Bozeman Community Development Board Meeting – April 20, 2026
Bozeman Community Development Board Meeting – April 20, 2026
The Community Development Board held a regular meeting on April 20, 2026, starting at 6:00 p.m. in a hybrid format. The 2-hour 41-minute meeting included a special presentation on the city's Economic Development Strategy and a public hearing on the Hanson Lane Annexation Zone Map Amendment. The board voted 7-0 to recommend approval of the zone change to the City Commission.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes: The minutes from the April 6, 2026 meeting were approved unanimously (7-0).
Special Presentations
- Overview of the Economic Development Strategy Issue Plan: Director Brit Fontenot presented the department's structure, priorities (infrastructure, education/workforce, local business support), and the distinction between traded-sector jobs (higher wages, average $68,200 in 2020) and local-sector jobs (average $51,500). He noted that housing affordability remains the biggest challenge and that the city does not recruit companies but relies on quality of life. The board discussed coordination between departments and the upcoming update to the Economic Vitality Strategy.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Public Hearing on Hanson Lane Annexation: 63 written comments were received. Several residents spoke in opposition to the RB zoning, requesting RA instead or denial. Key speakers included:
- Heather Higgs (Harvest Creek HOA): Argued RB is inconsistent with surrounding single-family neighborhoods and raised safety concerns about the planned Fowler Avenue and Annie Street connections.
- Steve Holland, Cindy Miller, Carol Pfeifer, Mike Roser, Mike Harris, Merideth Center, Claire Mack, Bill Valencore, Tom Gane, Kristen Tripp: Expressed concerns about building height (fears of 5-story buildings), traffic safety for children walking to Emily Dickinson School, loss of wildlife, and a preference for single-family homes.
- Diana Saros (Cottage Park): Opposed higher density and tall buildings, citing impacts on neighborhood character.
- Bill Valencore (second comment): Raised fire safety concerns for multi-story buildings.
- Online commenters Mary France McHugh and Patty Dickerson also opposed RB, advocating for RA zoning consistent with the prevailing single-family character.
Discussion Items
- Hanson Lane Annexation Zone Map Amendment (Application 25775): The property is 9.979 acres, currently unannexed, located north of Durston Road and east of Hanson Street. Staff presented findings that RB zoning (Residential Mixed Use Low-Medium) is consistent with the Urban Neighborhood future land use designation and the surrounding zoning pattern (a mix of RA and RB). Key RB standards: maximum height 45 feet, wall plate height 33 feet (effectively 3 stories), minimum density 8 units/acre, maximum 8 units per building. The applicant (Chris Naumann of Sandbell) stated that RB allows for gentle density increase and fits the "missing middle" housing spectrum, including single-family homes.
- Board members discussed the compatibility of RB with adjacent RA/R1 neighborhoods, noting that RB allows single-family development and that the height and density are modest. They addressed public concerns about road safety, clarifying that road design is handled separately by the engineering department and that Annie Street is planned as a bicycle boulevard. They also noted that the property is adjacent to arterial streets, making higher density appropriate.
- Staff clarified that the board's role is to evaluate against the community plan and zoning criteria, not to rezone to RA. If the board disagreed with RB, the proper action would be to recommend denial.
Key Outcomes
- Motion to Recommend Approval: Jason Delmue moved to adopt the findings in the staff report and recommend approval of the Hanson Lane Zone Map Amendment with contingencies. Joey Morrison seconded. After discussion, the motion carried 7-0.
- Next Steps: The application will go to the Bozeman City Commission on May 5, 2026, for final decision. Future development will require additional approvals (subdivision, site plan, etc.).
- Public Comments on Non-Agenda Items: One resident commented on the need for more single-family home developments.
- FYI/Discussions: The board noted that the May 4, 2026 meeting will include a work session on the Urban Forest Master Plan.
Meeting Transcript
Test. Thanks, guys. We're good to go. Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the April 20th meeting of the Bozeman Community Development Board. The community development board is a seven-member citizen advisory board comprised of volunteers appointed by the city commission that fulfills the requirements of state law. We meet twice per month to make recommendations regarding land use regulations to the Bozeman City Commission. Final decisions are typically not made here tonight. Thanks for joining us. We welcome the presence of those here in the city commission room. Before we start the meeting, I'd like to remind those not physically present here of the ways in which you can follow this meeting and provide public comments.net, click on departments, then on city commission, then on live stream and videos, find this meeting under upcoming events, um under the upcoming events list, and click the copy of the meeting agenda. It is highlighted in blue. Then click on via video conference, also highlighted in blue, in the second paragraph of the agenda, and follow the prompts to enter the meeting. If you are joining us via video conference and you would like to offer public comment this evening, use the video conference raise your hand feature. When it is your turn to comment, staff will call on you by name. Please note that we will take public comments from those physically present here first, followed by those joining via video conference. In addition to joining us via video conference, there are three other ways you can follow this meeting. Anything from the board. Aye. Chair Lloyd. Aye. Member Bonnet. Aye. Okay. That um item passes 7-0. Thank you. Next up, consent items. Tonight's agenda. I don't think we have any consent items tonight. No. Okay. Item F on the agenda, special presentations, an overview of the economic development strategy issue plan. Mr. Fontenau. Good evening. Chairman Lloyd, good to see you. Good evening. Good evening, community development board and city staff. Mayor Morrison, my name is Britt Fontenau. It's a pleasure to be here tonight. Thank you for allowing me a few minutes to talk a little bit about our economic development department, the work that we do, and the intersection of our work with yours. Let's see, if you give me just a moment, I'll cue up the presentation here. All right. So this is uh our uh my run of show for tonight, my my the order of operations, if you will, how we're gonna go through our my work this evening. We'll start with a little bit about the intersection that I mentioned earlier, some of our priorities, how we are structured in our department, who our staff are and our experience, our duties and responsibilities, what plans, uh adopted plans and guiding documents we we refer to, our boards, um, finally the economic vitality uh work plan for the next two years, the board work plan, and then the strategy. So those are the areas that I'll be uh touching on this evening. Please feel free to interrupt if you have questions. Uh otherwise I'll be happy to take them at the end. All right. So I wanted to start, and I I did I put a few bits of information on your on your dais, and uh, Mr. Saunders forwarded you uh some other documents earlier uh today or yet or last week.
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