Bozeman Health Subarea Plan
In 1956, leaders of the health system purchased land on Highland Blvd., which encompasses Hillcrest Senior Living, the Deaconess Hospital campus, and the agricultural fields and ranchland bordered by Highland, Kagy, and Bozeman Trail Road, which are commonly referred to as Highland Glen. In 2006, Bozeman Health created a subarea plan to supplement the City’s Community Plan to guide future uses of the undeveloped Highland Glen area. Below we share more about why and how this subarea plan was updated to refresh its high-level vision for potential future land uses, while keeping community and neighborhood priorities at the forefront.
Bozeman Community Plan
In late 2020, the Bozeman City Commission adopted its 2020 Bozeman Community Plan. The Community Plan is the overarching vision guiding the City’s evolution over the next ten years – it outlines goals and objectives regarding current and future land uses, transportation and mobility, social and cultural identity, public safety and the environment, and economic development. A subarea plan serves as an amendment to the Community Plan; subarea plans are regularly updated as the community grows.
The City of Bozeman
In late 2021, the City of Bozeman requested that Bozeman Health update their 2006 Subarea Plan as part of the community planning process.
A subarea plan applies the goals and objectives established in the Community Plan to a smaller area, district, or neighborhood – it is a high-level overview of potential future land uses.
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Community Engagement
Although Bozeman Health had no plans to develop the Highland Glen area, they carried out a robust public process to update the 2006 Subarea Plan in order to best support the City in their planning priorities.
Community engagement played a central role in the planning process. From April 2022 to August 2024, Bozeman Health led, with the support of Sanderson Stewart (now Sanbell) and Bird Dog Strategies, an extensive public involvement effort, hosting open houses, delivering community presentations, and conducting online surveys. Early outreach educated the public about the planning process and gathered input on land use priorities. At the October 2023 open houses, the team presented a draft neighborhood framework featuring proposed elements such as future medical and commercial services, linear parks, active transportation options, and community activity nodes.
In late 2023, final public presentations provided an overview of the proposed plan and opportunities for community Q&A. The public reviewed the draft plan, and written comments were collected through January 2024. The plan then moved through reviews by the Community Development Board and City Commission, incorporating community feedback along the way.
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2024 Subarea Plan
In August 2024, the City of Bozeman officially adopted the 2024 Bozeman Health Subarea Plan. The final plan balances development with community priorities, advancing Bozeman Health’s mission while promoting responsible growth and thoughtful land use.
The 2024 Subarea Plan reserves space for future growth of medical and commercial services that will support the system’s health care 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 the future 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, consideration of a new trailhead off Kagy Boulevard to increase ease of access to the property and requesting the relocation of a commercial land use currently envisioned for that area.
Bozeman Health currently has no plans to develop the land in Highland Glen. Any future development would require adherence to the City’s Subdivision, Master Site Plan, and Site Plan processes.
Review or download the approved 2024 Subarea Plan:
