Fowler Avenue Connection

If you're interested in the Fowler Avenue Connection, you might be aware that the possibility exists for using some city-owned lands next to the street for affordable housing. While this housing effort is separate from the street project, you may be interested in learning more about an item on tonight's City Commission agenda. Under Consent, item F6 is a task order that would allow our consultant, Sanbell, to provide planning services for the annexation and zoning of City-owned property along Fowler Avenue. That means that our consultant in the coming months will be helping to establish how the property gets zoned and annexed, and we want our community to get involved in this effort early on and be a part of that process.

This property was purchased by the City over 10 years ago and is currently a part of Gallatin County. If the item passes and the work is performed, we will eventually have the rare opportunity to solicit proposals from developers on how they would create affordable housing on this property. Annexation and zoning by the city instead of selling the land directly to developers allows the public to lead on important zoning proposals that would typically be the responsibility of the developer. The possibilities are open at this point, and we want to create housing that our community feels excited about. That's why it's important to be aware now - establishing zoning will provide a framework for what types of housing proposals eventually get submitted.

If you're interested, stay tuned for more information shared through this platform on how to get involved in future engagement on this topic. We look forward to collaborating with you in the new year!

On July 16, 2024, the Director of Transportation and Engineering, Nick Ross, presented an update on the Fowler Avenue project (from Huffine Lane to Oak Street) to the City Commission. The presentation covered the project's background, timeline, community feedback, and design updates. The City Commission reviewed the 30% design plans and provided feedback, including changes to curb and turn lanes, path widths, street connections, and the addition of features like mini roundabouts and raised intersections. The focus was on improving pedestrian and cyclist safety, reducing environmental impact, and ensuring the project aligns with community needs.

Key recommendations include:

Oak to Durston Section

• Removal of all median curb and all left turn lanes, except the turn lanes at the Oak and Durston intersection
• Provide consistent 7-foot boulevard and 10-foot shared use paths
• Reduce harvest Creek buffer from 30-feet to 15-feet
• Add a mini roundabout at Anne Street intersection and to maintain a 37-foot width of Annie Street west Fowler until 48-foot transition at western limits of project
• Remove street connections for Farmall Street, Lily Drive, and Oliver Street

Durston to Babcock Section

• Provide consistent 7-foot boulevard and 10-foot shared use paths
• Remove bike lane
• Relocate east curb line
• Widen east sidewalk to 10-feet
• Include street trees
• Add a raised intersection and sidewalk connections to shared use path at Jennifer Street
• Remove street connection to Cascade Street

Babcock to Huffine Section

• Removal of bike lane
• Relocate west curb line
• Widen west sidewalk to 10-feet
• Include street trees
• Investigate feasibility of pedestrian underpass at Huffine

Due to time constraints, Bozeman City Commission has moved the Fowler Avenue Connection work session to July 16, 2024.

Any written public comment received and intended for the previously scheduled City Commission meeting will be saved and considered at the July 16 meeting.

This meeting will seek policy-level feedback on the proposed design's compliance with the project approach defined through the Pre-Design phase of the project. You can join the meetings in person or online.

Links to join and agenda will be posted on the city website the week prior to the meeting:

City Commission Agenda

Public comment on the project is welcome and can be provided in-person or online during the meeting or by writing to comments@bozeman.net.

Interested community members are invited to learn more about the 30% design for the future Fowler Avenue Corridor through a guided walking tour starting at Oak St. and heading towards Durston Avenue.

Date: Wednesday, June 12th

Time: 6:00 PM

Meeting Spot: Dinosaur Park, 1707 Vaquero Pkwy

Tour Location: Oak St. and Fowler Avenue

We will walk for about 90 minutes to review the 30% design plans, including the proposed 2-lane configuration, intersection designs, multimodal facilities, and landscaping.

What to Bring:

• Good walking shoes
• Weather-appropriate clothing

Safety guidelines will be provided. We look forward to your participation!

The Transportation & Engineering Department has reached the 30% design phase of the Fowler Avenue Connection project and will be providing a special presentation to the Transportation Board and the City Commission.

• Transportation Board on May 22, 2024, at 6:00 pm
• City Commission on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, at 6:00 pm

Both meetings will seek policy-level feedback on the proposed design's compliance with the project approach defined through the Pre-Design phase of the project. You can join the meetings in person or online.

Links to join and agendas will be posted on the city website the week prior to the meetings:

Transportation Board Agenda

City Commission Agenda

Public comment on the project is welcome and can be provided in-person or online during the meeting or by writing to comments@bozeman.net.

Thank you to everyone who was able to come out to the Fowler Avenue Connection Community Event on May 8, 2024. Your presence, questions, and discussions were invaluable and created a meaningful and productive atmosphere. For those who were unable to attend or if you would like a recap, the 30% design plans, the boards that were on display, and the presentation from the community event are available on the website. You can find the boards and the 30% design plans on the right-hand side of the page under the "documents" section. The presentation is located under the "videos" section.

If you have additional questions or questions that we were not able to get to during the event, we have created a Q & A section where you can post your questions and our team will answer. Look for the Q & A section on the homepage, mid-way down the page.

We truly value your involvement and hope to continue working together to strengthen our community. Please reach out to any of the project team should you need anything else!

Happy Fall from the Fowler project team! We've updated the background section of this project and are chiming in here with a brief update.

The city is continuing to plan for this project as we refine cost estimates and begin to develop more detailed designs for this new connection based on public input and direction from the City Commission.

One of the ways we’re doing this is through the city’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). This is a five year financial planning tool that the city updates every year. It ensures that we are looking ahead to provide schedules and cost estimates to improve and maintain city facilities, parks, and transportation infrastructure. The Fowler Avenue Connection Project will be a major component of the CIP this year.

The CIP goes through the typical public meeting process and will be presented to the Transportation Advisory Board at their meeting on October 25th, and City Commission at their meeting on December 12th. Head to bozeman.net/meetings where meeting agendas, materials, and links to join virtually will be posted 3 days before the meeting.

You can find the Pre-Design Report in the documents section to the right! This report captures all of the background on the project, analysis of existing conditions, future traffic models, and what we've heard from the community so far.

The tools on the project page are currently closed, and you can provide your public comment to the project team and City Commission by emailing agenda@bozeman.net.

We will continue to keep you informed throughout the design stage and let you know about additional engagement opportunities and ways to provide your input here on the Engage Bozeman project page.

If you haven't yet done so, please sign up for email newsletters by clicking "Subscribe" in the lower right hand side of this page!

Hello all,

Please find the agenda and meeting materials for the Transportation Board meeting on Wednesday 7/27 on the city's website at www.bozeman.net/meetings. The Fowler Ave Connection will be the first action item on the agenda after the general public comment period. There will also be public comment on this action item specifically after the project team presentation and questions from the board members.

Thank you!