Bozeman’s city commissioners Monday unanimously approved the next step for a new ambulatory center in Montana’s fastest growing city. It’s an expansion of Billings Clinic, the largest health organization in the state.
Outside Bozeman City Hall, Billings Clinic Foundation President Jim Duncan says the new ambulatory center is an opportunity to help meet the rising need for more medical services.
“Billings Clinic already has a presence in this community and has for years with our OB-GYN clinic, our pediatric clinic. We do a lot of specialty outreach here. So by building this new destination ambulatory center gives us that next step to add urgent care, a multi-specialty group practice and to add a surgery center,” says Duncan.
The roughly $40 million Billings Clinic Bozeman is designed to be a walkable campus with easy access to I-90. The non-profit’s two clinics in Bozeman would move into the proposed 97,000 square-foot ambulatory center in the northwestern part of the city.
City commissioners Monday approved Billings Clinic Bozeman’s application for a growth policy map amendment. A city official said the commission hasn’t received any public comment.
Duncan says Billings Clinic has been working with the city since it announced its plans in November 2018 to ensure it aligns with Bozeman’s guidelines for future development and zoning.
“So this growth policy amendment redistributes the way the land is. It’s kind of split in two right now, our piece of property that’s 58 acres. So this gets it all on the same plan with the right underlayment, if you will, for future planning,” says Duncan.
The growth policy amendment is the first in a series of development applications that will need to be approved by the city before Billings Clinic can break ground. Officials are hopeful that could start later this year.
Bozeman Health Deaconess Hospital has been the primary healthcare provider in Gallatin County. Last year it announced plans for a $75.5 million expansion to include an infant intensive care unit and boost existing services.
