Bozeman Commission narrows priorities for Unified Development Code rewrite; staff to return June 24 with mass-and-scale recommendations

Bozeman commissioners used a June 3 work session to give staff prioritized direction on the city’s long-running Unified Development Code (UDC) rewrite. Staff said they will return for a focused work session on June 24 and then pursue additional sessions on zoning districts, environmental protections and transportation-related items.

Deputy Mayor Morrison opened the discussion by asking commissioners which of five broad topic areas should be carved into near-term work sessions. Commissioners directed staff to bring a detailed presentation on “bulk, mass and scale” — including floor-area-ratio (FAR), lot coverage, height, stepbacks and zone-edge transitions — at the June 24 meeting, and to include the parcel-assembly question (whether to discourage large consolidated assemblages that create out-of-scale buildings) as part of that same conversation.

Commissioners wanted clarity on zoning districts and allowed uses in a separate session, including whether certain residential districts should allow small-scale commercial uses, how many dwelling units should be permitted in historic residential districts, and how nonconforming buildings would be treated if zoning changes are implemented. Staff signaled it can present proposed district rules, show where nonconforming buildings would result,…