[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6212449,"mediaKeyId","3685143-cba947ad04ea766ed7f1e54cb43c8312","parentId",3685143,"title","Bozeman board recommends rezoning triangular parcel near regional park after land swap; residents urge protection of park access","audioSeconds",4372,"startMs",624000,"endMs",4996000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3685143-cba947ad04ea766ed7f1e54cb43c8312&start=624&end=4996","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3685143-cba947ad04ea766ed7f1e54cb43c8312/thumbnail_624000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6212449/Bozeman-City/Gallatin-County/Montana/Bozeman-board-recommends-rezoning-triangular-parcel-near-regional-park-after-land-swap-residents-urge-protection-of-park-access","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6212449-3b744e0c9f7fd31361f82bf0e572e63a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771199045&Signature=XtOKef2VQ7d9Tz-QJ2FJDeOr4shBFMVAy6lPeq4NjomM~4wDX6I~e~BxQZevVPSK16uIClQSVAgeQkticuL~J0V6jiqhmklw8iavkAr1wbbyc~xjzV9EuYI48VosSCqRbsmHjaqik3hMhTNJiY5rj5QkhTsQQnUqhzFMFg6Zf-CNc8ki7C8Imes0~qGQeKm1XH2zsrSiO3i2wetyxn-tW679zZM3SSXQe82H1AZXuHDCgp9rL5dA8G4NuZmc548A9V1Grfw8fonKkyu9~YTFnqRFbmus6Qi2Qm4Bz1S05a6fjGaBXfB6VmhpeAH0O0t50oPqsSGj56Et2UrurxELlw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","WI / City of Bozeman","date","2025-06-02T00:00:00Z","article","The Bozeman Community Development Board voted Monday to recommend that the City Commission approve the Vaquero Land Swap Zone Map Amendment (application 25035), a request to rezone a small triangular piece of property from PLI (Public Lands and Institutions) to R3 (residential), the board heard. The board’s recommendation was unanimous, and the item is scheduled for a City Commission public hearing on June 17, 2025.

The amendment affects a roughly 1.37‑acre portion of private land adjacent to the 100‑acre regional park near Vaquero Parkway and Baxter and Oak. Tom Rogers of the Community Development Department told the board that staff found the proposal meets state review criteria and that the parcel is currently part of a preliminary plat that has not yet received final plat approval.

The rezoning matter drew a string of public comments from adjacent homeowners who said the yellow triangle on staff maps functions as park access and thus should remain public land. Leslie Johnson, a Vaquero Parkway resident, told the board, “The Yellow Land is actually a very prime location for park access.” Several other nearby homeowners said they regularly walk the park and expressed concern that converting the parcel to R3 would reduce park usability and could affect nearby property values.

Rogers and the applicant’s representative, Brett Migard of Highlight Engineers, described the parcel’s history. Migard said a land swap between Gallatin County and a private owner took place over several years (2017–2022) and left a small triangular piece of land under private ownership that the applicant now seeks to rezoned to match adjacent residential zoning. Rogers said the county originally acquired much of the park with bond funding and that a portion of the land had been designated at one time for a possible YMCA but was later sold to private owners. Rogers also told the board that standard public notice procedures were followed and that, “We have not received any public comment as of this evening that I’m aware of,” though he acknowledged staff receives updates through early afternoon.

During public comment, multiple residents said they had not seen visible on‑site notices. Susie (address given at the meeting) said the posted sign was not at a trailhead and “many people never saw it,” and another resident said construction and mounds of dirt partly obscured the sign. Rogers confirmed the city requires certification that notices were placed and told the board staff believed the signs were placed; he added that the city mailed notices to adjacent property owners and published a newspaper notice. The board later made a separate recommendation to the commission asking the applicant and staff to improve the on‑site physical notice so that it is visually prominent.

Board members discussed the parcel’s administrative history: the property was annexed and zoned R3 at the time of annexation in 2001, the county later acquired much of the adjacent parkland, and a subsequent land swap and subdivision created the current parcel lines. Board members said the practical effect of the application is to correct a mismatch between the parcel’s current zoning (PLI) and the surrounding residential designations and the previously approved preliminary plat.

After asking questions of staff and the applicant and hearing public comment, the board voted to adopt staff findings and recommend approval to the City Commission. Member Nicole Olmstead moved to adopt the staff findings and recommend approval of application 25035; the motion was seconded and carried on a unanimous 6–0 roll call. The board then separately moved — again unanimously — to request that applicants and staff ensure the on‑site physical notice is placed visibly and effectively prior to the City Commission hearing.

Next steps: the zone map amendment will be considered by the Bozeman City Commission at a public hearing on June 17, 2025. The board’s recommendation is advisory; the commission will make the final decision.

What was not decided or changed tonight: the preliminary plat remains an administrative process; no final plat or building permits have been approved and no development has occurred. The board’s action only forwards a recommendation on the zoning map amendment to the city commission.

—

Ending note: The staff report and application materials for 25035 are part of the file the commission will consider; the board asked staff to include more background material in future reports to make historical context (annexation, land swap timeline, plats) easier to follow for residents and commissioners.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City of Bozeman Community Development Board June 2, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Bozeman Community Development Board voted Monday to recommend that the City Commission approve the Vaquero Land Swap Zone Map Amendment (application 25035), a request to rezone a small triangular piece of property from PLI (Public Lands and Institutions) to R3 (residential).","taxTitle","Bozeman City, Gallatin County, Montana","taxId",48745,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6212445,"Bozeman panel narrows UDC options on building mass and scale; board votes to drop FAR and residential lot‑area minimums",9743,3376000,13119000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3685143-cba947ad04ea766ed7f1e54cb43c8312&start=3376&end=13119","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3685143-cba947ad04ea766ed7f1e54cb43c8312/thumbnail_3376000.jpg","/articles/6212445/Bozeman-City/Gallatin-County/Montana/Bozeman-panel-narrows-UDC-options-on-building-mass-and-scale-board-votes-to-drop-FAR-and-residential-lotarea-minimums","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6212445-a5d1827d86a36294edc28c6b17bb4c8a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771199045&Signature=i8GkvRKe5WinAsmPb4WO~Q82ropKTyWKYerNfBZ1rluZmUvYHXr7ljBy0YUmjRLxAHun6XogjVf13Xj3oSAbXbufcDeSdngYmnMPtc8QMCraKSUXZ8OJdX-tT4X700M9iIl-HOHmtnaS3Twz14nNg0iFdg8Hxfs8geLzQVt9iEJFzYiTgLDfdOqSoDiSb5R3Rbl1MLxBFuYdPfhCS5YLHBomIBmXswzwFa1H-s2sF7UdYdTLJH5BzuseE0DFq8DunZyfLyqe5vCmPJTSskyDEyJTsYMaZYjNksUv-YyhSEyKrUn9FCCobmA-bxWiLtBcT26jxSzYMn-tDzOECKz~-w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Bozeman Community Development Board continued a multi‑year update of the city’s Unified Development Code on Monday, focusing on tools to address building mass and scale. Staff presented a suite of options — setbacks, lot‑area minimums, height measurements, wall‑plate limits, step‑backs, floor‑area ratio (FAR), and building‑width caps — and the board took early policy votes on two items: to recommend removing FAR as a maximum constraint citywide and to recommend eliminating minimum lot‑area requirements for residential lots.

Chris Saunders, city planning staff leading the presentation, said the conversation is about choosing the right regulatory “tool” — not final numeric values — and emphasized that tools should work across the city’s variety of zones. Saunders said the draft UDC currently measures some residential height allowances in stories (with per‑story caps) and enforces a 15‑foot minimum ground‑floor height for many commercial uses; staff proposed keeping the stories framework but discussing how to cap per‑story heights.

