Join Us November 27th or December 5th for a Subarea Plan Presentation and Q&A

Incorporating community feedback received since the public planning process began in April 2022, Bozeman Health released the final draft subarea plan for a final public review and comment period on November 7, 2023.
To facilitate a final round of public comment, Bozeman Health and Sanderson Stewart are hosting two public presentations with Q&A sessions.
The first presentation will be held on Monday November 27th as follows.

Subarea Plan Public Presentation and Q&A #1
Monday, November 27, 2023
4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Bozeman Health Deaconess Regional Medical Center
Park in Lot A or B | Use Entrance 1

This event will start at 4:30pm with a 15-20 minute presentation by Bozeman Health and Sanderson Stewart providing an overview of the Subarea Plan’s main elements. The remainder of the hour will be available for a moderated question and answer session during which time community members can ask questions about the plan and planning process.

What's Next?

The December 5th public presentation will follow the same format and offer the same information as the November presentation, so if you can't join us next week, we hope to see you on December 5th.

Subarea Plan Public Presentation and Q&A #2
Tuesday, December 5, 2023
5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Bozeman Health Deaconess Regional Medical Center
Park in Lot A or B | Use Entrance 1

Community members can provide written public comment through Friday, January 5, 2024 using the public comment form found at www.engagebozemanhealth.org.
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.

Thank you for your continued interest and engagement regarding the Bozeman Health 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

The roughly 317-acres of Bozeman Health's farmable land within the Highland Glen area, bordered by Kagy and Highland boulevards and Bozeman Trail Road, will be planted this spring with new varieties of peas, chickpeas and durum wheat as part of MSU’s Foundation Seed Program.
The property was previously farmed by the Kraft family, who leased it from the health system starting in the 1960s. The Bozeman Health board had purchased the 500 acres encompassing the farmland in 1956, to ensure essential health services would be available to the communities of southwest Montana, and relocated the hospital to a portion of the property in 1986.
Roughly one-third of the Highland Glen property will be in foundation seed production, with another third in a rotation crop such as barley and the final third kept fallow. The rotation crop and fallow help prevent plant disease and ensure fertility to meet the high standards for seed production.
The health system is thankful for MSU’s partnership in maintaining this open space and for advancing a connection to the region’s agricultural roots, according to Denise Juneau, Bozeman Health chief government and community affairs officer.
Click here to read more.

Following six months of public engagement, drafting has begun on Bozeman Health’s subarea plan, which will guide how best to structure vibrant and sustainable neighborhoods on undeveloped land owned by the health system across Highland Boulevard from Bozeman Health Deaconess Regional Medical Center.

The draft framework that was shared with the public in October includes a number of key elements that establish the bones of good neighborhoods and reflect the themes of Bozeman’s 2020 Community Plan. Central to the plan is reserving space for future growth of medical and commercial services that will support the system’s healthcare mission and ensuring the regional medical center can continue to serve the essential care needs of the region.

Of equal focus is a visionary intent to 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 innovations. 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 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 applies the goals and objectives established in the 2020 Community Plan to a smaller area, district, or neighborhood—it is a high-level overview of how to structure vibrant, sustainable neighborhoods. Any future development would require adherence to the City’s Subdivision, Master Site Plan, and Site Plan processes.

The draft of the subarea plan will be released this spring for a 30-day public comment period, after which the plan will be finalized and submitted to the City this summer. Then, the plan will go before the Community Development Board and ultimately the City Commission, allowing for further opportunities for public engagement.

The Bozeman Health Subarea Plan is being drafted and we want to hear your input.

Please complete both project surveys and share your ideas no later than December 15th.

The first survey features the planning intent and land use objectives established by Bozeman Health.

• These guiding statements can be viewed here: Planning Intent and Land Use Objectives
• And the survey can be taken here: Public Survey #1--Intent & Objectives
  

The second survey presents the plan framework which establishes the defining elements of future potential neighborhoods.

• The framework maps can be viewed here: Neighborhood Framework
• And the survey can be taken here: Public Survey #2--Plan Framework
  

You can also share other constructive ideas about the project here: Ideas--Tell Us What You Think

This will not be the last opportunity to provide your feedback, but it is an important milestone in the planning process.

