Bozeman Health Releases Draft Subarea Plan

Bozeman Health Subarea Plan Enters Final Round of Public Comment

Framework ensures future access to care and preservation of Highland Glen

BOZEMAN, MT [November 7, 2023] — Incorporating community feedback received since the public process began in April 2022, Bozeman Health is pleased to put forward its final draft subarea plan for a final public review and comment period. Following the public comment period, the plan will go before the Community Development Board and ultimately the City Commission, allowing further opportunities for public engagement.

The 60-day public comment period will include opportunities to engage both online through the Engage Bozeman Health platform and at two in-person presentations held in the main lobby at Deaconess Regional Medical Center (Park in Lot A or B | Use Entrance 1):

Open House #1: 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. | Monday, November 27
Open House #2: 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. | Tuesday, December 5

Bozeman Health is grateful for ongoing collaboration with community partners who have helped to shape and support the plan’s foundational intent to preserve and enhance Highland Glen as a protected open space with public access.

“For the last 18 months GVLT has engaged with the team at Bozeman Health to review and understand their subarea plan and its potential impact to the public recreation at Highland Glen,” shared Chet Work, Executive Director of the Gallatin Valley Land Trust. “We are grateful for the opportunity to be a part of planning for the future of this beautiful and natural area so close to town. Bozeman Health’s commitment to recreation and an outdoor healthy life shines through their vision for the future of their property. Based on the plan, we are confident that our community’s access to this extensive trail system will not change.”

“Highland Glen is a centerpiece of Bozeman's Community Nordic Trails,” said Evan Weiss, Executive Director of the Bridger Ski Foundation. “BSF supports the vision of Bozeman Health in keeping Highland Glen open to recreational trails, the community health benefits, and the connectivity these trails provide. We look forward to our continued partnership in stewarding the Highland Glen trail network.”

Subarea Plan Background

The subarea plan will guide how best to structure vibrant and sustainable neighborhoods on undeveloped land owned by the health system across Highland Boulevard from Deaconess Regional Medical Center.

The health system has no current plans to develop their agricultural land and is updating the property’s existing 2006 subarea plan at the request of the City of Bozeman. A subarea plan is a high-level guidance document that applies the goals and objectives established in the 2020 Community Plan to a smaller area, district, or neighborhood. Any future development would require adherence to the City’s Subdivision, Master Site Plan, and Site Plan processes.

The draft subarea plan framework, which was originally shared with the public in October 2022, reserves space for future growth of medical and commercial services that will support the system’s healthcare mission and ensure the regional medical center can continue to serve the essential care needs of the region.

Of equal focus are meaningful modifications to the 2006 subarea plan that preserve and enhance Highland Glen as a protected open space with public access. This is proposed to be accomplished not only through a requested change in land use designation, but also elevated by multiple framework elements. These include ensuring public access with linear parks that create a transitional buffer to and improved viewsheds in the natural area, an active transportation network as an alternative to city streets bisecting the Glen, development of a trailhead node off of Kagy Boulevard to increase ease of access to the property, and requesting the relocation of a commercial node currently envisioned for that area.

The draft Subarea Plan and more information can be found at https://engagebozemanhealth.org/bozeman-health-subarea-plan.

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About Bozeman Health
Bozeman Health is an integrated healthcare delivery system serving an eleven-county region in Southwest Montana. As a nonprofit organization, governed by a volunteer community board of directors, we are the largest private employer in Gallatin County, with more than 2,600 employees, including 270 medical providers representing 40 clinical specialties. It is our privilege to deliver expert, compassionate health and wellness services across the care continuum, designed to meet the diverse healthcare needs of the communities we serve. Learn more about Bozeman Health at BozemanHealth.org.

Contact: Erin Brester
System Manager, External Communications & Media Relations
ebrester@bozemanhealth.org | 406-580-1276