After extensive discussion of pros and cons — including construction methods, energy systems, and design alternatives — the board voted on two motions. Member Jason Delmeux moved that the board recommend that the City Commission abandon floor area ratio (FAR) as a maximum limit for development and rely instead on other constraints such as setbacks, maximum lot coverage, minimum open space, and required parking; the motion passed on a roll call vote that recorded approval by the full board. Delmeux subsequently moved that the board recommend removing minimum lot‑area regulations for residential zones and let other constraints (setbacks, lot coverage, open space) govern development; that motion was amended on the floor to apply to residential lots and passed 5–1.

Why members supported removing FAR and minimum lot area: staff and several board members said FAR had produced limited real‑world benefit in Bozeman and overlapped with other dimensional controls (setbacks and lot coverage), while minimum lot area was redundant with dimensional standards and discouraged flexible, smaller‑lot housing forms. In several exchanges board members and staff noted that other code elements — setbacks, building‑width caps, lot coverage limits, and neighborhood‑specific transition standards — could be refined to address resident concerns about “oversized” buildings without an FAR framework that can be complex to administer.

Major technical topics discussed:
- Height measurement: staff proposed measuring in stories rather than a single fixed number of feet to improve public understanding, with per‑story caps to prevent extreme outcomes. The board discussed different per‑story floor‑to‑floor heights for residential and commercial buildings. Saunders said the draft code currently caps individual story height at 15 feet for some uses, a number staff is exploring whether to reduce for upper residential stories.
- Wall‑plate height: staff presented a “wall‑plate” limit (grade to wall‑plate intersection) as a way to reduce the perceived vertical mass of roofs while preserving design flexibility and dormer use.
- Step‑backs and planes: the board discussed angular planes (45‑degree) and stepped plane alternatives (e.g., 10‑ft step‑back at the fourth floor). Staff said step‑backs could be applied citywide, by district, or via overlay, and cautioned that design details influence construction cost.
- Building width and caps: staff proposed maximum building widths in some districts (125–250 feet for commercial) and an apartment‑building cap in residential districts (10,000 sq ft proposed for certain uses).

Public testimony during the code discussion included architects, renters and housing advocates urging retention or expansion of middle‑housing capacity. Mayagotzsche, a renter, urged permitting a wide range of middle housing types and warned that strict unit caps and overly tight massing rules would exclude historically common attached and multi‑unit forms. Architect Eric Bonnet and housing nonprofit Forward Montana urged aligning zoning with building code realities (for example, supporting 3‑story single‑stair “middle” housing in RB districts) and exploring graduated square‑foot caps or removing maximum unit caps to enable more housing choices.

Board members also raised practical implementation questions: how step‑backs affect structural systems and costs, whether incentives would be needed to achieve preferred design outcomes, how new state law (SB 243) and recent changes to administrative approvals may affect public notice and appeal procedures, and how to apply different standards in established infill neighborhoods versus new greenfield development.

Next steps: the board deferred additional decisions and asked staff to return with more detailed options, technical input from architects and builders on feasible per‑story heights, and illustrations of how proposed tools would play out on representative sites. The board scheduled further discussion for its June 16 meeting.

—

Ending note: the board’s votes to recommend removing FAR as a maximum and to remove minimum lot‑area requirements for residential lots will be transmitted to staff and carried forward to the City Commission and subsequent UDC drafts; they are policy recommendations, not final code changes until the commission acts.","The Community Development Board continued the Unified Development Code update Monday, favoring removal of floor‑area ratio as a maximum and recommending elimination of residential minimum lot‑area requirements while continuing debate on height limits, wall‑plate rules and step‑backs.","actionData","errors"]

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Bozeman board recommends rezoning triangular parcel near regional park after land swap; residents urge protection of park access

Bozeman panel narrows UDC options on building mass and scale; board votes to drop FAR and residential lot‑area minimums