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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-09-26 Public Comment - T. Witmer - Public Comment — STR Legacy RA Class — April 14 Agenda From: Tessa Witmer To: Bozeman Public Comment Subject: [EXTERNAL]Public Comment—STR Legacy RA Class—April 14 Agenda Date: Thursday,April 9,2026 11:14:23 AM Attachments: Public Comment for City Commission Apr14.docx.pdf Sam Saasetter Emails.nd. CAUTION:This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Dear Mayor Morrison and Members of the City Commission, My name is Tessa Witmer. I am a homeowner at 602 N Willson Avenue and a Type 2 STR permit holder(STR21-00033) affected by the UDC zoning consolidation that took effect February 1, 2026. I will be attending Tuesday's meeting and have submitted my formal public comment for the record. I am asking the Commission to create a Legacy RA STR class for existing Type 1 and Type 2 permit holders—identical in structure to the Legacy Type 3 pathway created under Ordinance 2149 in 2023. The short version: 72 permitted, compliant operators were not notified for two months. Before the UDC took effect, the city's own planner told me in writing that nothing would change. The city's public FAQ made the same promise. We relied on both. A targeted fix exists, the city has done it before, and 72 families are waiting to find out whether it will do it again. I have attached my full public comment and the email thread with Community Development Technician Sam Sagstetter, which documents the written assurance I received on January 21, 2026, and his subsequent acknowledgment on April 6th that the information he provided was incorrect. I am happy to speak with any Commissioner before Tuesday if that would be useful. Thank you for your time and your service to this community. Tessa Witmer 602 N Willson Avenue, Bozeman, MT 59715 tessabwitmerna gmail.com 406.548.2002 STR Permit STR21-00033 PUBLIC COMMENT—BOZEMAN CITY COMMISSION I April 14,2026 PUBLIC COMMENT TO THE BOZEMAN CITY COMMISSION Re: Request for Legacy RA STR Class — UDC Zoning Consolidation Impact Submitted by: Tessa Witmer I Property: 602 N Willson Ave, Bozeman, MT S971S STR Permit: STR21-00033 (Type 2, active through October 6, 2026) 1 Date: April 14, 2026 Contact: tessabwitmer@agmail.com 1406.S77.6S3S My name is Tessa Witmer, and I own a Type 2 short-term rental at 602 N Willson Avenue. I am here on behalf of myself and at least 71 other Bozeman property owners whose fully-permitted, fully-compliant short-term rentals were retroactively eliminated when the new Unified Development Code took effect on February 1, 2026. We were not notified until April 3rd —two months later. I am asking the City Commission to create a Legacy RA class: existing Type 1 and Type 2 permit holders whose permits were active when the UDC took effect may continue renewing their permits indefinitely, provided permits never lapse. No new STRs in RA going forward. The city created this exact pathway for Type 3 operators in 2023. 1 am asking you to follow your own precedent. A note on scope:The new UDC created four residential zoning districts: RA, RB, RC, and RD. Under the Allowed Use Table (BMC Sec.38.300.020),Type 1 and Type 2 STRs are listed as "Use Not Allowed" in RA—and RA is the only one of the four new districts where STRs are prohibited. Operators whose properties consolidated into RB, RC, or RD retained their STR rights.The entire impact of this UDC change falls on RA zone permit holders alone. I. THE CITY GAVE A WRITTEN ASSURANCE THAT NOTHING WOULD CHANGE On January 21, 2026—eleven days before the UDC took effect— I emailed Sam Sagstetter,Technician III in Community Development, to ask directly whether my Type 2 STR permit at 602 N Willson would be affected by the UDC update. His response was unambiguous: "The UDC does not effect[sic] the short term rental ordinance. Ifyour type 2 rental is allowed in the current zoning, it will remain allowed in the updated zoning."—Sam Sagstetter, email to Tessa Witmer,January 27, 2026 1 relied on that written assurance. I continued operating, continued booking guests, and continued making business decisions based on the city's own written representation that my permit was safe. Mr. Sagstetter has since acknowledged in writing that this information was incorrect, writing on April 6th: "I sincerely apologize for providing you with conflicting information." The city cannot give a property owner a written assurance that their use is permitted, allow them to operate in full reliance on that assurance for months, and then reverse course without any remedy. This is not an informal conversation — it is the city's official Page 1 of 5 PUBLIC COMMENT—BOZEMAN CITY COMMISSION I April 14,2026 position, delivered in writing by a city planner acting within the scope of his duties, in response to a direct and specific question. II. THE CITY'S OWN PUBLIC FAQ PROMISED NO SUBSTANTIVE CHANGES During the UDC adoption process, the city's official FAQ page at engage.bozeman.net/udc/fags answered the question "Will Short Term Rental regulations change if residential zoning districts are changing?" with the following: "City staff and Commissioners will consider and harmonize the outcome of the two projects (STRs and UDC) where they overlap.At this point substantive changes are not expected."