners and after...quitting their original
pursuits secured 160 acres of land on which they...go to work in
true farmer fashion.” Valley residents soon marketed potatoes,
Corps of Discovery arrives in Gallatin Valley
Gallatin City established
Fort Ellis established southeast of Bozeman
Northern Pacific Railroad comes to Bozeman/ City of Bozeman incorporated
College of Agricultural & Mechanical Arts established
First Sweet Pea Festival
Stock Market crash
Northwest Airlines makes first landing at Gallatin Field
Interstate highway comes to Bozeman
1805
1862
1867
1883
1893
1906
1929
1947
1966
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Historical Perspective Appendix A: Background Information Possessing exceptionally fertile and well-watered soil, as well as geographic proximity to several nearby mining camps that provided a ready market for goods and services, Bozeman, Montana, became one of the earliest and most successful agricultural communities in the Rocky Mountain West. Early resident William Alderson described the community’s surroundings as “one of the most beautiful and picturesque valleys the eye ever beheld, abounding in springs of clear water, flowers and grass in abundance.” In sharp contrast to many other more arid regions of the West, this comparatively fruitful local environment served as a powerful magnet for settlement and economic development. As Alderson’s diary noted, for example, farmers came to the Bozeman area “expecting to make money,” and most were not disappointed. The draw of the Gallatin Valley was strong enough that by September of 1864, The Montana Post reported that the area was “being fast settled up with farmers, many of whom came to Montana as a better class of miners and after...quitting their original pursuits secured 160 acres of land on which they...go to work in true farmer fashion.” Valley residents soon marketed potatoes, beets, carrots, rutabagas, and parsnips in the mining camps they had formerly occupied. Soon, focus had expanded to include the cultivation of wheat, oats, and barley; and the roots of an extensive agricultural industry in
the region were planted. Thanks to the safety guaranteed by the nearby establishment of Fort Ellis in
August of 1867, the town of Bozeman grew quickly, becoming the county seat that same year.
Main Street in Bozeman, circa 1868
Following the prevailing economic stagnation of the 1870s, the Northern Pacific Railroad desperately
sought local markets and natural resources to help offset the huge costs of its transcontinental
expansion. Eventually, the Gallatin Valley’s established reputation as “the granary of Montana,” together
with its proximity to Bozeman Pass and the large coal reserves of the neighboring Trail Creek area,
attracted the attention of the railroad. On January 9, 1882, the Northern Pacific purchased a large tract
of land located northeast of Bozeman from Perry and William McAdow and began construction of a six-stall, masonry roundhouse to accommodate helper engines for pushing eastbound trains over Bozeman Pass–the highest point on the railroad. In a matter of months, Bozeman became the first town
on Montana’s Northern Pacific line.
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CiTY OF BOZEMAN COMMUNiTY PLAN, APPENDiCES C-3
beets, carrots, rutabagas, and parsnips in the mining camps they had formerly occupied. Soon, focus had
expanded to include the cultivation of wheat, oats, and barley; and the roots of an extensive agricultural
industry in the region were planted. Thanks to the safety guaranteed by the nearby establishment of Fort
Ellis in August of 1867, the town of Bozeman grew quickly, becoming the county seat that same year.
Following the prevailing economic stagnation of the 1870s, the Northern Pacific Railroad desperately
sought local markets and natural resources to help offset the huge costs of its transcontinental
expansion. Eventually, the Gallatin Valley’s established reputation as “the granary of Montana,” together
with its proximity to Bozeman Pass and the large coal reserves of the neighboring Trail Creek area,
attracted the attention of the railroad. On January 9, 1882, the Northern Pacific purchased a large tract
of land located northeast of Bozeman from Perry and William McAdow and began construction of a six-
stall, masonry roundhouse to accommodate helper engines for pushing eastbound trains over Bozeman
Pass–the highest point on the railroad. In a matter of months, Bozeman became the first town on
Montana’s Northern Pacific line.
Although Bozeman was unusual in that it did not owe its life to the railroad, the Northern Pacific
dramatically changed the Gallatin Valley, even prior to its arrival there. Until the coming of the railroad,
the Valley’s commerce with the rest of the nation was possible only by freighter – south to Corinne, Utah,
on the Union Pacific Railroad, or North to Fort Benton, Montana, on the Missouri River. Thus, following
confirmation that the railroad would traverse the Valley on its trek to the West Coast, local anticipation
reached a fevered pitch. Area farmers and ranchers, many of whom had become painfully aware of the
economic disadvantages of their geographic isolation from eastern population centers, perceived the
railroad as nothing less than the key to progress for the Bozeman area.
Almost immediately, local expectations were fulfilled as railroad optimism sparked a prolonged
redefinition of the region’s character, appearance, and quality of life. Confident that the railroad’s arrival
would spark a major building and settlement boom in Bozeman, Nelson Story and local partners Walter
Cooper and John Dickerson platted Park Addition, one of the largest subdivisions on Bozeman’s affluent
Main Street in Bozeman, circa 1868
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C-4 CiTY OF BOZEMAN COMMUNiTY PLAN, APPENDiCES
southern side. The East Side (later Hawthorne) School at 114 North Rouse, the Masonic Lodge at 137 East
Main, the Lamme Building at 29 East Main, and the Spieth and Krug Brewery at 240-246 East Main were
constructed in 1883. The City of Bozeman was incorporated later that same year in celebration of the fact
that the region was no longer circumscribed by the limitations of geographic isolation. “We may now feel
that we are part of the great world’s business activities,” proclaimed Judge H.N. Maguire. And, indeed, to
many local residents the possibilities seemed endless.
As is the case in other communities, the advent of the Northern Pacific marks a watershed in the
developmental history of the Gallatin Valley. With the railroad’s assistance, Bozeman rapidly moved
toward economic and demographic stabilization. Population in the Bozeman area increased dramatically
from 867 in 1880 to approximately 3,000 in 1883. “Under the impetus of the near approach of the track
of the Northern Pacific road,” the Avant Courier reported, “Bozeman has doubled its population during
the past year.”
The arrival of the railroad also impacted the ethnic composition of the City’s population. Construction
of the railroad resulted in an influx of Chinese workers. In 1870 there were 4 Chinese-born residents of
Bozeman and by 1910 that number had swelled to 62. There were also a few African-American families
in Bozeman, many of which moved West during the Civil War. By the time of the 1910 Census there were
38 African Americans residing in Bozeman. During the late 1800s Native Americans sometimes camped
near the fledgling City. While they did not reside in the City, they did come to town for trade and supplies.
The establishment of Yellowstone National Park in 1872, combined with the completion of the railroad
line through Bozeman, was also an economic boon for Bozeman. Bozeman became the main point of
departure for park-bound visitors. The importance of Yellowstone National Park to the local economy
expanded even more with the use of private automobiles.
The ongoing transformation sparked by the railroad boom was truly remarkable. Fred M. Wilson,
traveling correspondent for the Helena Herald, reported that
“Bozeman has indeed made a proud record during the past twelve months. Her wonderful growth,
resulting from the advent of the iron horse…has exceeded the anticipations of the most sanguine.
Business houses have nearly doubled in number, large and handsome houses now cover tracts of land
which a few years ago were beyond the limits of town, the streets are thronged with a busy, hungry
crowd, and one who has been absent but a season finds difficulty in recognizing the staid and sober
town of the past in the bustling, ambitious city of the present.”
While the effects of the railroad boom quickly subsided and local population levels actually declined in
the mid-1880s, Montana’s attainment of statehood in 1889 served as the impetus for yet another pivotal
surge in local development. In an effort to impress Montana voters enough to choose Bozeman as the
site of the state capital in an 1892 special election, area promoters set out to redefine their community.
Local residents erected several prominent public and private buildings in the years immediately
following the declaration of statehood, including the impressive Bozeman City Hall and Opera House
(1890), the gothic-styled Saint James Episcopal Church (1890-91) at 9 West Olive Street, the Victorian
Commercial Bozeman Hotel (1891-92) at 307-21 East Main Street, and the gothic City High School
building (c. 1892) which once occupied the present site of the Emerson Cultural Center at 111 South
Grand Avenue. Several notable local residences, such as the Julia Martin House (1892) at 419 South
Grand Avenue, were also constructed in this period.
In addition to these ambitious projects, Bozeman also witnessed other significant steps toward
sophistication between 1889 and 1892. Community boundaries were officially extended into surrounding
Docusign Envelope ID: FF496515-9C4E-471A-9B3B-DAF35570AB1A
Historical Perspective Appendix A: Background Information While the effects of the railroad boom quickly subsided and local population levels actually declined in the mid-1880s, Montana’s attainment of statehood in 1889 served as the impetus for yet another pivotal surge in local development. In an effort to impress Montana voters enough to choose Bozeman as the site of the state capital in an 1892 special election, area promoters set out to redefine their community. Local residents erected several prominent public and private buildings in the years immediately following the declaration of statehood, including the impressive Bozeman City Hall and Opera House (1890), the gothic-styled Saint James Episcopal Church (1890-91) at 9 West Olive Street, the Victorian Commercial Bozeman Hotel (1891-92) at 307-21 East Main Street, and the gothic City High School building (c. 1892) which once occupied the present site of the Emerson Cultural Center at 111 South Grand Avenue. Several notable local residences, such as the Julia Martin House (1892) at 419 South Grand Avenue, were also constructed in this period. In addition to these ambitious projects, Bozeman also witnessed other significant steps toward sophistication between 1889 and 1892. Community boundaries were officially extended into surrounding farmlands in an effort to make the City look larger on paper than it was in actuality and, therefore, more impressive to Montana’s voters. In a further effort to make Bozeman appear ready for the capital designation, the “Capitol Hill Addition” was platted in 1890, and South Eighth Avenue was laid out as a boulevard leading up to the intended site of the capitol. Electric lights were installed on the City’s main thoroughfares in 1891, and an extensive local streetcar system was established the following year. The Northern Pacific Railroad also constructed a brick passenger depot at 829 Front Street in 1892.
By September of 1892 – less than two months before the special election to settle the capital question – a regional promotional magazine, The Rockies, boasted that the Gallatin Valley possessed the economic stability of “the largest and most productive agricultural region in the entire northwest.” Bozeman, in
particular, was praised as having “every convenience found in eastern cities of ten times its population.”
Main Street in Bozeman, circa 1893
Despite this and other bold efforts at self-promotion, when the ballots were counted in 1892, Bozeman
took fourth place with 7,636 votes, behind Butte, Anaconda, and Helena with 7,757, 10,147, and 14,032
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farmlands in an effort to make the City look larger on paper than it was in actuality and, therefore,
more impressive to Montana’s voters. In a further effort to make Bozeman appear ready for the capital
designation, the “Capitol Hill Addition” was platted in 1890, and South Eighth Avenue was laid out as a
boulevard leading up to the intended site of the capitol. Electric lights were installed on the City’s main
thoroughfares in 1891, and an extensive local streetcar system was established the following year. The
Northern Pacific Railroad also constructed a brick passenger depot at 829 Front Street in 1892.
By September of 1892 – less than two months before the special election to settle the capital question –
a regional promotional magazine, The Rockies, boasted that the Gallatin Valley possessed the economic
stability of “the largest and most productive agricultural region in the entire northwest.” Bozeman, in
particular, was praised as having “every convenience found in eastern cities of ten times its population.”
