City of Bozeman seeking engagement for historic preservation updates

BOZEMAN, Mont. — The City of Bozeman is starting its engagement process for reevaluating the Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District, or NCOD, a system meant to preserve historic buildings and encourage development that matches their character. 

The NCOD stretches across a significant portion of Bozeman and contains nine historic districts. It provides a set of guidelines that must be followed for renovations or construction of new buildings within the district. 

“We're thinking about different design elements that go into the exterior of a structure,” explained Rebecca Harbage, deputy director of community development with the city of Bozeman. “Things like what style of windows, what’s the pitch of the roof. The siding materials, roofing materials, color, the way the house sort of presents itself to the street. Do you have a front porch? Is there a garage? Where is the garage located?” 

Any time a property owner wants to build or renovate within the NCOD, they must apply for a certificate of appropriateness for city approval. 

The NCOD reevaluation process will include looking at all these design standards and what residents across the NCOD want for their neighborhoods. 

Natsuki Nakamura is part of the action committee for the Better Bozeman Coalition, a citizen group focused on preserving the character of Bozeman neighborhoods while maintaining affordability and sustainability. She became interested in the NCOD after the city approved The Guthrie, an apartment building that drew criticism from neighbors in the surrounding area for disrupting the flow of the neighborhood. 

“Residents have pushed for re-examining those guidelines and how can we have them have more teeth, especially to protect our built or natural environment. And make sure that new development complements and brings new value to a neighborhood,” Nakamura said. 

Nakamura said she and other residents want to avoid hitting the wall they did in the Guthrie case, and to do that, they need a clear picture of what the NCOD guidelines are and how they are enforced. 

“Residents and the city agree that we want clarity about, and predictability with those guidelines. And so that means that we kind of agree what a new building should look like if there's a new development going in, making sure that adding value rather than losing value in the neighborhood,” she said. 

Across the NCOD there is still a lot of variety in architecture and style, Harbage said. 

“It doesn't look the same from neighborhood to neighborhood. And so, as we go through the community engagement process, we're really hoping folks will come out and share with us what's unique about their particular part of the NCOD,” she said. 

That kind of engagement will be critical in informing updates, which ultimately will be approved by the city commission, Harbage added. 

Ultimately Nakamura said she is hopeful the city and residents can work together to build stronger, updated policy that benefits everyone in Bozeman. 

“Hopefully with this engagement process, neighbors will have a chance to be heard in that specific thing. And we can really make sure that any changes made are improvements or not a weakening of the code,” she said. 

The city is hosting an open house on Monday April 13 at the Bozeman Event Space (14 S. Tracy Ave.) from 6-8 p.m. where residents can come and learn more about this project. 

They will also host walking tours of the Northeast and South Central neighborhoods on April 14 and 15, which you can learn more about here. 

The city will publish several drafts of the NCOD updates for public comment and feedback throughout the process. They are aiming for adoption in December 2026.