After the new year, the draft plan will be released, and the planning team will seek public comments on the plan in its entirety.

See the timeline below for more details on planning process.

• Q1 2023 Planning team will draft the Subarea Plan
• Q2 2023 Draft Plan will be released for public review
• Q3 2023 Final Plan will be reviewed by the City of Bozeman

At the two October open house events, a variety of framework elements were presented. These elements are intended to establish the defining public facilities that will create great neighborhoods in the future.

Therefore, please complete this survey thinking about what makes a great neighborhood and the proposed framework elements: Future Medical & Commercial Services; Highland Glen; Linear Parks; Active Transportation; and Community Activity Nodes.

This survey is to gauge conceptual support for the Subarea Plan framework elements, so please CLICK HERE to take the survey.

To review the framework as presented at the open house events CLICK HERE...but don't forget to come back and take the survey!

Please join us for the next two community engagement events to learn about the new proposed neighborhood framework. Both events will present and discuss the same information. You are welcome to attend both, but they will be identical in an effort to provide multiple opportunities for more community members to participate.

Open House #3: 6:00 to 8:00 pm Thursday, October 6

Open House #4: 6:00 to 7:30 pm Wednesday, October 12

Bozeman Health Deaconess Hospital

915 Highland Blvd, Bozeman, MT 59715

Entrance 1 Atrium

Park in Lot A or B | Use Entrance 1

Over the past two months, the planning team has synthesized the public input received during this summer’s engagement efforts and continued to work with Bozeman Health executives to further develop the plan. The collective outcome is a framework of improvements and amenities that establish the structure for potential future neighborhoods. The open house events will provide graphic renderings of the neighborhood framework and seek feedback on the proposed elements.

The open houses will include stations for community members to learn more about the framework elements and ask questions of the planning team.

There is no formal presentation, so please join us during any point of this two-hour event.

Join Us: July 12 Subarea Plan Open House

First, thank you for subscribing to our email list to receive updates on Bozeman Health's subarea planning process - if you have received this email from a friend, we encourage you to sign up as well so you'll receive updates directly in the future.

We want to share a reminder about our second open house, which is coming up next week. We also want to remind you that our July presentation materials will be the same as those provided at our June 21 open house. You are warmly welcome to come again, but we wanted you to know what to expect.

Subarea Plan Open House
Tuesday, July 12, 2022
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Bozeman Health Deaconess Hospital
Bitterroot/Meadowlark Conference Rooms

Park in Lot A or B | Use Entrance 1
Head left toward the cafeteria, staff will be on hand to direct you

Over the past weeks, we have engaged in a number of community presentations with neighborhood and recreational use groups. Our team, led by Denise Juneau, Bozeman Health Chief Government and Community Affairs Officer, and Chris Naumann, Sanderson Stewart Senior Planner, has been working to help the community understand the planning process that will occur over the next 12+ months. Next week's open house will provide more information, building on the individualized sessions to date with new information on Bozeman Health's intent for the planning process and initial land use priorities. This open house will be comprised of the same presentation materials as our first open house - view our June/July open house presentation materials here.

The open house will be structured in stations for community members to visit to learn more about the planning process, ask questions, and hear from our expert planning partners at Sanderson Stewart. There is no formal presentation, so please join us during any point of this two hour event - you can move at your own pace through the stations as your interest guides.

What's Next?

Over the summer, our colleagues at Sanderson Stewart will craft an online engagement tool to support a meaningful way to guide your input. We will alert you when this tool goes live through an email to this listerv and also link it to our subarea planning webpage.

Subarea Plan Open House
Tuesday, June 21, 2022
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Bozeman Health Deaconess Hospital
Bitterroot/Meadowlark Conference Rooms
Park in Lot A or B | Use Entrance 1
Head left toward the cafeteria, staff will be on hand to direct you

What's Next?

Our July 12th open house will follow the same format and offer the same information as our June open house, so if you can't join us next week, we hope to see you in July.
Between now and our open houses in September and October, our colleagues at Sanderson Stewart will craft an online engagement tool to support a meaningful way to guide your input.
Our September and October open houses will include a substantive draft framework for your review.