Despite this and other bold efforts at self-promotion, when the ballots were counted in 1892, Bozeman
took fourth place with 7,636 votes, behind Butte, Anaconda, and Helena with 7,757, 10,147, and 14,032
votes respectively. Although a great deal of time and effort went into Bozeman’s bid for the capital,
local residents were not discouraged following their defeat. The Bozeman Weekly Chronicle positively
asserted that “the capital contest has been the means of attracting a great deal of favorable attention to
Bozeman and the money spent is by no means wasted.”
The paper’s emphatic outlook was soon justified. Within a year, Helena got around to allocating other
state institutions, among which were the units of the higher education system. Due no doubt in part to
Bozeman’s impressive growth during its bid for the capital, the College of Agriculture and Mechanic
Arts was located in Bozeman on February 16, 1893 – the first of the units to be established. The school
opened in April of that year and classes were held in the local skating rink, where Holy Rosary Church is
now located. When the legislature finally appropriated the necessary funds, Montana or “Old Main” Hall
was built in 1896 and the foundation of what is now Montana State University was laid.
The advent of dry land farming techniques, which were aggressively promoted by the new agricultural
Main Street in Bozeman, circa 1893
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Appendix A: Background Information Historical Perspective votes respectively. Although a great deal of time and effort went into Bozeman’s bid for the capital, local residents were not discouraged following their defeat. The Bozeman Weekly Chronicle positively asserted that “the capital contest has been the means of attracting a great deal of favorable attention to Bozeman and the money spent is by no means wasted.” The paper’s emphatic outlook was soon justified. Within a year, Helena got around to allocating other state institutions, among which were the units of the higher education system. Due no doubt in part to Bozeman’s impressive growth during its bid for the capital, the College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts was located in Bozeman on February 16, 1893 – the first of the units to be established. The school opened in April of that year and classes were held in the local skating rink, where Holy Rosary Church is now located. When the legislature finally appropriated the necessary funds, Montana or “Old Main” Hall was built in 1896 and the foundation of what is now Montana State University was laid. The advent of dry land farming techniques, which were aggressively promoted by the new agricultural college, coupled with an ongoing homestead boom, dramatically increased Bozeman’s population from 3,419 in 1900 to 5,107 in 1910. These demographic changes, in turn, reaffirmed Bozeman’s advantageous position as a regional supply center, inspiring numerous changes in the architectural character of the community. As early as 1907, a surplus of hard milling wheat was, for the first time,
available for shipment to markets outside of Montana. This reality prompted the Chicago, Milwaukee
and Saint Paul Railroad to gain access to Bozeman in 1911–a development that further bolstered the
local agricultural economy.
Bird’s eye view of Bozeman, circa 1900
The volume of agricultural and railroad activity in the Valley continued to intensify during the 1913
1929 Progressive era thanks in large measure to the growth of Montana State College’s Agricultural
Experiment Station–which encouraged the application of “industrial principles to agricultural
expansion.” In advocating the scientific management of farming, the Agriculture Experiment Station
also promoted crop diversification; and, following 1911 soil tests, 17,000 acres of peas were planted in
the Valley. The obvious success of the experiment, coupled with the fact that legume cultivation was a
natural soil enricher and pea vines could be used as animal fodder, stimulated the development of four
local seed pea companies. The incredible success of Bozeman’s seed pea industry stimulated the
incorporation of the Bozeman Canning Company on North Rouse Avenue. Soon the Gallatin Valley
was producing seventyfive percent of the seed peas raised in the United States and Bozeman was
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C-6 CiTY OF BOZEMAN COMMUNiTY PLAN, APPENDiCES
college, coupled with an ongoing homestead boom, dramatically increased Bozeman’s population from
3,419 in 1900 to 5,107 in 1910. These demographic changes, in turn, reaffirmed Bozeman’s advantageous
position as a regional supply center, inspiring numerous changes in the architectural character of the
community. As early as 1907, a surplus of hard milling wheat was, for the first time, available for shipment
to markets outside of Montana. This reality prompted the Chicago, Milwaukee and Saint Paul Railroad to
gain access to Bozeman in 1911–a development that further bolstered the local agricultural economy.
The volume of agricultural and railroad activity in the Valley continued to intensify during the 1913
-1929 Progressive era thanks in large measure to the growth of Montana State College’s Agricultural
Experiment Station–which encouraged the application of “industrial principles to agricultural expansion.”
In advocating the scientific management of farming, the Agriculture Experiment Station also promoted
crop diversification; and, following 1911 soil tests, 17,000 acres of peas were planted in the Valley. The
obvious success of the experiment, coupled with the fact that legume cultivation was a natural soil
enricher and pea vines could be used as animal fodder, stimulated the development of four local seed
pea companies. The incredible success of Bozeman’s seed pea industry stimulated the incorporation
of the Bozeman Canning Company on North Rouse Avenue. Soon the Gallatin Valley was producing
seventy-five percent of the seed peas raised in the United States and Bozeman was referred to as
the “Sweet Pea Capital of the Nation.” The industry thrived in the Gallatin Valley until the mid-1950s,
employing hundreds of local residents, particularly women.
Drought conditions prevailed throughout the 1920s, but Gallatin County fared relatively well in
comparison to other counties in eastern Montana. The community also reaped the rewards of an active
tourist economy during the era as thousands of pleasure seekers flooded through area train stations.
With the advent of the automobile, Bozeman’s role as a gateway to Yellowstone National Park became
even more pronounced; and, for the first time, recreational tourism began to rival agriculture as a major
industry in the area.
