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Record of Proceedings

Transportation Board Meeting – September 23, 2026: Northwest Bozeman Area Plan and E-Bike Policy Work Session

City Commission — Wednesday, September 23, 2026
BodyBozeman, Montana
SessionCity Commission
DateWednesday, September 23, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:01:32

Original source
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35:13

But again, a wetland is not a future land use, so you're gonna end up with a very I'm speaking out of my generational lane here, but I I see these the squares and I just think it's you're gonna see the Minecraft version.

35:28

Um and so again, we're up at 50,000 feet painting with a a a roller brush, not you know, a fine tip pencil.

35:38

I hope that provides some clarification for your your question and your your comments, I mean.

35:44

It does, yeah.

35:44

Thank you, Chris.

35:45

You bet.

35:48

Yeah, I just had one question.

35:49

Uh as it pertains to the future land uses map, um, I guess that this is uh like 50,000 feet uh overview, but and it's like the old plan, but can you explain to me like the logic uh between arranging the community commercial mixed use and the residential mixed use in a square in that structure?

36:12

Right.

36:13

I was just curious.

36:14

Yeah.

36:14

No, and again, um if if Tom wants to to add some additional explanation, but I'll yeah, I'll give it my best shot.

36:22

I mean, let's just go back to here and I'll just literally make something up.

36:28

But if you have, let's say, a major intersection like at Baxter Lane and Cottonwood, right?

36:35

Which I know in this case is partly in the city and partly out of the city.

36:40

From a planning perspective at this level, centered on that major intersection, you might show that that pink color, um, the community commercial mixed use.

36:50

It allows essentially what that is, those zoning designations that are that are um enabling within that future land use would probably have a majority of commercial uses, but maybe have some secondary uses as residential.

37:03

So you could have a building with you know some retail and restaurant on the ground floor, second floor perhaps of say some office buildings, and maybe there's a third floor um with some apartments.

37:14

So you're gonna put those probably ground zero, let's call it at that that major intersection, and then you're you're basically layering outward with less dense, less intense uses that then start to shift that mixed use to being primarily residential with maybe some complementary commercial.

37:34

That's gonna be your orange, and then you move outward from that, and now you're back into the urban neighborhood future land use where you're gonna have RA, you know, R R C R B, RA.

37:44

Um so you're you're essentially looking for that transition um away from your major transportation and utility corridors from higher density, more mixed use and commercial all the way outward to where you're getting into your lower intensity residential single family detached homes.

38:04

Is that answer your question, Chris?

38:06

Yeah, having that representation of that buffer concept.

38:09

It's helpful.

38:10

Thank you.

38:16

Um yeah, I guess I had some questions on the overall uh mileage of road and trails proposed, like what that all adds up to.

38:30

Great question that I do not have an answer for um Hayden.

38:35

I think trying to even think if we I'm sure in GIS um you could query and add up those those lengths.

38:46

I'm not sure we even presented it as such in in the Pratt plan.

38:50

Um I don't think pro I mean that's uh a kind of detail probably certainly from the street network that'll come from the TMP update.

38:58

Um but no, it's a good question.

39:00

I'll actually look back at the Pratt plan and see if we and if we did it it very well could have been for the entire plan.

39:07

And of course this is only a subset of of the geography.

39:10

But certainly if you think about just that those some of those distances north to south across this plan, I mean you look at and Tom again, correct me, and or Taylor.

39:21

Um I will just say that like this square from these um Harper Puckett and these proposed collectors is a quarter section.

39:32

And so what's that length on each side?

39:37

Is that a half mile?

39:41

Even though it's a quarter section, it's a half mile.

39:43

So if you kind of use that to scale, I mean you're you're looking at it probably five miles north to south.

39:50

Um and probably three to four miles east to west across this planning area, just to give you a sense of scale.

39:56

Yeah.

40:00

Which again, looking at 3,000 acres, I know it's it is hard to get get a good sense of what are we talking about here in terms of distances.

40:04

Yeah, I know.

40:05

I appreciate that clarification.

40:07

Um then it sounds like since the infrastructure would be incremental, um, you mentioned like not doing Gooch Hill until uh obviously the annexation process had marched west enough to like uh necessitate the.

40:27

I guess Taylor, this might also be a question that you could answer.

40:32

Um, but like kind of what that graduation trigger is, like is would it would Gooch Hill or like I guess like Ferguson?

40:42

Like I'm just kind of curious, like would it require the full annexation of the property all the way up from let's take a look at like Ferguson up to Harper Bucket that bends.

41:01

Yep.

41:02

Um should that property agree to be annexed, but not that much would be developed.

41:14

Like I'm just kind of curious how that process would go, and like would the road construction continue up to like front edge up there or yeah, sure.

41:27

I think um generally, you know, the the development of our major infrastructure network roadways and and the rest of the infrastructure is led by development.