—City of Bozeman UDC FAQ, engage.bozeman.net/udc/fags (page remains live as ofApril2026) The elimination of Type 1 and Type 2 short-term rental permits across all RA-zoned properties— affecting 72 of the city's 319 active STIR permits, nearly 23% of the entire permitted market— is, by any reasonable definition, substantive. That harmonization never happened. The city's own public-facing promise went unmet, and the operators who relied on it were not warned. III. THE NOTIFICATION WAS RETROACTIVE BY TWO MONTHS The UDC took effect on February 1, 2026. The city sent its advisory email to affected permit holders on April 3, 2026. For sixty-one days, Type 1 and Type 2 operators in RA zones were operating under a code that had already, unknown to them or to city staff, eliminated their right to renew. The city's own planner did not know the code had eliminated these permits.The community did not know. Operators continued to take reservations, sign agreements with guests, and conduct their businesses as fully-permitted, law-abiding operators— because every indication they had received from the city said they were. The April 3rd notification did not inform permit holders of a future change. It told them, retroactively, that they had been operating in a gray area for two months— and that the city had no remedy to offer. IV. GUESTS ALREADY BOOKED ARE NOW IN LEGAL JEOPARDY Among the 72 affected permit holders are operators with reservations already confirmed for future dates—guests who have paid deposits, made travel arrangements, and planned stays at properties they have no reason to believe are anything other than fully legal, city-permitted short-term rentals. At least one affected operator currently has a permit renewal pending and guests booked in reliance on that renewal being processed.The city's position —that no administrative path forward exists— leaves these operators and their guests in an impossible situation that the operators did nothing to create. The city offered to issue refunds for permits renewed after February 1, 2026— an implicit acknowledgment that operators who renewed in good faith during the notification gap were wronged. A refund of the permit fee does not address months of bookings accepted, contracts signed, and income streams now at risk. Page 2 of 5 PUBLIC COMMENT—BOZEMAN CITY COMMISSION I April 14,2026 V. THE CITY HAS DONE THIS BEFORE — TWICE This is not unprecedented territory.The city has faced this exact situation and chosen to protect existing operators on two prior occasions: • Ordinance 2149 (2023): When the city eliminated Type 3 STR permits, it created a Legacy Type 3 class allowing existing operators to continue renewing their permits indefinitely, provided their permits never lapsed. No new Type 3s were permitted. Existing operators were protected. • Ordinance 1974 (2017): When STR regulations were first established citywide, Ordinance 1974 included an explicit "Grandfathering" provision —Section 8, titled exactly that— protecting operators whose properties became non-conforming uses under the new code.Those who had been operating lawfully before the change were given a pathway to continue. The Commission has done this before, more than once. The template already exists. The request before the Commission today is identical in structure to what was done in 2023.A Legacy RA class. Existing permitted operators, active at the time of the UDC change, keep their ability to renew. The city's own precedent is the template. The only difference between what was done for Type 3 operators in 2023 and what is being asked for here is that it was not done. VI. THE SCALE OF IMPACT IS SUBSTANTIVE Based on a cross-reference of all 319 active City of Bozeman STR permits against the current RA zoning district, 72 permits— approximately 23% of the city's entire permitted short-term rental market— have been affected by this change. These are not large commercial operators. They are homeowners and small landlords operating a single property, many of whom depend on STR income to cover mortgages, property taxes, childcare, and the costs of living in one of the least affordable rental markets in Montana. STR income stays in Bozeman — it pays local cleaning crews, local maintenance workers, local utilities. It does not flow to a corporate balance sheet. A 23% reduction in the city's permitted STR supply, accomplished inadvertently, without notice, without a remedy, and contrary to written assurances from city staff, is not a minor administrative adjustment. It is a substantive disruption to 72 families and the downstream businesses that depend on them. VII. THE HOUSING CONTEXT DOES NOT SUPPORT THIS OUTCOME The previous elimination of Type 3 STRs in 2023 was framed, in part, as a housing availability measure, taken during a period of low rental vacancy.The market looks very different in 2026. Approximately 1,900 multifamily units were added to the Bozeman market between 2024 and mid-2025, pushing the rental vacancy rate to a peak of 18% before settling at approximately 12%—a level that signals an oversupplied rental market by any standard measure. On April 3, 2026—the same day the city sent its advisory email to affected STR operators—the Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported: Page 3 of 5 PUBLIC COMMENT—BOZEMAN CITY COMMISSION I April 14,2026 "For now, there are plenty of market-rate apartments for renters to choose from in Bozeman."