Due largely to the established relationship between agricultural pursuits and the Valley’s two
Bird’s eye view of Bozeman, circa 1900
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CiTY OF BOZEMAN COMMUNiTY PLAN, APPENDiCES C-7
transcontinental railroads, the
Bozeman area survived the Great
Depression better than most, and
continued its historic precedent of
economic expansion throughout
its 1930-1950 Nationalization
Phase of Development. Like other
places across the nation, Bozeman
faced many challenges following
the Stock Market Crash of 1929;
but, for the most part, the town of
nearly 7,000 fared comparatively
well. Local newspaper headlines
on January 1, 1930 optimistically
proclaimed: “All signs point toward
continuance of prosperity…Nothing in the present situation that is
menacing or pessimistic…Agriculture in better condition than ever.”
Several factors contributed to this positive outlook. As in years past, an abundance of water in the region
caused agriculture in the Gallatin Valley to flourish at a time when most farmers and ranchers were
ravaged by natural disasters and financial ruin. Drought-stricken cattle from other regions were brought
into the Bozeman area. By 1932, local dairy farmers were constructing a $25,000 cooperative creamery
that was expected to double the farm population of the County. The success of the local farm economy
is further evidenced by the development of the Gallatin Valley Auction Yards and Vollmer slaughterhouse
complex in the mid-1930s.
When Montana’s economy was at its lowest point, Bozeman also witnessed a new relationship with the
federal government, which further bolstered the local economy. While drought conditions continued
to hinder agricultural pursuits and forced many Montana counties to seek federal assistance during
the Depression years, many area farmers and related businesses, such as the Montana Flour Mills
Company, profited by providing flour and cereal products for Roosevelt’s New Deal assistance programs.
Flourishing agribusiness, coupled with the presence of MSC’s Agricultural Extension Service, made
Bozeman the principle actor in Montana’s New Deal farm policy activity and underscored Bozeman’s role
as the de facto capital of rural Montana.
Thanks in large measure to its growing role in New Deal Farm policy, as well as the fact that many
unemployed students were flocking to Bozeman, Montana State College expanded dramatically during
the period, having obvious ripple effects on the town and its built environment. In 1932, MSC had 1,056
students, many of whom were attracted to Bozeman because they could not find jobs. By 1939, student
population had jumped nearly sixty percent to 1,801 students. This dramatic increase helped to further
bolster Bozeman during the worst years of the Great Depression and generated increasing opportunities
for local housing and business development.
While Bozeman’s population actually decreased during the era of the Great Depression, dropping from
8,855 in 1930 to 8,665 in 1940, construction activity in the City continued to grow. In 1932, for example,
the total value of local building permits was a less than impressive $98,883. By 1940, the total building
permit valuation had grown more than four times to $428,780, a solid indication that local growth and
development accelerated toward the end of the decade.
Sweet Pea Festival Parade, circa 1930s
Docusign Envelope ID: FF496515-9C4E-471A-9B3B-DAF35570AB1A
Appendix A: Background Information Historical Perspective As expected, Bozeman’s economy continued to expand, especially after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December of 1941. Mechanisms were already in place to provide the nation’s armed forces with locally produced agricultural commodities, such as flour, wool, and meat. Major local employers, such as Montana Flour Mills and the Bozeman Canning Company, operated at maximum capacity during the era.
Throughout WWII, and for more than a century after, the Bozeman Armory Building was home to Charlie Company and the 163rd Infantry Regiment of the Montana National Guard. This Guard unit
drew members from all over the state. The Armory Building was dedicated just 4 months after the
bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Main Street in Bozeman, circa 1940
The end of the war and the return of veterans brought ever-increasing activity to Bozeman. The effects
of the 1944 G.I. Bill of Rights stimulated further growth at the college and in the housing industry.
Local responses to shortages in housing supply prompted the development of wood product industries such as the Idaho Pole plant, which was established in 1946, and the pulpwood industry, started at Gallatin Gateway in 1947. Together these and other developments helped ensure the continuing
expansion of Bozeman and its institution of higher learning, Montana State College.
In the years immediately following World War II, the major factors influencing Bozeman’s earlier
development continued to exert an important influence on Bozeman’s character and appearance. The
agricultural heritage that had shaped daily life in the Gallatin Valley from day one continued to play a major role, as evidenced by the establishment of the Winter Fair in 1946. Likewise, the ever-growing Montana State College remained the largest local employer and continued to ensure the economic
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C-8 CiTY OF BOZEMAN COMMUNiTY PLAN, APPENDiCES
As expected, Bozeman’s economy continued to expand, especially after the bombing of Pearl Harbor
in December of 1941. Mechanisms were already in place to provide the nation’s armed forces with
locally produced agricultural commodities, such as flour, wool, and meat. Major local employers, such as
Montana Flour Mills and the Bozeman Canning Company, operated at maximum capacity during the era.
Throughout WWII, and for more than a century after, the Bozeman Armory Building was home to
Charlie Company and the 163rd Infantry Regiment of the Montana National Guard. This Guard unit drew
members from all over the state. The Armory Building was dedicated just 4 months after the bombing of
Pearl Harbor. The building has since been renovated, expanded, and converted into a hotel and is now
the tallest building in downtown.
The end of the war and the return of veterans brought ever-increasing activity to Bozeman. The effects
of the 1944 G.I. Bill of Rights stimulated further growth at the college and in the housing industry. Local
responses to shortages in housing supply prompted the development of wood product industries such
as the Idaho Pole plant, which was established in 1946, and the pulpwood industry, started at Gallatin
Gateway in 1947. Together these and other developments helped ensure the continuing expansion of
Bozeman and its institution of higher learning, Montana State College.
In the years immediately following World War II, the major factors influencing Bozeman’s earlier
development continued to exert an important influence on Bozeman’s character and appearance. The
agricultural heritage that had shaped daily life in the Gallatin Valley from day one continued to play a
major role, as evidenced by the establishment of the Winter Fair in 1946. Likewise, the ever-growing
Main Street in Bozeman, circa 1940
Docusign Envelope ID: FF496515-9C4E-471A-9B3B-DAF35570AB1A
Montana State College remained the largest local employer and continued to ensure the economic
vitality of the community. But even as these historic forces continued to shape the growth of the area, a
succession of new technological and transportation-related developments further linked Bozeman with
the outside world and profoundly altered local life in the coming decades.
