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HomeMy WebLinkAbout002_Bikefill Narrative SITE PLAN REVIEW Bikefill Community Bike Park Location: 2143 Story Mill Road, Bozeman, MT 59715 Legal Description: A portion of S30, T01 S, R06 E, ACRES 201.22, SE4 & SW4 E OF COUNTY RD Submitted: April 30, 2026 Project Narrative Introduction and Existing Land Use Bikefill is an approximately 70-acre undeveloped parcel located at the northeast corner of Bozeman, between the existing Snowfill Recreation Area and Bozeman Solid Waste Division’s offices and composting facility. The property is bounded by Story Mill Road to the east, McIlhattan Road to the southwest, Snowfill Recreation Area to the northwest, an agricultural parcel to the northeast, and the Bozeman Solid Waste Facility to the south. The parcel is zoned Public Lands and Institutions (PLI). The Bikefill site features rolling grassland, few trees, northern and southern wetland areas (to be conserved and protected), with most vegetation concentrated along the Churn Creek perennial stream that flows east to west along the southern boundary. Churn Creek separates the Bozeman transfer site from the Bikefill parcel. The varied topography, with an elevation gain/loss of approximately 200-feet, makes it an ideal site for various types of mountain biking - a programmed park unlike anything offered in Bozeman or the surrounding region. Prior to City ownership, the property was historically used for agriculture and contains abandoned farm equipment and a dumpsite from the McIlhattan homestead. The City later removed topsoil from the site to cap the adjacent landfill, leaving little to no remaining topsoil. As a result of the sparse remaining topsoil, the predominant vegetation on site is Smooth Bromegrass. 2 of 11 Existing Infrastructure Transportation The project site is serviced by McIlhattan Road (Collector). McIlhattan is currently a gravel road from approximately the southern boundary of the Snowfill Recreation Area and the north boundary of the Bridger Creek Subdivision. The existing road is narrow and had steep side slopes on the uphill and downhill sides of the road. There are no paths along the road in this area. The closest public access parking lot to Bikefill is the approximately 40-space gravel parking lot at Snowfill to the north. Public Utilities WATER There are no water mains near the project site. The closest water main in McIlhattan Road is located at the intersection of St. Andrews Drive. SANITARY SEWER There are no sewer mains near the project site. The closest sanitary sewer main in McIlhattan Road is located at the intersection of St. Andrews Drive. STORMWATER There are no existing stormwater ponds that collect, treat, and detain/retain stormwater within the project site. There are two existing culvert crossings within Churn Creek. One at the Bozeman Solid Waste Division’s access road roughly 1,300 feet from McIlhattan Road and the other is located under McIlhattan Road. Existing Buildings There are no existing buildings within the project site. Within the overall City parcel, there is one existing building on the south end of the site which is the Bozeman Solid Waste Division’s offices. 3 of 11 Project Vision Bikefill aims to address gaps in the cycling infrastructure of the Gallatin Valley and provide the community with an accessible, world-class bike park experience for users of all ages and abilities featuring various trail types and styles nestled within the natural landscape. Together with Snowfill, Bikefill Community Bike Park is the largest municipal park unit in the Gallatin Valley. Project Goals • Create a mountain bike park that will accommodate riders of all abilities • Provide a variety of passive and active recreation and event spectator experiences and opportunities • Promote pedestrian connectivity to the park by providing connections between nearby residential neighborhoods and park / open space areas • Protect natural landscapes by designating additional areas of the property for recreational use (rather than landfill). • Minimize and mitigate hard or impervious surfaces Statement on Natural Environment The project has been designed to respond appropriately to existing site conditions, including topography, drainage patterns, and existing vegetation. To the maximum extent practicable, the design preserves natural terrain, maintains existing drainage patterns, and minimizes disturbance to topsoil, trees, and other vegetation while accommodating necessary improvements. 