Daniel Carty, Angie Kociolek & Linda Semones: Only you can save Bozeman’s historical character, sense of place

On March 3, the Bozeman City Commission adopted its priorities for 2026-27. These priorities are to:

(1) Protect Bozeman’s heritage, neighborhoods, and natural environment.

(2) Engage meaningfully with the community.

(3) Bridge the affordability gap.

(4) Advance Bozeman as a safe and welcoming place for all. All four priorities are equally important and interrelated, but this column focuses on one and two.

The years 2018-25 were not kind to the historical character, sense of place, and natural environment of Bozeman’s downtown core neighborhoods. With the approvals of several former City Commissions, five- to six-story luxury hotels, condos, and apartments — primarily funded by extractive real estate investment companies — have sprouted up in the downtown core, much like the invasive spotted knapweed.

Such high-rise developments are incompatible with the more human scale of Bozeman’s historic downtown neighborhoods. Such high-rise developments have minimal setback and stepback requirements; hence, all mature trees and other vegetation are usually cut down to build sidewalk-to-sidewalk and straight up — resulting in long-term, adverse consequences such as reduced tree canopy cover, increased heat-island effects, obscured sunrises and sunsets, reduced solar access, and fragmented viewsheds.

Finally, such high-rise developments cater almost exclusively to the wealthy. Consequently, these developments contribute to Bozeman’s increasing unaffordability.

If the current pace of luxury, high-rise development continues in the downtown core, in the not-too-distant-future Bozeman will become an anonymous city — without character, without a soul, and incapable of living up to its motto, “the most livable place.”

In 2025, the Commission made two decisions that, unless overturned, will irreparably and irreversibly damage the historical character, sense of place, and natural environment of Bozeman’s downtown core neighborhoods. The first decision came on April 15, when the Commission invalidated the letter, spirit, and intent of the City’s Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District (NCOD) guidelines (UDC Sec. 38.240.020) by voting to uphold city staff’s approval of The Guthrie 2 development.

That decision allows the demolition of a mid-century modern building — a functional rehabilitation and care center until 2022 — and allows the removal of all mature trees and other vegetation on the site to make room for a monolithic, four-story, 91-unit apartment building with insufficient onsite parking.

The 2025 Commission’s second downtown core-destructive decision came on Dec. 16 when it adopted the city’s Unified Development Code (UDC) update with language that increased the allowable maximum building height in the B-3 zoning district from 70 feet to 90 feet by right. Currently, all B-3 zoning districts lie within the NCOD and form a halo around Bozeman’s historic Main Street (zoned B-3C; 60-foot maximum building height).

Allowing 90-foot buildings in B-3 by right means the city will get no community benefits in exchange for the extra height (e.g., no cash in lieu of affordable housing), which will make Bozeman even more unaffordable and force downtown employees farther from their jobs.

Finally, allowing 90-foot buildings in B-3 by right will exacerbate downtown parking problems, which already discourage many locals from venturing downtown except on special occasions.

The 2026-27 Commission priority to protect Bozeman’s heritage, neighborhoods, and natural environment is laudable, but that can only happen if the Commission engages meaningfully with Bozeman residents. And for that to happen, Bozeman residents must engage meaningfully with the Commission.

It’s virtually impossible for most Bozeman residents to track every city issue. Hence, to help protect the NCOD’s neighborhoods and natural environment, please get involved in at least one of the following city issues or plans:

• Short term (weeks): Email the Commission (comments@bozeman.net) and ask them (a) to adopt an Interim Zoning Ordinance (MCA 76-2-306), under which the Commission can implement a moratorium on large developments (e.g., > 30,000 sq ft) until the NCOD guidelines are updated, and (b) to return the allowable maximum building height in B-3 to 60–70 feet, which is more neighborhood friendly than 90 feet.

• Long term (one year): Participate in the (a) NCOD guidelines update, (b) Landmark Program, or (c) Bozeman Creek Vision Plan (engage.bozeman.net).

To help protect all of Bozeman’s neighborhoods and natural environment: Participate (1 year) in the (a) Integrated Water Resources Management Plan or (b) Urban Forest Management Plan (engage.bozeman.net).

Add your voice to help keep Bozeman the most livable place for us all.