Radio, television, and Hollywood soon wedded the Gallatin Valley with the broader culture of the nation.
As music and other mass-produced popular amusements were instantly made available to area residents
for the first time, local values and aspirations changed. More than ever, Bozeman youth embraced the
possibility of leaving the Gallatin Valley for more sophisticated pastures.
Meanwhile, others discovered the Bozeman area. Northwest Airlines made its first landing at Gallatin
Field on June 22, 1947, and for the first time, commercial plane service conveniently connected the
Gallatin Valley with the rest of the world. Like the railroads, airlines further encouraged tourism and the
more recent phenomenon of living in Bozeman and working elsewhere.
In 1966 the interstate highway was completed through the Bozeman area. Prior to this time, all east-
west traffic coming through the area traveled down Main Street. With the completion of the interstate,
however, Main Street was bypassed–a transition which had dramatic economic impacts for Downtown
Bozeman and paved the way for modern day strip development on Bozeman’s periphery.
Together with already existing transportation systems, the interstate and airlines triggered Bozeman’s
emergence as a nationally recognized recreational mecca. Yellowstone Park and dude ranch tourism
flourished in the summer months; and with the establishment of Bridger Bowl (1955) and later Big Sky
(1973), a year-round tourism industry was established.
With growing frequency, the fertile farmland of the Gallatin Valley was subdivided for residential
development to accommodate a burgeoning local population. Between 1960 and 1970, Bozeman’s City
limits almost doubled in area, from 2,640 acres to more than 5,000. Many subdivision proposals were
brought before the Bozeman City Commission, which in turn increased from three to five members in
1970 to handle the heavier workload. That year, Bozeman’s first City-County planner was hired.
Despite brief declines, population in the Bozeman area increased during the last thirty years. From 1971
to 1975, the number of Bozeman residents increased four to five percent. Even more pronounced growth
was witnessed in the area immediately adjacent to the City limits. Within a four-and-a-half mile radius
from the City limits, population jumped eighteen percent during the period, with four thousand acres
of farmland turned into housing tracts. Between 1980 and 1990, Gallatin County’s population increased
another 17.7 percent to 50,463. During the next five years, the County’s population grew again to 59,406,
with an average annual increase of 3.4 percent, the highest increase in Montana. Between 1980 and
1990, Bozeman’s population grew a healthy 4.7 percent.
During the early 1980s, as Bozeman prepared for its centennial as an incorporated City, efforts were
undertaken to survey the town’s historic and architectural resources. Under the direction of paid and
volunteer professionals, more than eighty local residents documented roughly 4,000 properties in
Bozeman’s historic core. Since that time, nine historic districts containing more than eight hundred
buildings, as well as an additional forty individual landmarks, have been listed on the National Register of
Historic Places.
Under these development pressures, farming in the Bozeman area has steadily declined. Local
agribusiness has been increasingly supplanted by new economic stimuli – especially recreational
tourism and real estate development. In 1950, 1,129 farms and ranches dotted the Gallatin Valley. By 1992
CiTY OF BOZEMAN COMMUNiTY PLAN, APPENDiCES C-9
Docusign Envelope ID: FF496515-9C4E-471A-9B3B-DAF35570AB1A
Appendix A: Background Information Historical Perspective number had dropped to 798. Between 1978 and 1992 alone, Gallatin County saw a 21.3 percent
decrease in acreage devoted to farmland, according to the United States Census of Agriculture. In the
five-year period between April of 1993 and April of 1998, an estimated 9,230 acres were developed in
the Gallatin Valley and outside the City limits of Bozeman.
North 7th Avenue, circa 1970
The start of the ongoing boom in Bozeman’s growth and development roughly coincides with the making of Robert Redford’s A River Runs through It in 1992. The movie’s imagery and story line had a tremendous impact in popularizing western Montana as “The Last Best Place” and, likewise, affiliated
the region with a simpler, recreation-oriented quality of life, which now epitomizes the local mindset.
The movie also promoted the rapid expansion of the region’s fly-fishing industry, which further
advanced the local tourist economy.
With the advent of the Internet, fax machines, and other high-tech means of communication, Bozeman
has attracted increasing numbers of residents who live in the Gallatin Valley but work elsewhere. Studies during the 1990s confirmed that, despite unparalleled population and economic growth in the area, more than forty percent of local residents were employed elsewhere. Telecommuters, retirees, and the
independently wealthy were settling in the Gallatin Valley, creating increased demands for local services
and lower-paying service industry jobs. Thus, despite an apparently booming local economy, Gallatin
County residents averaged $17,032 in annual wages during the 1990s and ranked thirty-third among
Montana’s fifty-six counties in per capita income. Due to the City’s continued economic expansion, the
annual average wage in the City had increased to $28,901 in 2005, and ranked eleventh among
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C-10 CiTY OF BOZEMAN COMMUNiTY PLAN, APPENDiCES
that number had dropped to 798. Between 1978 and 1992 alone, Gallatin County saw a 21.3 percent
decrease in acreage devoted to farmland, according to the United States Census of Agriculture. In the
five-year period between April of 1993 and April of 1998, an estimated 9,230 acres were developed in
the Gallatin Valley and outside the City limits of Bozeman.
The start of the ongoing boom in Bozeman’s growth and development roughly coincides with the
making of Robert Redford’s A River Runs through It in 1992. The movie’s imagery and story line had a
tremendous impact in popularizing western Montana as “The Last Best Place” and, likewise, affiliated
the region with a simpler, recreation-oriented quality of life, which now epitomizes the local mindset. The
movie also promoted the rapid expansion of the region’s fly-fishing industry, which further advanced the
local tourist economy.