41:38

Um so um it would come in to some degree whenever whenever the next development comes in, the development of that infrastructure would come along with that.

41:49

Um there are a few cases um in a city where the city has worked with Capital Projects to do larger infill section South 11th between the stadium and or between uh discovery and graph is an example where working with development, but prior to the actual platting of that area that road went in as with with in a partnership between the private um property owner and the and the city's capital project.

42:22

Um but in general the the major investments would come.

42:25

So you know it it one of the reasons that we don't do the leapfrog annexation is because we don't want to have a property come in and build this weird section of collector arterial street that is the future potential, you know, where where we have aligned this without knowing exactly how it was going to connect.

42:46

So it can work sort of out in or progressively north-south or whatever, but it it's generally follows uh with development, so it would happen with each individual development.

42:57

And hey, yeah, I would ask this if you think about the annexation process is it has that's the first step.

43:03

Um as part of that process, the city requires that the property coming into the city provide um right-of-way or easements for you know the major streets and even local streets.

43:18

Also, I you know failed to mention, but I think everyone's pretty aware wherever the streets go is where the water pipes and the sewer pipes and the stormwater pipes go.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Active Transportation███████████████████████████████31%
Transportation Safety███████████████████19%
Environmental Protection███████████████15%
Land Use Planning███████████11%
Engineering And Infrastructure███████████11%
Parks and Recreation████4%
Stormwater Management████4%
Public Engagement██2%
Technology and Innovation██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Transportation Board Meeting – September 23, 2026: Northwest Bozeman Area Plan and E-Bike Policy Work Session

The Transportation Board of Bozeman met on September 23, 2026, to discuss two major agenda items: the draft Northwest Bozeman Area Plan (a 3,000-acre planning area) and a work session on shared-use path and electric bike transportation policy. Board members provided feedback on transportation network design, wetland avoidance, and active transportation connections. No formal votes were taken; both items are being refined for future public comment and adoption.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Kiki Hulls, a resident at 4833 Glenwood (near Gooch Hill), expressed concern about the proposed alignment of Gooch Hill Road from Durston to Oak, stating that the current map inaccurately places roads, creeks, and trails through her property and existing buildings. She cited pollution from diesel trucks on Durston and Oak, and suggested moving the road west toward a large wetland area that could serve as a wetland mitigation bank or stormwater park. She opposed having the road near existing homes.

Discussion Items

H.1 Northwest Bozeman Area Plan

  • Chris Naumann (Planning) and Taylor Lonsdale (Transportation Engineer) presented the high-level framework for future land use and transportation in the approximately 3,000-acre planning area. The plan aims to avoid wetland impacts, minimize where unavoidable, and mitigate impacts through regional facilities (e.g., wetland mitigation banks, a stormwater treatment park similar to Shiloh in Billings). The transportation network (principal arterials, minor arterials, and collectors) was shown as dashed lines, intentionally avoiding sensitive natural resources (e.g., Cattail Creek, Baxter Creek, multiple wetland complexes).
  • Board member Simon asked about the total mileage of roads and trails proposed; staff noted this detail was not calculated but would come from the TMP update. He also questioned how infrastructure triggers work – staff explained that development leads infrastructure incrementally through annexation and subdivision, with right-of-way and construction funded by developers.
  • Board member Bryce asked how parks and wetlands (not shown on the future land use map) are designated after annexation. Staff explained that subdivision and site plan processes require parkland dedication, often focused around watercourses and wetlands, creating greenways and trails.
  • Board member Chris (chair) commented positively on the plan’s approach to balancing transportation connectivity with natural resource protection, noting that slight delays in commute (e.g., 45 seconds) could be acceptable for high-value environmental outcomes. He emphasized the opportunity for active transportation connections where road grid is missing.
  • Another board member (name not clearly stated) questioned the necessity of the Gooch Hill road jog near large wetlands, suggesting it might not need to connect Oak to Durston if transportation needs can be met elsewhere. Staff acknowledged that design details would evolve at finer scales.
  • Staff noted that the draft plan will be released in early October for public comment, with additional work sessions in October (including City Commission), and adoption scheduled for mid-December.

H.2 Shared Use Path and Electric Bike Transportation Policy Work Session

  • Taylor Lonsdale presented an overview of a policy update focused on public right-of-way. Key topics: defining “shared use path,” clarifying maintenance responsibilities, and regulating e-devices (e-bikes, e-motos, scooters). The timeline: October work session with draft code language, December City Commission presentation, January first reading, and effective date in spring 2027 to align with education and enforcement.
  • Board members discussed the challenge of subclassifying devices (pedal-assist vs. throttle-only, e-motos) and whether to regulate the device or the behavior. They emphasized that education and enforcement are difficult, and that enforcement by police may be impractical; instead, coordination with stakeholders like GVLT (Gallatin Valley Land Trust) trail ambassadors could help correct behavior.
  • The board suggested a use-case approach: define what behaviors/speeds are desired on each facility type (shared use path, bike lane, sidewalk) and then classify devices accordingly. For example, on shared use paths, limit to devices that cannot exceed 15 mph and can stop frequently; in bike lanes, higher speeds may be acceptable if sharing with cars.
  • Board member (name not specified) noted the need to align definitions with state code and ensure that policies do not discourage active transportation. Another member stressed that e-devices can provide alternatives to single-occupant vehicles, but safety of all users must be prioritized.