— Bozeman Daily Chronicle,April 3, 2026 At 12%vacancy across a rental stock that includes those 1,900 new units, hundreds of apartments sit empty today. Converting 72 STRs to long-term rentals— most of which would come to market at rates well above affordability thresholds—would not move that needle.The problem the Chronicle identified on April 3rd is not supply. It is that available units remain priced out of reach for most working Bozeman residents. Eliminating Type 1 and 2 STRs does not fix that. It is also worth noting that the RA zone eliminates not only Type 2 permits, but Type 1 permits as well — meaning a homeowner who lives in their house full-time cannot rent a spare room to a visitor. No housing unit is freed by that restriction. No long-term tenant gains a home. It simply removes an income option from owner-occupants while doing nothing for housing supply or affordability. This Commission has the opportunity to make a distinction: a policy deliberately targeting STRs as a housing measure is one conversation. An inadvertent code drafting outcome that retroactively wipes out 72 permitted operators who received written assurances to the contrary is a different conversation, and it deserves a different response. VIII. THE CITY'S OWN ACCOUNT IS INTERNALLY INCONSISTENT On April 6, 2026, Mr. Sagstetter wrote that the zoning change "was not a decision specific to short term rentals, but instead a large scale change with zoning designation that impacted eligible STR types." Later that same day, in a follow-up response, he wrote that the city's housing intent from 2023 "was also applied in the 202S UDC residential district combination." These two statements cannot both be true. Either the elimination of STRs in RA was an unintended side effect of a broad rezoning — in which case the written assurances, the failed harmonization, and the two-month notification gap make a compelling case for a remedy—or it was a deliberate housing policy decision — in which case the city owed affected permit holders advance notice, a transition period, and the same grandfather protection extended to Type 3 operators in 2023. Under either account, the outcome for 72 permit holders who operated in good faith on the city's own representations is the same: no warning, no transition, no remedy.That is not consistent with how this city has handled these situations before, and it is not consistent with the public record the city created during the UDC adoption process. IX. WHAT I AM ASKING FOR I am asking the City Commission to direct staff to prepare an ordinance amendment creating a Legacy RA STIR class with the following parameters: Any Type 1 or Type 2 STIR permit that was active and in good standing as of February 1, 2026 is eligible for the Legacy class. Legacy class permit holders may renew their permits on the standard renewal schedule, indefinitely, provided permits never lapse. No new Type 1 or Type 2 STR permits will be issued in RA zones going forward. Page 4 of 5 PUBLIC COMMENT—BOZEMAN CITY COMMISSION I April 14,2026 Legacy permits are non-transferable—they do not convey with a sale of the property. This is a narrow, targeted remedy that protects operators who acted in good faith on the city's written representations, without opening RA zones to new STR development. It is fair, it is precedented, and it is the right thing to do. I recognize that the Commission operates under the code as written and that a legislative fix takes time. I am simultaneously exploring an Administrative Interpretation Appeal under BMC 38.220.150, which I intend to file before the April 30th deadline, with the goal of preserving my options while the Commission considers this matter. I am asking you, however, to act. Not because of what the code says today, but because of what the city told us it would say—and because the right precedent already exists. Seventy-two permitted, compliant, good-faith operators are waiting to hear whether this Commission will follow it. Respectfully submitted, Tessa Burnett Witmer 602 N Willson Avenue, Bozeman, MT59715 STR Permit STR21-00033 tessabwitmer@agmail.com 1 406.577.6535 Attachments: Sam Sagstetter email thread,January 21 -April 6,2026 Page 5 of 5 Apr 6,2026,4:41 PM RE: [EXTERNAL]Clarification on Grandfathering Provisions for Existing Type 2 STR Permits Under New UDC From: Bozeman STR <str@bozemanmt.gov> To: Tessa Witmer<tessa@bozemanguesthouse.com> Cc: Sten Witmer<sten.witmer@g mail.com> Tessa, Thank you for reaching out. To provide context on the FAQs, these were written during the draft phase of the UDC. During the draft phase, any information in the UDC draft or about the UDC draft is subject to change. The adopted UDC ended up including restrictions to the zones that allowed STRs. understand the impacts of losing the eligibility to rent your properties. I