With the advent of the Internet, fax machines, and other high-tech means of communication, Bozeman
attracted increasing numbers of residents who live in the Gallatin Valley but work elsewhere.
Studies during the 1990s confirmed that, despite unparalleled population and economic growth in the
area, more than forty percent of local residents were employed elsewhere. Telecommuters, retirees,
and the independently wealthy were settling in the Gallatin Valley, creating increased demands for local
services and lower-paying service industry jobs. Thus, despite an apparently booming local economy,
Gallatin County residents averaged $17,032 in annual wages during the 1990s and ranked thirty-
third among Montana’s fifty-six counties in per capita income. Due to the City’s continued economic
expansion, the annual average wage in the City had increased to $28,901 in 2005 and ranked eleventh
North 7th Avenue, circa 1970
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CiTY OF BOZEMAN COMMUNiTY PLAN, APPENDiCES C-11
among Montana’s counties in annual average wage earned per capita. The larger concern now is
the rapid increase in the cost of living – and specifically the cost of housing – in the City relevant to
increases in wages and per capita income. Recent data from the US Census Bureau shows that median
household income is approximately $46,000 and the median home price was $398,000 as of August
2017. The EPS report prepared for the 2020 edition of the plan noted that, a household needs to earn at
least $68,400 annually to afford a home in Bozeman at the 30 percent of income affordability standard.
The 2024Q2 Market Report finds the median prices of a home is now up to $784,500, a very large
increase. Wages have seen a strong increase as well with Bozeman now with the highest median
household income of comparable Montana cities, but escalating cost of housing for both rent and
purchase has been a defining feature for Bozeman in the past five years. Today, a household would need
to earn 208 percent of the Area Median Income to afford the current median home price.
As the 2018 Economic and Planning Systems, Inc. (EPS) Report stated, “Bozeman has a level of economic
diversity and strength that exceeds many other small western cities, especially those that are not part of
a larger metropolitan region.”
This rapid pace of economic development has continued. Before the Covid downturn in 2020 the growth
in employment in the County was more than twice that of either Montana or the U.S. as a whole. In the
years beyond that dip its growth has been even faster according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Gallatin County has accounted for 30% of all job creation in the state between 2018-2023.
Main Street, 2019
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A key component of Bozeman’s healthy local economy has been the establishment of many high-tech
businesses in the Gallatin Valley.
Providing generally higher wages, these clean industries are widely regarded as examples of desirable
economic development that is in many ways compatible with the much-cherished natural amenities that
southwest Montana offers to its residents and visitors. The local economy has also been fueled in recent
years by the construction industry and businesses that support that industry such as building supplies,
banking and financial services, and landscaping material suppliers and installers.
The 2018 EPS report found that in-migration, or those moving from other areas made up a significant part
of the City and County’s population increase. Job growth increased as well, but according to EPS, nearly
half of all new jobs created from 2010 through 2016 paid less than $16.00 per hour ($34,000 per year). In
an already competitive and high-cost housing market, low-paying job growth increases the demand for
more affordable and attainable housing development in the community.
The rate of in-migration jumped with the onset of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. This global event had
significant local impacts with schools and businesses switching to remote classes and work, interruptions
in the supply chain causing shortages of various items, loss of jobs, and most importantly loss of life. In
the first year of the pandemic, 55 residents died in Gallatin County
Another consequence was a rapid increase in people seeking to relocate to Bozeman and other areas
seen as less hazardous. Housing prices, already high compared to wages, jumped 17.4% in 2020
and 29.6% in 2021.These changes were supported by the ability for people to work remotely due to
increased access to high-speed internet connectivity. If you were working outside of the office you could
do so just as well in Bozeman as elsewhere. Although remote work has decreased recently it is still at
15% in Bozeman, a large portion of the workforce.
The surge in housing demand has also stimulated significant amounts of new home construction. The
City’s building permit records show 7,140 homes having been issued building permits between January 1,
2021 and July 1, 2025.
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The community continues to be interested in high quality development that protects and reflects
Bozeman’s unique character. Bozeman possesses many of the qualities people seek in the communities
where they live and work.
These include: clean air, good schools, access to recreational activities, low crime, an attractive
community, and increasing economy. These amenities will continue to attract people to our community.
The challenge is accommodating growth and change while maintaining the very qualities that brought
people to Bozeman.
PHYSIOGRAPHY
GEOLOGY AND STRUCTURE
The Gallatin Valley is near the southern border of the northern Rocky Mountains physiographic province
and is part of the Three Forks structural basin. This structural basin is one of the high
intermountain basins that are characteristic of this province.
The Three Forks structural basin was probably formed in pre-Oligocene time. In the Oligocene
and Miocene time, there was either a continuation of down-faulting along one or more of the basic
boundaries or a down warping of the basin. During the formation of the basin, through-drainage
was interrupted and many hundreds of feet of sediments, derived from the adjoining highlands and from
falling volcanic ash, were deposited under lacustrine and terrestrial conditions. These Tertiary strata
constitute most of the valley fill.
Resumption of through-drainage in late Tertiary time resulted in extensive erosion of these materials. A
mantle of alluvium was deposited in much of the basin during Quaternary time.
The Bridger Range, a high linear mountain range that bounds the Gallatin Valley on the east, extends
from Bridger Creek to the head of Dry Creek. The mountains are composed of rocks ranging in age from
Precambrian to Cretaceous. The Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks strike north- northwest, parallel to the
axis of the range.
They dip steeply to the east and in places are overturned to the east. Several high- angle thrust faults
transect the Bridger Range. Most of them have an eastward trend. Normal faulting along the west side of
the Bridger Range is believed to have elevated the range with respect to the valley.
