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Bozeman Commission holds work session on UDC mass and scale tools; commissioners ask staff to explore several options
Summary
City staff outlined tools to control building mass and scale under a draft Uniform Development Code (UDC). Commissioners directed staff to pursue additional research on several items, including graduated square-foot caps, wall-plate heights, stepbacks for district-edge transitions and legal review of cash-in-lieu concepts.
City staff presented a detailed work session on June 24 focused on tools to manage building mass and scale in the draft Uniform Development Code (UDC). Community Development Director Erin George and Community Development Manager Chris Saunders led the discussion and solicited commissioner direction on which tools to advance in the next draft.
Staff framed the topic: "Scale is the relationship of one thing to another and mass is more of an objective unitary measure of volume," Community Development Manager Chris Saunders said, setting the distinction the session used throughout.
Why it matters: The UDC rewrite implements the city’s 2020 community plan and will reshape what types of buildings are permitted, and where. Changes to mass-and-scale rules affect how large buildings can be, how new development interfaces with older neighborhoods, and the types of housing that get built.
Key tools discussed - Stories vs. feet for height: Staff explained methods for measuring building height by a fixed number of feet or by vertical "stories," and said the draft currently uses a mix (stories for some commercial districts). Commissioners were split: some…
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