am required to follow the UDC and STR Ordinance 2149 as written. The current regulations (UDC and STR Ordinance 2149) do not allow us to reconsider allowing type 2 STRs in RA zoning. I will include text from the original email you received on 4/3. This will provide the context of the change and why city staff cannot make an exception. We apologize for the impact to STR hosts affected by this zoning change. As you are aware, local government regulations change often depending on policy decisions by elected officials, and City staff have no control over those decisions. Please note, Short-Term Rental permits are annual permits only valid for one year at a time, per BMC 38.320.060(i). BMC 38.320.060(j) further specifies that "Renewals must comp y with the requirements of this Code which are in place at the time of renewal."Housing remains an important priority for the Bozeman City Commission, and their intent with the 2023 STR ordinance #2149 was to limit certain STRs in the city to lessen impacts to housing supply. This intent was also applied in the 2025 UDC residential district combination as noted above. It's possible Commission may choose to revisit this issue at some point in the future. You are always welcome to share your perspective with them via comments@bozemanmt.gov. Your best path forward is to write a public comment to the City Commission as they are the only individuals capable of changing the UDC or Ordinance 2149. STR permits are annual permits only valid for one year at a time, approval one year does not guarantee approval the next. Renewals must comply with the requirements of the code which are in place at the time of renewal. No administrative solution is available at this time. Thank you for understanding and I am happy to continue providing context to this change. Sam Sagstetter Technician III I Community Development City of Bozeman 120 East Olive St. I Bozeman, MT 59715 P: 406.582.2964 1 E: sam.sagstetter@bozemanmt.gov I W: www.bozeman.net/planning CUSTOMER SERVICE HOURS (Front Counter @ 20 East Olive, 59715): Open: M, W, F: 9 AM — 4 PM; & T, TH: 9 AM — 1 PM From: Tessa Witmer<tssa@bozemanguesthouse.com> Sent: Monday, April 6, 2026 2:46 PM To: Bozeman STIR <str@bozemanmt.gov> Cc: Sten Witmer<sten.witmer@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL]Clarification on Grandfathering Provisions for Existing Type 2 STIR Permits Under New UDC CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Hi Sam, Thank you for your response clarifying the city's position on the UDC zoning change and its impact on Type 2 STRs in the RA district. I want to follow up directly with you because of the specific written assurance you provided on January 21, 2026, prior to the UDC taking effect. In response to my detailed questions about 602 N Willson, you wrote: "The UDC does not affect the short term rental ordinance. If your type 2 rental is allowed in the current zoning, it will remain allowed in the updated zoning." I relied on that guidance in good faith and continued operating in full compliance with all permit requirements. I also want to flag something I found on the city's UDC FAQ page (gngage.bozeman.net/udc/fags), which was publicly available during the UDC adoption process and is still live on the website today. In response to the question "Will Short Term Rental regulations change if residential zoning districts are changing?" the city stated: "City staff and Commissioners will consider and harmonize the outcome of the two projects (STRs and UDC) where they overlap. At this point substantive changes are not expected" Eliminating my ability to renew a Type 2 permit at 602 N Willson is a substantive change. It represents a significant reduction in my family's annual income, in direct contradiction to both your written assurance and the city's own public-facing guidance during the UDC process. I am not looking to make this adversarial. What I am asking is whether there is an administrative path — similar to the Legacy Type 3 framework created under Ordinance 2149 —that would allow existing, fully compliant Type 2 STIR permit holders in affected RA properties to continue operating. My permit was renewed in good faith before the UDC was finalized. I proactively reached out before it took effect. I received written staff assurance that nothing would change, and I have operated this property without a single complaint. If this is something that requires City Commission action, I would appreciate your help identifying the right process and timeline to request that. If there is a faster administrative resolution available, I am very open to that conversation. I appreciate your acknowledgment of the conflicting information that was provided. I hope we can find a path forward that doesn't require me to absorb a significant income loss for a situation I had no reason to anticipate. Thank you, Tessa Witmer On April 6, 2026 at 9:28 AM, Bozeman STIR (str(@bozemanmt.gov) wrote: Hi, Tessa. I hope I can clear things up for you. The email you received today is not a decision but rather a contextual email to inform you of the possible impacts the unified development code update may have on your properties. If any of your STIR permits are affected by this update, you will be notified accordingly. 