Available subsurface information indicates that a fault system exists along the front of both the Bridger
and Gallatin Ranges. The mountains of
the Gallatin Range are composed of Precambrian gneiss and some infaulted blocks of Paleozoic and
Mesozoic rocks. The rocks are tightly folded and severely crumpled in places; yet, a general east-west
trend is recognizable. The Gallatin River Canyon separates the Madison Range on the west from the
Gallatin Range on the east. Structurally, however, the two ranges are segments of the same mountain
unit. This unit bonds the Gallatin Valley on the south.
The Tertiary strata in the Gallatin Valley form a homocline that dips from one to five degrees in a general
direction of the Bridger Range.
HYDROLOGY
Bozeman and Gallatin County are crossed with numerous creeks and irrigation conveyances. Most of
the creeks flow from the southeast to northwest to the Gallatin River. Major creeks and rivers within the
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planning area include:
• East Gallatin River, in the northeastern portion of the City and planning area;
• Bozeman (Sourdough) Creek, flowing south to north through the City and joining with Rocky Creek to
form the East Gallatin River. Bozeman Creek has been channelized and rerouted into a storm pipe as
it flows through the center of town;
• Nash Spring Creek, Matthew Bird, and Figgins Creeks in the southern portion of the City of Bozeman;
• Hyalite Creek, southwest of the City;
• Bridger Creek, flowing west from Bridger Canyon, into the East Gallatin River;
• Baxter Creek and Aajker Creek, flowing south to north, through the western part of the City; and
• East and West Catron Creeks, flowing south to north, through the middle of the City.
Groundwater is another abundant resource in the Gallatin Valley. Generally, groundwater is near the
surface, and flows from south to north to the East Gallatin River. Locally high water tables of less than
ten feet below the surface are prevalent throughout the valley. Groundwater aquifers are recharged
through many sources. Recharge is received from infiltration from the many rivers, streams, and irrigation
facilities. In addition, faults located along the mountain fronts aid in recharge by distributing the rain and
snow runoff along their corridors.
The future quality and quantity of groundwater is uncertain. Changes in agricultural irrigation patterns in
the Gallatin Valley reduce recharge, rural development, prolonged drought, and increases in residential
and landscaping irrigation will all impact groundwater resources.
The quality of groundwater resources may also be in jeopardy due to the proliferation of on-site septic
systems.
WEATHER AND CLIMATE
The weather and climate of the Bozeman area is a significant factor in its character. Regular snowfalls
support multiple ski area which many locals and tourists enjoy and icy roads which are not enjoyed. The
melting snow feeds streams supporting multiple well known fishing locations that draw people from
Table A-1: Average Temperatures in Fahrenheit Scale by Month – 1892 through 2016
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual
Maximum Temperature 31.7 35.5 42.7 53.9 63.0 71.6 81.4 80.3 69.4 57.6 42.2 33.6 55.2
Minimum Temperature 12.0 15.3 21.4 30.4 38.4 45.2 51.1 49.5 41.2 32.9 22.2 14.5 31.2
Source: Montana State University Station, Montana Climate Summaries, Western Regional Climate Center.
Table A-2: Average Precipitation in inches by Month
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual
Total Precipitation 1892-2016 0.87 0.73 1.34 1.89 2.89 2.91 1.35 1.24 1.70 1.54 1.12 0.88 18.48
Total Snowfall 1948-2016 12.6 10.2 15.7 13.1 4.0 0.5 0.0 0.0 0.8 5.8 11.6 11.9 86.0
Snow Depth 1931-2016 5 5 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 2
Source: Montana State University Station, Montana Climate Summaries, Western Regional Climate Center.
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around the world and irrigation flows to support agriculture. Many popular hiking areas are near streams.
The dry late summers are often marked by wildfires and smoke migration from other areas often turns
the summer and fall skies brown
Bozeman is located at an elevation of 4,793 feet above sea level. The average growing season is 107
days.
The MSU weather station recorded that 23.75 inches of precipitation fell during 2018 which was 5.08
inches above average
SAND AND GRAVEL RESOURCES
Bozeman rests on an alluvial plain. As a consequence, sand and gravel are widely present within the
planning area. Many areas are not available for extraction due to other uses covering the surface or
the presence of significant buried infrastructure. Relocating such uses or infrastructure would not be
financially feasible.
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality reviews and issues permits for commercial sand
and gravel mining. Removal of gravel in order to create ponds or incidental to other activities does
not require a DEQ permit or review. Removal of sand and gravel can have substantial impacts to
groundwater, air quality, adjacent owners, public streets, and other interests.
Establishment of new or expanded extraction operations should be carefully reviewed and adequate
mitigation provided for identified negative impacts. There are no commercial gravel mines within the
planning area but many local ponds in newly developing areas were created by extracting gravel to
develop the subdivision.
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D
GLOSSARY
These terms are defined to help the reader understand what the terms mean when used in this plan.
If terms are not defined here they may be defined in an adopted topic plan. If not, they have standard
dictionary meanings.
Bozeman Planning Area. The area within which the City plans. Areas outside the city limits are only
advisory. See Figure 3-1. For the most recent version see the City’s website.
Compatible Development. The use of land and the construction and use of structures which is in
harmony with adjoining development, existing neighborhoods, and the goals and objectives of this
plan. Elements of compatible development include, but are not limited to: variety of architectural design;
rhythm; scale; intensity; materials; building siting; lot and building size; hours of operation; and integration
with existing community systems including water and sewer services, natural elements in the area,
motorized and non-motorized transportation, and open spaces and parks. Compatible development
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does not require uniformity or monotony of architectural or site design.
