The Bozeman City Commission unanimously approved two Unified Development Code housekeeping amendments and two street name changes during its July 14th meeting. The first UDC amendment addressed parking standards in the downtown B-3 zoning district, correcting language inadvertently omitted when the refreshed code was adopted last year. Senior Planner Chris Saunders explained the change ensures compliance with new state parking laws taking effect October 1st. The second amendment resolved an unintended consequence of consolidating three residential zones into the new RA district: Type 2 short-term rentals, which had been allowed in the former R-2 zone, were no longer permitted. The amendment allows existing Type 2 operators to continue while enabling new applications in RA districts. Commissioners discussed verification methods for the required 70% owner residency and whether the change might spur significant new short-term rental growth, with staff indicating they did not expect a large influx given the primary residence requirement.
The commission also approved renaming Thomas Drive to North 27th Avenue to align with a capital project creating a continuous through-street, affecting 33 addresses. One resident, Andy Van Orden, objected due to the inconvenience of updating personal documents, noting the street was named after developer Tom Secor. In a related action, the commission renamed Graf Street east of Tracy Avenue to East Graf Street at the request of the South Meadows Condominium Association, resolving delivery and emergency response confusion caused by inconsistent naming in city systems versus Google Maps.
The meeting's work session examined the Bozeman Creek Vision Plan, a 47-week planning initiative addressing flood mitigation, water quality, park access, economic vitality, and community connection. Consultant Chris Marszankowski presented four project categories and asked commissioners to weigh flood protection standards, ranging from the 100-year flood to climate-adjusted figures and the 500-year standard. Commissioners generally favored the 100-year-plus climate adjustment and indicated willingness to reduce downtown parking to advance creek corridor improvements.