1. The STIR permit at 602 N Willson Ave (STR21-00033) is currently active until 10/6/2026. The renewal was submitted before the effective date of the UDC (2/1/2026) so it will remain active through the expiration date. However, this property lies within the RA zone and will not be renewable as a type 2 after the expiration date on 10/6/26. 1. At the time of the communication, it was my understanding that the newly adopted UDC was not going to impact STIR regulations. I sincerely apologize for providing you with conflicting information. The zoning change was not a decision specific to short term rentals, but instead a large scale change with zoning designation that impacted eligible STIR types. Despite the incorrect information, the current UDC and the UDC regulations stand. 1. To be clear, the UDC did not change STIR Ordinance 2149. The zoning districts that allow short term rentals changed. 1. As outlined in the email communication from Friday morning, STIR permits are valid for one year at a time and must comply with all regulations in place at the time of renewal. No grandfathering will be allowed for the affected permits. If we find you have effected properties that renewed after 2/1/2026, we will allow a refund to be issued. Sam Sagstetter Technician III I Community Development City of Bozeman 20 East Olive St. I Bozeman, MT 59715 P: 406.582.2964 E: sam.sagstetter@bozemanmt.gov I W: www.bozeman.net/planning CUSTOMER SERVICE HOURS (Front Counter @ 20 East Olive, 59715): Open: M, W, F: 9 AM — 4 PM; & T, TH: 9 AM — 1 PM From: Tessa Witmer <tessa@bozemanguesthouse.com> Sent: Friday, April 3, 2026 12:22 PM To: Bozeman STR <str@bozemanmt.gov> Subject: Fwd: RE: [EXTERNAL]Clarification on Grandfathering Provisions for Existing Type 2 STR Permits Under New UDC CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. To Whom It May Concern, Thank you for the advisory email regarding Type 2 STRs in the new RA zoning district. I am writing to formally document my situation and request clarification on how this guidance applies to my permits, given the specific written assurance I received from city planning staff prior to the UDC's effective date. By way of timeline: I renewed my Type 2 STR permit at 602 N Willson in October 2025. The new UDC was adopted in December 2025. On January 21, 2026 — eleven days before the UDC took effect — I proactively reached out to Sam Sagsetter in the Planning Department with specific questions about how the changes would affect my existing permit, as well as the permits of property management clients I advise. His written response was unambiguous: "The UDC does not affect the short term rental ordinance. If your type 2 rental is allowed in the current zoning, it will remain allowed in the updated zoning." I have forwarded that email thread below for your reference. In reliance on that written guidance, I continued operating in full compliance with all requirements — fully licensed, current on all taxes, and with no complaints on record. I am now holding an active city-issued permit and receiving this advisory more than two months after the UDC took effect. I want to note that the delay in this notification is itself significant: permit holders have been operating, renewing, and making financial decisions throughout this period with no indication from the city that anything had changed — because your own staff told us it hadn't. I also manage multiple additional properties with Type 2 STR permits that may be affected by this advisory, and I have similarly advised those property owners based on the guidance I received from city staff. I am requesting the following: 1. Written confirmation of the current status of my Type 2 STR permit at 602 N Willson, including what renewal cycle I am currently in and when any change in status would take effect. 1. An explanation of how the city intends to reconcile today's advisory with the written assurance provided by planning staff on January 21, 2026. 1. Clarification on whether the city intends to provide any grandfathering or transition protection for permit holders who received affirmative written guidance from staff and acted in reliance on it. I want to resolve this cooperatively and I am not writing this with adversarial intent. However, I do feel an obligation — to myself and to the property owners I serve —to ensure this situation is formally documented and addressed. Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your response. Tessa Witmer ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Sam Sagstetter <ssagstetter(cOBOZEMAN.NET> Date: January 21, 2026 at 4:32 PM To: Tessa Witmer <tessa@bozemanguesthouse.com> Cc: Sten Witmer <sten upshotarch.com> Subject: RE: [EXTERNAL]Clarification on Grandfathering Provisions for Existing Type 2 STR Permits Under New UDC Tessa, The UDC does not effect the short term rental ordinance. If your type 2 rental is allowed in the current zoning, it will remain allowed in the updated zoning. Thank you for clarifying. Sam Sagstetter Technician III I Community Development City of Bozeman 20 East Olive St. I Bozeman, MT 59715 P: 406.582.2964 E: ssagstetter@bozeman.net I W: www.bozeman.net/planning CUSTOMER SERVICE HOURS (Front Counter @ 20 East Olive, 59715): Open: M, W, F: 9 AM — 4 PM; & T, TH: 9 AM — 1 PM From: Tessa Witmer <tessa _ bozemanguesthouse.com> Sent: Wednesday, January 21, 2026 4:09 PM To: Sam Sagstetter <ssagstetter()BOZEMAN.NET> Cc: Sten Witmer <sten@upshotarch.com> Subject: [EXTERNAL]Clarification on Grandfathering Provisions for Existing Type 2 STIR Permits Under New UDC CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Hi Sam, I hope you're doing well. I'm reaching out to clarify how the recently adopted UDC changes will affect existing Type 2 short-term rental permits, specifically for my property at 602 N Willson. My Current Situation: • I hold an active Type 2 STR permit for 602 N Willson • The property has two dwelling units • I maintain compliance with all current permit requirements My Questions: 1. Grandfathering Status: Will my existing Type 2 STR permit be grandfathered under the new UDC provisions, allowing me to continue operating as currently permitted? 1. Ongoing Compliance: Are there other specific requirements must I maintain to preserve my grandfathered status, other than renewing it annually? 1. Permit Renewal: Will the permit renewal process change for grandfathered Type 2 properties? I want to ensure I fully understand the new regulations to maintain compliance and advise my property management clients accurately. I would appreciate any written guidance or documentation you can provide regarding the transition provisions for existing permit holders. Thank you for your time and assistance. Please let me know if you need any additional information from me. Best, Tessa Tessa Burnett Witmer Bozeman Guesthouse 406.577.6535 City of Bozeman emails are subject to the Right to Know provisions of Montana's Constitution (Art. II, Sect. 9) and may be considered a "public record" pursuant to Title 2, Chpt. 6, Montana Code Annotated. As such, this email, its sender and receiver, and the contents may be available for public disclosure and will be retained pursuant to the City's record retention policies. Emails that contain confidential information such as information related to individual privacy may be protected from disclosure under law. From: Sam Saastetter To: Bozeman Public Comment Subject: FW: Code Update for Type 2 STRs Date: Thursday,April 9,2026 12:26:42 PM From: Bozeman STR Sent: Friday, April 3, 2026 11:06 AM Subject: Code Update for Type 2 STRs Dear STR hosts, The City of Bozeman updated its entire Unified Development Code (UDC) in December 2025. Part of that code update was a combination of residential zoning districts. One notable change is the IRS, R1, and R2 districts became the new RA district. In combining these districts,the use allowances for R1 were utilized for most land uses in the new RA district.As a result, only Type 1 STRs are allowed in the new RA district and thus,Type 2 STRs operating in RA may no longer be permitted under the new UDC.The new UDC took effect on February 1, 2026. Please double check your zoning. If your Type 2 STR application or renewal for an RA property came in before February 1, 2026, staff will review your application under the old code and (assuming you're otherwise in compliance with that code)you can be approved to operate for one year, but you will not be approved for your next renewal. If your STR application or renewal came in after February 1, 2026,we will have to deny your permit for zoning non- compliance and you will need to cease operating. We apologize for the impact to STR hosts affected by this zoning change.As you are aware, local government regulations change often depending on policy decisions by elected officials, and City staff have no control over those decisions. Please note, Short-Term Rental permits are annual permits only valid for one year at a time, per BMC 38.320.060(i). BMC 38.320.060(j)further specifies that"Renewals must comply with the requirements of this Code which are in place at the time of renewal." Housing remains an important priority for the Bozeman City Commission, and their intent with the 2023 STR ordinance#2149 was to limit certain STRs in the city to lessen impacts to housing supply.This intent was also applied in the 2025 UDC residential district combination as noted above. It's possible Commission may choose to revisit this issue at some point in the future.You are always welcome to share your perspective with them via commentsCcbbozemanmt.gov. This email is an advisory for Type 2 hosts who may be operating in an RA zoning district. It is not a decision.As staff continue to review applications and renewals,we will follow up with you to let you know the effect of this UDC change on your STR. If there are options for you to continue short-term rental of your property, such as by converting to a Type 1 STR, planning staff will be ready to advise you. Should you have questions at this time, please reply to this email and we will connect you with a planner. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Bozeman Community Development Department STRCaobozemanmt.gov 1 406-582-2260 www.bozeman.net/departments/community-development/planning/short-term- rentals