Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Bozeman public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
39 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.'
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.
Zone Edge Transitions
The city requires setbacks, stepbacks and landscaping when tall buildings border lower-intensity zones, but neighbors say the rules don't do enough — especially the 90-foot B-3 height next to single-family areas. Input gathered here feeds the Commission's August 25 work session on height and transitions.
Wetland delineation timing for new development
After the commission unanimously approved wetland code cleanups, staff was directed to study moving wetland delineation requirements earlier in the development review process.
Wetland and watercourse code streamlining (Application 26217)
Bozeman's 2025 wetland code requires paperwork from federal and local agencies that those agencies can no longer provide up front, adding up to 18 months to development reviews without adding protection. The fix removes those requirements while keeping the city's own avoid-minimize-mitigate standards fully in force. The City Commission votes next on September 1.
Zone Edge Transitions for Tall Buildings
Commissioner Alison Sweeney reported the City Commission directed staff to require landscaping and trees wherever high-density zones meet lower-density ones — a small but real win for Bozeman's tree canopy.
Valet parking regulation and fees in downtown Bozeman
Bozeman's code doesn't currently authorize valet services using public curb space, but two exist and three more businesses want them. The board is shaping an ordinance, permit system, and fee — likely several thousand dollars a year per space — that would apply to new and possibly existing valet operations.
Zone edge transition standards
A resident letter raised concerns about building heights downtown ahead of the City Commission's August 25 discussion. The BID board will take up the topic at its August 19 meeting with input from Community Development staff.
November 3 charter amendment ballot
The final report and amended charter go to the County Election Office for the November 3, 2026 ballot, along with three sub-options on commission size (4 or 6), ward-based elections, and residency requirements. Sub-options only take effect if the amended charter passes.
Tentative report to residents
The biennial National Community Survey found 8 in 10 residents rate Bozeman as a good place to live, but cost of living, affordable housing, and growth management scored below national benchmarks. A proposed west-side fire station bond/levy didn't win majority support yet — about 4 in 10 favor it, with 3 in 10 wanting more information.
5211 Baxter Lane Annexation (163.9 acres)
A large annexation of 163.9 acres at the northwest corner of Baxter Lane and Harper Pucket Road, with proposed R-5 high-density mixed and R-3 medium-density residential zoning. This could set the stage for significant new housing on the city's edge.
Smaller Annexations: 133 Maus Lane and 1071 Story Mill Road
A 1.173-acre golf-course-related parcel currently outside city limits — with no water or sewer — would be annexed and zoned R-1 low-density residential. The owners want city services; the area is planned as Urban Residential in the city's growth plan.
2026 Proposed Amended Charter and ballot sub-options
Round two edits strengthen neighborhood associations, the Inter-Neighborhood Council, and city boards as partners in city decisions. Approval is set for May 20, with several commissioners still pushing to strip vague language and possibly add community impact statements.
Wards and commission size — still undecided
Voters may get to choose whether Bozeman expands from four to six commissioners and whether districts (wards) replace at-large elections. The sub-option ballot structure was clarified this session: number of commissioners first, then wards versus at-large, then who votes.
Preamble and 'human rights' language
Commissioners debated whether the words 'human rights' belong in the charter preamble, and asked the city clerk to bring back information on the vote history of that language.
Ward boundaries and adjustments (Section 7.04)
If voters approve wards, a five-member ward advisory board would draw boundaries. The commission is debating who appoints the board, whether to include a population-growth trigger (5% vs 10%), and how quickly the first wards could be in place — likely not until the 2029 election.
Wetlands and Watercourses Text Amendment
A procedural cleanup of the wetlands and watercourses rules is headed to a public hearing August 17. The changes fix timing conflicts between city review and state/federal agency review — not the substance of the standards.
Legacy short-term rentals in the RA district
A drafting oversight when R1/R2 merged into RA stripped existing Type 2 short-term rental hosts of their allowed use. The board recommends allowing Type 2 rentals outright in RA rather than grandfathering, which affects 62 existing operators and opens roughly 1,033 acres of residential land to the use. Some worry it could pull long-term rentals off the market.
B-3 district parking rules after October 1, 2026
A drafting omission would have let downtown B-3 parking standards lapse when state law changes take effect October 1. The fix carries forward current, more permissive downtown standards — including rules for group living arrangements and commercial uses.
Interim zoning ordinance and downtown 90-foot height
On August 25 the commission takes up the 90-foot height limit in the B3 district ringing downtown and how big buildings transition to adjacent neighborhoods. INC is being invited to weigh in before its August 13 meeting.
Bozeman High School Residential Parking Permit District future
The permit district around Bozeman High has worked so well that streets are often empty, but residents and staff question whether it's still needed — and it doesn't pay for itself. The board recommended shrinking it to the streets closest to the school, with more outreach before the City Commission decides.
Community engagement framework update
The city is updating its 2021 Engagement Framework to meet MLUPA's public participation requirements. Residents told staff the biggest problem is giving input and never seeing it reflected in decisions.
Wireless Facilities Code Update
The city's wireless facility rules hadn't been touched since 1998. The update adds federally mandated review timelines ("shot clocks"), exempt facility categories, and updated submittal requirements — keeping some local control over cell towers and small wireless gear.
Neighborhood Impact Statements for neighborhood associations
The commission recommended an optional program letting neighborhood associations and the Inter-Neighborhood Council co-create Neighborhood Impact Statement forms with the city, modeled on Los Angeles. It's a communication tool, not a mandate, aimed at giving neighborhoods a clearer way to weigh in on proposals.
Residency requirement for city office
The draft charter now requires that only registered voters living in Bozeman can serve as mayor or city commissioner. This shapes who can run for city office in future elections.
Ward system for electing city commissioners
The commission decided to put wards on the ballot as two questions: whether to switch from citywide at-large elections to neighborhood wards, and if so, whether ward commissioners are elected only within their ward or citywide. Voters will decide in the charter election.
Elected Mayor
The commission previously leaned toward a directly elected, full-time mayor, but Deanna Campbell argued a commission-appointed mayor better fits Bozeman's commission-manager government. The final call now waits on the ward decision and returns first on May 20.
Wards vs. At-Large Elections
The commission is deciding whether Bozeman should keep electing all commissioners citywide or divide the city into wards. West- and northwest-side residents argued wards would give their neighborhoods a real voice, while several commissioners worry wards could narrow candidates' focus and shrink competitive races. A ward "sub-option" may go on the ballot for voters to decide.
Interim zoning ordinance for the historic NCOD
The INC's letter asking the commission to adopt interim zoning within the NCOD hasn't gotten a public hearing — no three commissioners have called for it and the mayor doesn't support it. Reps say neighbors who filled out surveys deserve a public answer, and they want the city attorney to explain the legal concerns openly.
Unified Development Code amendments
The Commission was asked to authorize work on three amendment topics in Chapter 38 of the UDC along with a public engagement plan — the rules that guide what can be built where in Bozeman.