4 of 11 Mountain Bike Trails for All Ages and Abilities The primary goal of Bikefill is to create a variety of mountain biking experiences that cater to all mountain biking styles. From the parking lot, multiple accessible drop-off locations will be available. In the lower portion of the park, near the parking lot and Family Hub, bike trails and courses will be focused on beginner and young riders. A pump track, stryder track, skills course, and beginner trails will be accessible from the Family Hub. As riders move uphill, they will encounter a wider variety of trails with increasingly challenging features and terrain. A “Rider Hub” will be located at the midway point of the park to offer a reprieve to riders, featuring a shade structure, seating, and a bike repair station. At the northeastern boundary of the park, an “Upper Hub” will provide additional seating and shade. Riders can navigate the entirety of the park via two routes: a perimeter trail and an uphill access trail. The perimeter trail will offer the easiest route, climbing gently along Churn Creek with opportunities for riders to stop and access the creek. Trails will comply with best practices outlined in the 2023 Bozeman Parks, Recreation & Active Transportation Plan, and the Unified Development Code. Per BMC 38.410.100, a limited number of trails may be located within Zone 1 and Zone 2 of watercourse and wetland setbacks. In an effort to protect the sensitivity of Churn Creek and existing on-site wetlands, trails will stay out of both zones to the greatest extent possible, with the exception of perpendicular elevated crossings which will span wetland and OHW boundaries. Just over 5 acres of native grassland vegetation contiguous with the Churn Creek are set aside without trails to create a 200ft+ natural buffer area to support sensitive vegetation and wildlife habitat. Shaded rest stops will be located at select locations along this trail. The uphill access trail is a steeper, more direct route to the top of the park, and will bisect the park from east to west. This trail will connect the Family Hub to the mid-hill Rider Hub and the Upper Hub. An emergency access road will utilize an existing unpaved road grade at the center of the site, and connect to the Rider Hub via the Solid Waste Facility access road to the south. 5 of 11 Trails and Features The trail network at Bikefill will be diverse, providing all riders with a wide array of trail choices, all unencumbered by other user groups, giving total freedom to ride. Feedback received from the thorough public engagement process brought a number of considerations to light, with directional Flow Trails rising to the top as the most desired trail type. Cross Country (XC) trails came in a close second which is unsurprising since these are the most basic trails that most riders are familiar with. Riders who rated themselves as Beginner level riders favored XC trails slightly more than Flow Trails, but all other user groups overwhelmingly favored Flow. The trails and features close to the Family Hub are more elaborate, with all-weather pump tracks, skills features, and a bicycle playground intertwined with the Family Hub landscaping. Flow Trails are downhill trails constructed with wide banked corners and frequent rollers designed to maintain momentum and minimize braking. Well-designed Flow Trails have virtually no flat trail tread and allow riders to constantly play with gravity on their ride down. More advanced Flow Trails integrate jumps of various sizes. The Flow Trails at Bikefill will be predominantly natural surface, 4-8 feet wide, and relatively low maintenance due to their shallow grades of 6-8%. Beginner and Intermediate Flow Trails are particularly well-suited for Adaptive Riders. XC Trails are typically narrower and much less sculpted than Flow Trails, natural surface tread and 2-4 feet wide. Some corners will be banked and some will be flat. The XC Trails at Bikefill will be designed to maximize sustainability, with moderate grades and rock armoring on short steeper sections. In general, these trails will be flat to 6% grade with short pitches up to 15% to add diversity to the experience. The main perimeter trail is an XC Trail and will be a cornerstone of local youth cycling programs such as BYC and NICA. Youth skills clinics and coaching ranked the highest among respondents when asked which programs should be hosted at Bikefill, with 3/4 of beginner riders and over 1/2 of advanced riders favoring youth programs. The wider XC Trails will serve Adaptive Riders well. Beginner trails will feature prominently southeast of the Family Hub, providing easy access to this critical park feature. While less than 4% of survey respondents 6 of 11 considered themselves beginners, 80% of those respondents favored beginner level trails. Among more advanced riders, over 50% still agree that beginner trails are important to Bikefill for safety and progression. Connector trails and ride-arounds will feature prominently on all trails, as public feedback proved that these are popular, with appx. 75% of all survey respondents in favor of these features, which allow riders of various skill levels to utilize the same trails and work up to features they may be uncomfortable with. Other trail features planned for Bikefill are a Slopestyle Course and Cyclocross elements. The Slopestyle Course is a more elaborate flow trail with hardscape ramp and dish features designed for advanced riders