Most residents in this neighborhood on the outskirts of Bozeman knew that growth was coming. But what they weren’t prepared for was the kind of development coming just across the street from them.
“We have the nickname ‘Bozangeles’. It’s just not funny anymore,” says Lisa Jones-Cleveland.
Cleveland is a resident of Baxter Meadows—a neighborhood that sits across the street from agricultural county land.
WATCH: Baxter Meadows Neighborhood Braces for Change as Bozeman Approves New Housing Project
This land was recently approved for annexation by the Bozeman City Commission and zoned for medium to high-density housing.
“This is a prime example of why that word gets thrown around. We’re not taking care of the land; we’re not taking care of our people. We’re just building building building urban growth. And we’re in Montana,” she says.
This project has been controversial from the start. Bozeman’s Planning Development Board has failed to recommend the proposal in a 3-to-3 split vote.
And due to enough protest from adjacent neighbors, a supermajority was required for commission approval.
Despite concerns raised, the annexation and zoning of nearly 164 acres of land were approved by the commission in a 4 to 1 vote, with Commissioner Madgic voting no.
Cleveland says, “Never in a million years—I just thought it would be ludicrous to put apartment buildings out there. It just didn’t fit what the land represented.”
But Bozeman’s Mayor, Terry Cunningham, says much of the land will have to be protected.
“On that land, there are city standards about protecting things like water courses and wetlands. So, a significant portion of that property is going to be wetlands, open spaces, parks, etc.,” he says.
But Cleveland says impacts could go beyond the land.
Referencing the number of rental vacancies in Bozeman, she says, “1000 rentals available right now is a lot. When we have slowed our growth down so much. I’m really scared that we’re overbuilding.”
She says Baxter Meadows is the last low-density neighborhood to be built in the last 20 years in Bozeman.
But Mayor Cunningham says the market just needs time to adjust.
“We see historically that we get vacancy rates, and then we get absorption," he said. "We get more building and more absorption. So, it’s not unusual for us to get double-digit vacancy rates because it’s an indication that the market is trying to respond by providing those units.”
In 2019, the city did a needs analysis that recognized the growing gap in single-family housing.
“Because right now, the average household is in the $800,000 range. Which means you have to make over $200,00 a year to afford that mortgage. And that’s not Bozeman,” says Cunningham.
The mayor emphasizes that site plans for this land are still to come, and the overall goal is to provide a variety of housing in the acreage.
“We want to make sure that young families can live here, they can get in on a starter home and start putting their roots down in the community,” he says.