Commercial Center. A mix of commercial land uses typically serving more than one residential
neighborhood, usually a subarea of the city with services and retail goods. This term also includes small
commercial areas providing limited retail goods and services, such as grocery stores and dry cleaners for
nearby residential customers.
Compatible Land Use. A land use which may by virtue of the characteristics of its discernible outward
effects, exist in harmony with an adjoining land use of differing character. Effects often measured to
determine compatibility include, but are not limited to, noise, odor, light, and the presence of physical
hazards such as combustible or explosive materials.
Complete Street. Complete streets are streets designed and operated to enable safe use and support
mobility for all users. Those include people of all ages and abilities, regardless of whether they are
traveling as drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, or public transportation riders.
Connectivity. The degree to which roads and paths are connected and allow for direct travel between
destinations.
Density. For residential areas, the number of homes per net acre of land. For non-residential areas, by
floor area ratio: the number of square feet of building area per net acre of land.
Downtown. The area subject to the Downtown Bozeman Improvement Plan bound by the B-3 zoning
district which generally extends to Broadway Avenue, Lamme Street, 5th Avenue, and Olive Street.
Downtown is mixed-use district but primarily commercial in function and character, Downtown, and
particularly Main Street, is distinguished by its historic architecture but also includes notable recent
development especially in the areas outside of the historic core.
Goal. A statement of general purpose or intent relating to a defined topic. A goal generally seeks an
improvement in the status of a subject under the heading of a theme.
Growth. An increase in Bozeman’s population and/or area. The increase may be the result of natural
population growth through births exceeding deaths, in-migration, or annexation.
Growth Rate. A measure over time of the increase or decrease in City population compared to the City’s
population at a specified date. Growth rates are usually expressed as a percentage and applied to time
increments of one, five, or ten years.
Health. A state of physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or
infirmity. Health is a resource for everyday life, not the objective of living. Health is a positive concept
emphasizing social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities.
Human Scale. The proportional relationship of a particular building, structure, or streetscape element to
the human form and function. Human scale does not prohibit multistory structures.
Infill. The development or redevelopment of vacant, abandoned, or under-utilized properties within or
wholly surrounded by the City, and where water, sewer, streets, and fire protection have already been
developed and are provided. Infill is located within land subdivided for at least 35 years.
Missing Middle Housing. Missing middle housing is housing constructed in buildings which are of a
size and design compatible in scale and form with detached individual homes. Example housing types
include duplex, triplex, live-work, cottage housing, group living, row houses, townhouses, horizontally
layered apartments, flats, and other similar configurations.
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Mitigate/Mitigation. Measures required or taken to avoid, minimize, compensate for, or offset definable
negative impacts of development on the environment, public facilities and services, or other issues of
community concern defined by ordinance.
Neighborhood. A walkable area of Bozeman with a distinct character that may have some boundaries
defined by physical barriers, such as major roads or railroads or by natural features, such as
watercourses or topography. A neighborhood includes both geographic (place-oriented) and social
(people-oriented) components and is often characterized by residents sharing common amenities such
as an elementary school, park, shops, community center or other similar elements. As a distinct and
identified area, often with its own name, neighborhoods are recognized as fostering community spirit
and a sense of place, factors recognized as important in community planning.
Net acres. The area of land measured in acres, minus any dedications to the public, such as public or
private streets and parks.
Objective. A more specific statement than a goal which seeks to advance the intent of a goal. Objectives
bridge the distance between goals which are general in nature and policies which call for a specified and
distinct action to be accomplished. An example is: “Support and encourage creative site development
design.”
Open Space. Land and water areas retained for use as active or passive recreation areas, agriculture, or
resource protection in an essentially undeveloped state.
Pedestrian Oriented. Development designed with an emphasis on pedestrian safety, convenience and
accessibility that is equal to or greater than the emphasis given to automotive access and convenience.
Policy. A definite course or method of action selected from among alternatives and in light of given
conditions to guide and determine present and future decisions.
Sprawl. A pattern of development generally characterized by a combination of:
• Low population density,
• Forced reliance on individual automotive transportation,
• Distribution of land uses which require driving in order to satisfy basic needs, and,
• Development which leaves large undeveloped areas surrounded by development.
Special Topic Plan. A formal plan prepared for a specific physical resource or function or area of the City
which examines the current state, future needs, and recommended means of meeting identified future
needs. Examples of topic plans are the Wastewater Facility Plan, Affordable Housing Action Plan, various
Neighborhood Plans, and the Transportation Plan.
Walkable. A walkable area has:
• A center, whether it’s a main street or a public space.
• People: Enough people for businesses to flourish and for public transit to run frequently.
• Parks and public space: Functional and pleasant public places to gather and play.
• Pedestrian design: Buildings are close to the street, parking lots are relegated to the back.
• Schools and workplaces: Close enough that walking to and from home to these destinations is
realistic.
• Complete streets: Streets designed for bicyclists, pedestrians, and transit.
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Docusign Envelope ID: FF496515-9C4E-471A-9B3B-DAF35570AB1A
Certificate Of Completion
Envelope Id: FF496515-9C4E-471A-9B3B-DAF35570AB1A Status: Completed
Subject: Complete with Docusign: H.1 Resolution_of_Adoption_-_BCPTCU_2025.pdf, BozemanCommunityPlan_City...
Source Envelope:
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Stamps: 2 PO Box 1230
Bozeman, MT 59771
Mmaas@bozeman.net
IP Address: 155.190.3.5
Record Tracking
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Terry Cunningham
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Mayor
City of Bozeman
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Greg Sullivan
gsullivan@bozeman.net
Bozeman City Attorney
City of Bozeman, Montana
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City of Bozeman
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Electronic Record and Signature Disclosure created on: 7/9/2018 4:06:02 PM
Parties agreed to: Terry Cunningham, Greg Sullivan, Mike Maas, Chris Saunders
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