Building our Future Together - Development Code Update

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The City Commission has paused their consideration of this project until next year. See the News Feed for an update!

Click here to view the draft code document

Click here to view the proposed zoning map

If you missed the chance to attend an Open House, check out the slides and recording from the virtual Open House on August 28th. The slides from the September 11th Community Development board are available as well.


This project is all about implementing the vision and goals established in our city’s guiding documents such as the 2020 Community Plan (aka Growth Policy), the Climate Plan, and strategic priorities like affordable housing.

These broad visions, goals, and priorities are implemented through the Unified Development Code or “UDC” or “the code.” The UDC sets forth regulations around what kinds of development can occur in which areas through development standards and zoning districts.

The goal for this engagement effort is to consult the community on how to improve usability of the UDC and how the regulations in the UDC can help us accommodate growth while meeting community goals in our Community Plan, Climate Plan and others.

Throughout the project residents, developers, builders, and the community at large will be consulted on specific topics relevant to how different people interact with the code. Specific focus areas will be:

  • Formatting, organization of the UDC

  • Zoning Districts

  • Sustainability

  • Parking

  • Transportation

This project page will be the place to go for updates on how to engage in person, virtually, or on your own time. You can subscribe to email updates specific to this project by clicking “Follow Project” on the right hand side of this page. We're glad you're here!

The City Commission has paused their consideration of this project until next year. See the News Feed for an update!

Click here to view the draft code document

Click here to view the proposed zoning map

If you missed the chance to attend an Open House, check out the slides and recording from the virtual Open House on August 28th. The slides from the September 11th Community Development board are available as well.


This project is all about implementing the vision and goals established in our city’s guiding documents such as the 2020 Community Plan (aka Growth Policy), the Climate Plan, and strategic priorities like affordable housing.

These broad visions, goals, and priorities are implemented through the Unified Development Code or “UDC” or “the code.” The UDC sets forth regulations around what kinds of development can occur in which areas through development standards and zoning districts.

The goal for this engagement effort is to consult the community on how to improve usability of the UDC and how the regulations in the UDC can help us accommodate growth while meeting community goals in our Community Plan, Climate Plan and others.

Throughout the project residents, developers, builders, and the community at large will be consulted on specific topics relevant to how different people interact with the code. Specific focus areas will be:

  • Formatting, organization of the UDC

  • Zoning Districts

  • Sustainability

  • Parking

  • Transportation

This project page will be the place to go for updates on how to engage in person, virtually, or on your own time. You can subscribe to email updates specific to this project by clicking “Follow Project” on the right hand side of this page. We're glad you're here!

  • City Commission Work Session Debrief – Commercial Zones, Transitions, and Parking

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    In February, the project team held two UDC-focused work sessions with the City Commission. The first, on Feb. 14th, focused on zone edge transitions and commercial and mixed-use zoning districts. The second, on Feb. 28th, focused on parking regulations. Here's what we discussed:


    • Zone edge transition strategies, including angle planes, setbacks, stepbacks, and landscaped buffers
    • The allocation of land among various commercial and mixed-use zoning districts
    • Which zoning districts should be maintained, modified, or removed from the code
    • Where in Bozeman there should be no minimum parking requirements
    • The number of parking spaces required elsewhere in the city


    The City Commission provided the following guidance to the project team on districts and transitions:

    • Pursue a strategy including the use of a fixed building stepback for zone edge transitions
    • Consider the use of landscaped buffers (including water-wise requirements) and come back to Commission for further direction
    • Update several zoning districts, including:
      • Change most (but not all) B-2 zoning to B-2M,
      • Reconfigure the B-1 district,
      • Modernize the B-P district,
      • Maintain and modernize the NEHMU district, and
      • Remove/consolidate the R-O and UMU districts.

    Regarding parking, the City Commission directed the following:
    • Consult with advisory boards for further guidance on what other urban renewal areas to remove parking requirements (like parts of the Midtown area today)
    • Implement the Downtown Plan recommendations:
      • Remove minimum parking requirements in the core area downtown (roughly Main St. from Rouse to Grand)
      • Reduce the commercial parking requirements in the rest of the B-3 zone
    • Reduce and simplify other parking minimums citywide.


    Visit the City Commission page here to view the meeting recordings and minutes (link). The consultant team's presentation is also available in the Presentation Materials section of this website - parking here (link), and commercial districts and transitions here (link).

  • Code Connect Webinar #3 – Wednesday, 3/8

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    Join us at the next Code Connect meeting on Wednesday, March 8th! The project team will recap this month’s work sessions with the City Commission, discuss progress on code drafting, and answer questions about the project. Code Connect meetings will take place every other month throughout the course of the project, to inform the community about the project and gather input on proposed approaches.

    Topic: Commercial Districts, Zone Transitions and Parking

    Date and Time: Wednesday, March 8 at 6:00 PM

    Meeting ID: 845 6273 3565

    Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/keiutIMEZt

  • City Commission Work Session #5 – Parking

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    The project team has their next work session with City Commission on Tuesday, February 28th. Our discussion will focus on parking regulations in the revised UDC.

    You can find the related materials, agenda, and the link to join the meeting online the city’s website (link). We’ll post a summary of the meeting as well as presentation slides to this site shortly after the session.

    We will also meet with the Community Development Board the day before, on Monday, February 27th to discuss our progress on the UDC revision so far. You can find out more and join the meeting virtually here (link). Thank you for staying engaged!

  • Reminder: City Commission Work Session #4 – Transitions and Commercial Zoning

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    The project team has their next work session with City Commission on this Tuesday, February 14th. Our discussion will focus on how the new UDC will approach zone edge transitions, and general updates to commercial and mixed-use zoning districts.

    You can find the related materials, agenda, and the link to join the meeting online the city’s website (link). We’ll post a summary of the meeting as well as presentation slides to this site shortly after the session. Thank you for staying engaged!

  • 2/14 City Commission Work Session – Transitions and Commercial Zoning

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    The project team has their next work session with City Commission on Tuesday, February 14th. Our discussion will focus on how the new UDC will approach zone edge transitions, and general updates to commercial and mixed-use zoning districts.

    You can find the related materials, agenda, and the link to join the meeting online the city’s website (link). We’ll post a summary of the meeting as well as presentation slides to this site shortly after the session. Thank you for staying engaged!

  • Upcoming Engagement Opportunities

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    There are plenty of opportunities to get involved and engage with the project next month both virtually and in-person. Keep an eye out for the following events and engagement opportunities:

    • Ongoing: Online engagement surveys (click here to learn more and participate)
    • City Commission Work Session #4 – Commercial Zoning – February 14th
    • Community Development Board UDC Work Session – February 27th
    • City Commission Work Session #5 – Parking – February 28th
    • Code Connect Webinar #3 – Zoning Districts and Parking – March 8th

    We will also be scheduling more in-person engagement station events on a regular basis, so be sure to check back on this page often. We look forward to hearing your thoughts!

  • Reminder: Online Engagement Surveys

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    Over the last several months, the project team has conducted in-person activities with informational pamphlets and surveys about topics related to the UDC update. These materials are now available online for you to review, interact with, and provide feedback on! The responses we gather both online and in-person will be used to inform our revisions to the UDC. We will continue to update this page with new topics throughout the project, so check back often.


    Follow the link below to go to our virtual library, available in English and Spanish, and provide your input. We look forward to hearing what you have to say!


    UDC Engagement Library: (link)

  • Engagement Update

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    We’ve been busy meeting with high school and university students, community members, city staff, advisory boards, and City Commission. Midway through our engagement efforts, here’s what we’ve done and who we’ve heard from so far. The stats below provide a high-level summary of where we've been, who we've talked to, and what we've heard so far.


    • 7 mobile engagement station events
    • More than 250 people spoken with
    • 157 completed engagement surveys (click here to learn more and participate)
      • Most popular topics include Height Limits, Housing Diversity, Solar Power Generation and Urban Agriculture
    • 2 neighborhood group meetings
    • 2 development and design professionals focus groups
    • Over 40 high school and college students during class visits and focus group conversations
    • Major takeaways:
      • Interest in creating more connected neighborhoods where pedestrian and biker safety is prioritized
      • Increasing the amount of mixed-use land throughout the city was popular, tempered by concern about encroachment into existing neighborhoods
      • Widespread interest in creating a greater variety of housing types throughout Bozeman


    Continue to stay involved as we continue our outreach efforts throughout the course of this project, and remember to come back to this site for the latest updates!

  • Community Development Board Work Session Debrief

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    Last week the project team participated in a virtual work session with the Community Development Board. They discussed progress on the project so far, including some of the draft regulations for residential zoning districts and a summary of community engagement efforts conducted through the end of 2022. Check out the presentation and meeting recording at the links below to learn more!


    Link to meeting video

    Link to presentation

  • Engagement Update

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    Happy New Year, Bozeman!


    The MSU “Street Team” has been out and about the last semester with a mobile engagement station to gather input for the city’s development code update. You might have seen them at city parks, the Winter Farmer’s Market, HandMADE Fair, or most recently at the Christmas Stroll. Architecture students Rebecca Hennings and Krista Hunton have been leading the outreach efforts for the MSU Street Team and were joined by Daisy Parnell, Jenavieve Lynch, and City Planner Tom Rogers.

    Your input on things like housing diversity, height limits, and sustainable design will help the consultant team, Community Development Board, and City Commission improve regulations around new development to help our community meet climate goals, achieve the vision in our Community Plan, and address housing supply and affordability in Bozeman.

Page last updated: 09 Feb 2024, 02:48 PM