Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Bozeman public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
11 issues in zoning
Maximum Building Height in B-3 Downtown Zoning District
The City Commission recently kept the 90-foot downtown height limit intact after robust discussion, with unresolved questions about zone-edge transitions and stepbacks. Staff will return to the Commission with ground-level experience standards.
Board of Ethics Code Review
The Board has spent two years, off and on, reviewing the city's ethics code. Members concluded the current policy is sound and only a technology/AI update may be needed, which is on hold until a city staff committee led by Assistant City Manager John Henderson finishes its work.
Writing PRAT Plan goals into the development code
The city is updating its Unified Development Code so new developments deliver better parks - trails instead of just sidewalk-edged grass, credit for protecting wetlands and trees, and possible changes to the density cap and 17-acres-per-1,000-residents standard. Expect public engagement, expert panels, and a recommendation to the city commission over roughly ten months.
Local Landmark Program development
The city is rewriting its historic preservation rules — covering demolition of older buildings, the Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District, and Certificates of Alteration. Property owners in older neighborhoods could see changed requirements for altering or tearing down structures 50 years or older.
Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District Reorganization
The draft would relocate NCOD regulations to other parts of the Unified Development Code and update its language. NCOD rules affect what homeowners and developers can do in Bozeman's conservation districts.
Update of NCOD Design Standards
The update to the historic district's design guidelines is paused after the city lost its historic preservation planner and consultant. Staff plan to re-hire a consultant this fall and a new planner is being recruited.
Landmark historic preservation program update
Resident Roger Blank slammed the commission for rejecting an interim preservation code while 70-plus demolition permits stack up for older downtown homes, urging them to pass a preservation code before 'there's nothing left to preserve.'
Future of the NCOD and historic preservation program
The new Landmark Program would cover historic preservation outside the NCOD, but there's uncertainty about whether it will eventually replace the NCOD — Commissioner Sweeney will explain it at NENA's April 13 meeting.
Wetland and Watercourse Code Submittal Requirements Amendment
The city's new wetland rules require two outside-agency determinations that those agencies can no longer provide, which could leave development applications with no path to approval. Staff propose removing those two requirements while keeping local protections intact. The change heads to the Community Development Board and City Commission.
Tiered Creek Setbacks and Development Rights
Staff want the board's help designing a tiered system of creek setbacks — replacing the flat 75-foot rule — plus averaging of setback distances and possible transfer or purchase of development rights. Board members pushed for clear-eyed treatment of downtown parcels and fairness to landowners north of downtown.
Data Center Code Readiness
Staff say Bozeman's review process is mostly ready for data centers, but the code lacks standards for the continuous, penetrating noise they produce and for small modular nuclear reactors some operators bring as their own power.