Commission continues Guthrie appeal after lengthy hearing; record closed for April 15 deliberation

The Bozeman City Commission on April 1 heard more than four hours of testimony on appeal 25033, an administrative appeal of the community development director’s conditional approval of the Guthrie Fifth and Villard site plan, certificate of appropriateness and demolition (application 24493). After hearing staff, the appellant and the applicant, and more than 40 in‑room public commenters for and against the project, the commission voted 5–0 to continue deliberation to April 15 and closed the hearing record.

City Community Development Director Aaron George presented staff’s recommendation to uphold the director’s conditional approval, summarizing changes between the earlier Guthrie proposal and the current application: the developer reduced building height from five stories to four, cut unit count from 111 to 91, and adjusted the unit mix while meeting the affordable housing code’s 50% required price‑restricted…