The Bozeman City Commission provisionally adopted a zone map amendment Tuesday to change roughly 1.37 acres from Public Lands & Institutions (PLI) to R3, a medium‑density residential zone, a move staff said aligns city zoning with a previously completed Gallatin County land swap and an approved preliminary plat.

The change, application 25035, affects a triangular portion of land at the edge of Gallatin County Regional Park near Vaquero Parkway and follows a county resolution and boundary adjustments completed in prior years. Tom Rogers, a planner with the Community Development Department, called the request “an application that the city received to adjust some zoning” and told the commission the parcel is shown on the city’s future‑land‑use map as part of an urban neighborhood area where R3 is an appropriate implementing district.

Why it matters: The parcel sits adjacent to the 99.7‑acre Gallatin County Regional Park and neighbors said rezoning the sliver would bring development closer to the park’s pond and trails. Opponents said the swap and later rezoning felt like a loss of parkland; supporters and staff said the property was privately held, the county retains the park, and parks are a permitted use in multiple city zones.

Staff and county history: Rogers and County Commissioner Scott McFarland described a multi‑year history: the Baxter Meadows area was annexed and initially zoned in the early 2000s, a regional park master plan and later plats and preliminary plats followed, and a land swap between Gallatin County and a private owner was memorialized by a county resolution in 2019 and recorded in 2022. McFarland said the county’s wrap‑up of the swap and required federal‑funding steps extended the timeline, and the County Commission directed staff to pursue the boundary adjustments several years earlier.

Applicant and technical details: Brett Migard, representing the applicant, said the land‑for‑land swap was equal in area (the swapped northern chunk and southern chunk each measured about 55,694 square feet) and noted the rezoning request also includes the adjacent right of way. He reiterated that the crossings subdivision has an approved preliminary plat and that infrastructure—streets, water, sewer and parking to serve the park—will be required before lots are finaled.

Public comment and concerns: More than a dozen nearby residents and park users spoke at the public hearing. Leslie Johnson, who lives across Vaquero Parkway, said, “We are here in force tonight to strongly oppose this measure.” Several speakers urged the commission to preserve the parcel as parkland, described wildlife and daily recreational use adjacent to the pond, and asked whether the city or county could purchase or otherwise preserve the area. Staff replied that the parcel has been privately owned and that county park planning documents did not include this parcel as county‑owned parkland.

Commission discussion and vote: Commissioners discussed the chronology—annexation and zoning in 2001, crossings preliminary plat in 2020, county resolution in 2019 and recording in 2022—and whether notification and public awareness had been sufficient. Multiple commissioners said the questions raised by neighbors were understandable but that the legal and procedural history limited the city’s options. Commissioner Majic moved to adopt staff findings and provisionally adopt the zone map amendment ordinance; the motion passed unanimously: Deputy Mayor Morrison, Commissioner Madick, Commissioner Boddy, Commissioner Fisher and Mayor Cunningham all voted aye.

Outcome and next steps: The commission provisionally adopted the zone map amendment. The change was framed by staff as aligning the city’s zoning map with the county’s previously completed land swap and with an approved preliminary plat; the approval was recorded in the meeting minutes as a provisional adoption of the ordinance. No final effective date was given during the hearing. City staff, the applicant, and county representatives remain the primary contacts for follow‑up on infrastructure, final platting, and any subsequent land‑use approvals.

Context note: Staff emphasized that parks are an allowed use in many city zones, including R3, and that the county still owns and operates the Gallatin County Regional Park. Several commissioners encouraged neighborhood groups and the county to explore conservation options and noted the complaint that notification for earlier county actions had been limited.