to catch air and perform tricks. Despite being designed for advanced riders, Slopestyle Courses are often the visual highlight of a bike park and can serve as an aspirational element within the park for younger riders. Local Cyclocross racing is a popular fall cycling sport that requires specialized elements; features at Bikefill will include a sand pit, embedded steps, and wood ledges to navigate. Project Time Frame Construction of the parking lot, landscaping within and around the parking lot, and the upper trails on the eastern portion of the site are anticipated to begin construction in 2026. Future work, which is not fully developed at the time of this Site Plan application, will be provided for further review via Site Plan Modification applications. This phasing strategy of will follow the general guidance provided in the City-approved Parks Master Plan and is structured to allow for completion of critical site improvements to support occupancy of the park. Concurrent Construction Needs Concurrent construction is not intended for this project but offsite improvements on McIlhattan Road adjacent to the project will occur at a similar timeframe during summer of 2026. It is our understanding that the McIlhattan Road improvements must be completed prior to Bikefill opening to the public but does not need to be completed prior to beginning construction at Bikefill. The McIlhattan Road 7 of 11 construction is managed under a separate City of Bozeman project and will be publicly bid separately from the Bikefill project. Proposed Improvements Civil Site Improvements Civil site improvements have been designed in accordance with the City of Bozeman Design and Construction Standards – October 2024. The proposed civil site improvements include a parking lot, curb and gutter, a connection to the adjacent right-of-way, and storm water management infrastructure. Storm water infrastructure for the project includes curb inlets, swales, sidewalk chases, pipes, and detention ponds. Landscape & Irrigation Landscape improvements are proposed within the parking lot landscape islands and medians to meet City standards, enhance the visitor experience, support stormwater management strategies, and aesthetically enhance the overall site design. Plantings will consist of native grass seeding, bioretention seed mixes, and trees in the parking lot islands and medians. The landscape design is responsive to the surrounding environment and all areas disturbed by grading will be restored with appropriate native grass seeding. Landscape boulders, rock mulch, and cobble rock are incorporated in select areas to enhance the overall design character. All proposed landscaping will comply with the requirements of the Bozeman Municipal Code and the City of Bozeman Landscape and Irrigation Performance and Design Standards. Landscape areas are designed to complement site features and functionality, provide shade within the parking lot, and preserve the area’s natural character and beauty. The proposed irrigation system improvements will include temporary drip irrigation for trees and shrubs and to support seed establishment. Above-ground temporary irrigation may be installed within the watercourse setback landscaped areas. The system will be connected to a proposed on-site irrigation well, which application to DNRC is in-process. All irrigation improvements will be designed in accordance with the City of Bozeman Landscape and Irrigation Performance and Design Standards. 8 of 11 The system is intended to promote efficient water while providing adequate coverage for select landscaped areas. See Design 5’s landscape sheets L000 – L600 and Sanbell’s landscape sheets L1.1 – L4.1 for more details about the proposed landscape and irrigation improvements. Transportation Improvements McIlhattan Road has been designed to rural street classifications per AASHTO standards. The roadway improvements include two asphalt travel lanes at 12-foot width left and right, installation of asphalt curb, stormwater inlets, culverts, underground detention, a roadside v-ditch, and guardrail. The existing roadway is bordered by steep hillsides along both directions of travel. At the intersection of McIlhattan Road and the access for Bikefill Community Bike Park, the hillside has been cut to allow for adequate site vision triangles for vehicles exiting the facility. Parking Improvements The first phase of the parking lot will have 85 paved parking spaces, 5 of those spaces will be designated as ADA parking spaces. The full build-out will have an additional 55 paved parking spaces for a total of 140 paved parking spaces. The parking lot will be primarily used for Bikefill guests to enjoy, but an access to Snowfill has also been provided with a few parking spaces adjacent to provide overflow capacity when needed at Snowfill. All parking will be paved with asphalt and striped. Spaces are 9 feet wide and 20 feet in length. Every 100 feet throughout the parking lot there is a pedestrian path to facilitate safe and convenient access to and from park facilities. The parking lot is designed to operate one-way, utilizing the second parking lot tier as the main access and driving counter clockwise to the Family Hub. Although the operation is one-way, due to the curve of the drive-aisle, the parking spaces remain perpendicular to the drive-aisle. The drive-aisles are wider than standard to accommodate larger vehicles with bike racks, which can exceed 29-feet in length. 