Gallatin Council rezones Kirkpatrick Gallatin development, bars pedestrian or street connection to Nichols Circle

On July 1, 2025, the Gallatin City Council approved second reading of Ordinance 02505-30 to rezone about 154.83 acres south of Nichols Lane and west of Woods Ferry Road for the Kirkpatrick Gallatin planned residential development and adopted an amendment preventing a pedestrian or drivable connection to Nichols Circle.

The ordinance rezones 17.18 acres to R8 PRD (medium-density planned residential district) and reclassifies 4.08 acres from R40 (low-density residential) to R8 PRD as part of a preliminary master development plan for the Kirkpatrick Gallatin project. During second reading the council voted first to amend the ordinance to remove any provision allowing a pedestrian walkway or vehicle connection between the new development and Nichols Circle; the amendment passed unanimously. The final vote on the ordinance as amended passed 4-2.

Councilman Alexander, who moved the amendment and cited a neighborhood petition, said residents of Nichols Circle had presented a petition “signed by nearly everyone on the circle, opposing the pedestrian access to the Kirkpatrick Gallatin project.” He moved “to amend the ordinance to state that there will be no pedestrian walkway or drivable street that connects Kirkpatrick Gallatin to Nichols.” Vice Mayor Hayes seconded the amendment, which passed without recorded opposition.

Council members discussed whether a future right of way or informal trail could be preserved, with the mayor noting that some residents might wish for a connection decades from now and asking whether the design could allow later development of a connection. Staff indicated the planning commission had previously discussed only a pedestrian access after hearing neighborhood concerns; the petition and recent public comment prompted the council amendment. The council did not specify an effective date for the ordinance on the record during the meeting.

The rezoning affects land located south of Nichols Lane and west of Woods Ferry Road and is tied to the developer’s preliminary master plan for a medium-density planned residential district. Council debate focused on neighborhood access and the balance between developer plans and longstanding neighborhood preferences. No individual citizen speakers were identified on the record at second reading; council comments referenced public comment submitted at earlier meetings, including a neighborhood statement dated Sept. 23, 2024.

Next steps noted at the meeting: the amendment and second-reading approval move the rezoning forward under the city’s standard ordinance process; additional technical approvals and implementation steps (for example, final platting, infrastructure permits, or developer-initiated right-of-way dedications) were not specified during the meeting.