Community News

Last month there was much emphasis in our local media about the events of March 5th, 2009, and how our community has rallied around downtown Bozeman to support the businesses that were both directly and indirectly impacted by the explosion and fire that affected one-half of the 200 block of East Main Street. This month, I would like to take the time to highlight a very positive vision that has come about in hopes to enhance and rejuvenate the community’s remarkable urban core.

The Downtown Improvement Plan, which was developed over the course of the past year by city leaders along with a team of national consultants, was recently adopted by the Bozeman City Commission as part of the Bozeman Community Plan. It encompasses a broad scope of ideas to redevelop a healthy and vital downtown business and residential community. It is anticipated that this plan will carry forward for the next decade because of the support it has received from business and property owners alike who are heavily invested in the success of downtown Bozeman. 

As stated in the December 2009 plan, “Over the past twenty years, Bozeman has spent considerable resources and energy making its downtown healthy, vibrant, and strong. The six to eight blocks along Main Street, with its wide array of shops, services, high-quality restaurants, coffee houses, and precious architecture is looked upon with envy by many communities.” However, the peripheral areas near downtown need more attention and cohesive planning. The creation of districts and defining their highest and best use is essential to long-term growth and stability.

A synopsis of the Plan first includes mirroring the national trend towards smaller, multi-family housing near the urban core, with the potential of 300-500 apartment/ condo units near the historic center of the town, most notably along the Mendenhall and Babcock corridors. This correlates well with Bozeman’s younger and older, well-educated demographics. Next, there would be a continual investment in infrastructure, including streetscape and traffic corridor improvements.  The planners are proposing a full cost-benefit analysis on the return of two-way traffic on Babcock and Mendenhall, which they deem essential to the long-term viability of Main Street. 
The Plan embraces twelve “Guiding Principles” including greater density (height) of buildings; more focus on pedestrian and bicycle traffic; a concentration on arts/ culture and government; a decrease in the amount of parking as public transit increases; the enhancement of public areas; and emphasis on Bozeman’s unmatched natural amenities, including the improvement of the Bozeman Creek corridor that crosses East Main.

The creation of five distinct downtown districts is another noteworthy aspect of the Plan. The historic core is both large and multifaceted enough to warrant differentiation, the authors write.  Though the names will more than likely be changed, the setup of the districts includes the Historic Downtown Core, which is the retail/office area of Main Street from approximately the Baxter Hotel to the Bozeman Hotel. This has been Bozeman’s pride, and with some filling of empty storefronts and further cosmetic enhancements will continue to fulfill that role. The West Gateway from about 5th Avenue to Grand is office/mixed-use, and the hope is to eliminate the empty lots and buildings and improve upon the aesthetic aspects along this Main Street corridor. The North Village is generally residential and will possibly be filled with a significant amount of housing, which is vital for the overall Plan’s objectives of bringing residents within walking distance of the core. The East Gateway is again office/mixed-use in the area east of Rouse all the way to Lindley Park. Though there is potential for more retail in the eastern Gateway, the best use of this area according to the plan authors is professional services versus additional retail. The blocks along Babcock from Willson to Rouse comprise the commercial/mixed-use South Village district and certainly live up to their name of mixed-use.  Ideally, some of the parking areas could be converted to other commercial or residential uses, and there are many visual enhancements that could occur. 

The Plan calls for leadership at the City level to ensure that the vision for exciting potential investment downtown is not lost.  Public-private partnerships and a commitment to economic development by city agencies are key to the realization of a Plan that will continue to put Bozeman’s remarkable, historic city center on the national map of best places to live and work. The Plan certainly makes for some very interesting reading, and it can be found in its entirety at:  http://www.downtownbozeman.org/downtown-improvement-plan.html