Bozeman Commission provisionally adopts zone change tied to Gallatin County land swap

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…