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Bozeman working group plans ballot initiative tying new development to affordable units
Summary
A neighborhood working group announced a petition drive to place a water‑adequacy amendment on the November 2025 ballot that would require developers of three or more new residential units to provide one‑third of units affordable to low‑ and moderate‑income households.
Daniel Carty, a member of the Bozeman Water Adequacy for Residential Development Working Group, told the Inter‑Neighborhood Council that the group is collecting signatures to put a proposed amendment to the city’s water adequacy code before voters in November 2025. The initiative would require new residential developments of three dwelling units or more to provide one‑third of those units for rent at 60 percent of area median income or for sale at 120 percent AMI.
The proposal links water‑supply rules to housing affordability, a connection the speaker said was underscored by a city consultant’s recent observation that “water and affordable housing go together.” Carty described the initiative as a way to require developers to provide affordable housing “for the privilege of building in Bozeman” and said the working group is collecting signatures through June 23 to qualify the measure for the ballot.
The initiative, as Carty described it, is intended to amend the city’s water adequacy code; he did not provide draft ordinance text during his remarks. He invited neighborhood associations to meet with WARD members for further discussion and directed listeners to wardbzn.com and a recent Bozeman Magazine column for more information.
The Inter‑Neighborhood Council did not take a formal position on the initiative during the meeting. City staff later noted the Commission will discuss the city’s integrated water resources plan at a work session on April 22, where potential interactions between the plan and the ballot initiative may be addressed. The working group’s timeline and the council’s request for more information mean any city or neighborhood responses are expected to follow further outreach and staff briefings.