Key Outcomes

  • Northwest Bozeman Area Plan: No formal action. The draft plan will be released in early October 2026 for public comment. Additional work sessions with other city boards and the City Commission are scheduled in October, with adoption targeted for mid-December 2026.
  • E-Bike/Shared-Use Path Policy: Staff will bring a draft code proposal to the October Transportation Board meeting for deeper discussion. A presentation to the City Commission is planned for December, with ordinance adoption (first and second reading) in January and February 2027, effective spring 2027.

Meeting Transcript

But again, a wetland is not a future land use, so you're gonna end up with a very I'm speaking out of my generational lane here, but I I see these the squares and I just think it's you're gonna see the Minecraft version. Um and so again, we're up at 50,000 feet painting with a a a roller brush, not you know, a fine tip pencil. I hope that provides some clarification for your your question and your your comments, I mean. It does, yeah. Thank you, Chris. You bet. Yeah, I just had one question. Uh as it pertains to the future land uses map, um, I guess that this is uh like 50,000 feet uh overview, but and it's like the old plan, but can you explain to me like the logic uh between arranging the community commercial mixed use and the residential mixed use in a square in that structure? Right. I was just curious. Yeah. No, and again, um if if Tom wants to to add some additional explanation, but I'll yeah, I'll give it my best shot. I mean, let's just go back to here and I'll just literally make something up. But if you have, let's say, a major intersection like at Baxter Lane and Cottonwood, right? Which I know in this case is partly in the city and partly out of the city. From a planning perspective at this level, centered on that major intersection, you might show that that pink color, um, the community commercial mixed use. It allows essentially what that is, those zoning designations that are that are um enabling within that future land use would probably have a majority of commercial uses, but maybe have some secondary uses as residential. So you could have a building with you know some retail and restaurant on the ground floor, second floor perhaps of say some office buildings, and maybe there's a third floor um with some apartments. So you're gonna put those probably ground zero, let's call it at that that major intersection, and then you're you're basically layering outward with less dense, less intense uses that then start to shift that mixed use to being primarily residential with maybe some complementary commercial. That's gonna be your orange, and then you move outward from that, and now you're back into the urban neighborhood future land use where you're gonna have RA, you know, R R C R B, RA. Um so you're you're essentially looking for that transition um away from your major transportation and utility corridors from higher density, more mixed use and commercial all the way outward to where you're getting into your lower intensity residential single family detached homes. Is that answer your question, Chris? Yeah, having that representation of that buffer concept. It's helpful. Thank you. Um yeah, I guess I had some questions on the overall uh mileage of road and trails proposed, like what that all adds up to. Great question that I do not have an answer for um Hayden. I think trying to even think if we I'm sure in GIS um you could query and add up those those lengths. I'm not sure we even presented it as such in in the Pratt plan. Um I don't think pro I mean that's uh a kind of detail probably certainly from the street network that'll come from the TMP update. Um but no, it's a good question. I'll actually look back at the Pratt plan and see if we and if we did it it very well could have been for the entire plan. And of course this is only a subset of of the geography. But certainly if you think about just that those some of those distances north to south across this plan, I mean you look at and Tom again, correct me, and or Taylor. Um I will just say that like this square from these um Harper Puckett and these proposed collectors is a quarter section. And so what's that length on each side? Is that a half mile? Even though it's a quarter section, it's a half mile. So if you kind of use that to scale, I mean you're you're looking at it probably five miles north to south. Um and probably three to four miles east to west across this planning area, just to give you a sense of scale. Yeah. Which again, looking at 3,000 acres, I know it's it is hard to get get a good sense of what are we talking about here in terms of distances. Yeah, I know. I appreciate that clarification. Um then it sounds like since the infrastructure would be incremental, um, you mentioned like not doing Gooch Hill until uh obviously the annexation process had marched west enough to like uh necessitate the. I guess Taylor, this might also be a question that you could answer. Um, but like kind of what that graduation trigger is, like is would it would Gooch Hill or like I guess like Ferguson? Like I'm just kind of curious, like would it require the full annexation of the property all the way up from let's take a look at like Ferguson up to Harper Bucket that bends. Yep. Um should that property agree to be annexed, but not that much would be developed.

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