9 of 11 Additionally, berming with earthen materials and screening with trees will be constructed at each side of the entry drive into the parking lot at McIlhattan Road to mitigate the parking lot from view from neighboring residential properties. Utility Improvements WATER No water improvements are proposed for this project. SANITARY SEWER No sanitary sewer improvements are proposed for this project. There are three vault toilets proposed within the project area that will need to be maintained to handle sanitary waste. STORMWATER Stormwater for the parking lot and Family Hub will primarily drain to surface detention ponds located within the parking lot. To be conservative, the ponds have been designed assuming the second phase of the parking lot will be paved in the future. A few of the ponds in the parking lot also have additional underground storage to gain adequate volume to detain the 100-year storm event and release stormwater at the pre-development flowrate. The Family Hub area has two formal asphalt pump track areas that will be designed and built by the track designer. These areas are planned to have underground storage facilities for stormwater. However, we’ve accounted for the drainage of these areas within the parking lot storm ponds as well since these features will ultimately drain into the parking lot. Any additional underground storage installed in the two formal pump track areas will be helpful to the performance of the pond system within the parking lot. See Civil Sheets C5.1 and C5.2 for more details about the proposed new stormwater facilities. 10 of 11 Shade and Other Structures Bikefill is anticipated to have three structures in this Site Plan Application: a Main Pavilion; a Restroom Pavilion; and a Parking Lot Vault Toilet. Sheets L200 and L301 of the landscape plans show the location of these structures, and Preliminary architecture plans for the three structures are included in this application on Sheets A20-A23. Any additional pavilions or structures in the park, as contemplated in the City- approved Parks Master Plan, will be provided for further review via Site Plan Modification applications. All structures that require a City Building Permit will be submitted to the City Building Department for review and approval prior to beginning construction. All structures at Bikefill are designed to be “siblings” akin to one other in general form and shape but scaled based on specific use and oriented and configured to specific site and environmental constraints. The Main Pavilion at the Family Hub will be approximately 45’ x 20’ with the intent to house a larger event or gathering and accommodate several small groups simultaneously. The pavilion is anticipated to provide a large open floor space containing movable seating to provide flexibility for a variety of uses and seating groups. Sheets A20 and A21 show the concept design for this Main Pavilion. The Restroom Pavilion at the Family Hub will be approximately 16’ x 37’ and will contain a medium-sized storage shed to house tools, maintenance and event equipment, as well as two accessible vault toilets for public use. There will also be a smaller covered area to serve as a secondary covered gathering space which will be attached to the future bike wash station, the infrastructure for which will be housed within this structure. Sheet A22 shows the concept design for this structure. A Parking Lot Vault Toilet will be approximately 7’ x 14’ and will be located in the parking lot median. Sheet A23 shows the concept design for this structure. 11 of 11 All structures are envisioned to be similar aesthetically, comprised of tapered, triangulated roof planes inspired by the geometry of a bike frame. The triangulation of roof planes allows for the roof to “fold” down toward the ground plane to create maximum shade, especially late in the day when the sun is lower in the sky. The orientation and configuration of each structure and its roof planes will be designed for each specific site to maximize views to park features while also maximizing shade. Structures are envisioned to be constructed of a combination of steel, wood, and timber structural elements. Ideally structural elements are anticipated to be comprised of reclaimed materials and intentionally differentiated in shape to facilitate the overall Bikefill concept of reuse. Steel elements will be allowed to naturally patina to create a durable but beautiful maintenance-free finish that ties into other elements of the park.