Except for prohibiting an accessory dwelling from being rented “separately,” Bridger Canyon Zoning does not mention renting in the text, at all. Never the less, on Feb 8, 2024, Gallatin County set a precedent banning short term renting of a primary residence BECAUSE it is absent from the zoning text. Unlike original BC zoning written by our community, the administrative regulation used for this unprecedented "ban by omission" was written by the county and voted into Bridger Canyon zoning in 2021, without notification that it would be used for enforcement to prohibit common land uses not listed because they were considered inherent.
Even if you never intend to rent or don’t like STRs, the “right to rent” is a fundamental freedom of land use and self-determination that you may want to retain as a financial option to help keep your property in hard times or pass on to family in the future. Regardless, the issue of Short Term Renting should be debated by our community, not dictated by an unprecedented re-interpretation of zoning that takes away individual property rights and nullifies the traditional "grandfather clause" with a shocking lack of respect for history and precedent to previously understood "permitted uses" and mitigation of hardships created by changes in regulation.
Even more unjust, the Planning Department itself is responsible for the missing Short Term Rental text. In 2021, STR regulations submitted by Bridger Canyon residents were rejected by The Planning Department creating the void of STR regulation now being used to harass home owners. Ironically at the same June 2021 meeting that updates were adopted without proposed STR text, the clause used to justify “banning by omission”in Part 1 Administrative regulation was added to Bridger Canyon zoning. Thus, setting up the adjudication on Feb 8 and subsequent compliance "investigation" letters to numerous property owners. This ruling does not just damage STR owners, it takes away an inherent property right from every Bridger Canyon home owner, whether they intend to ever rent or not.
Solution
Since the County created this problem they should help the our community fix it by appointing a Bridger Canyon Zoning Advisory Committee just like current committees working on zoning regulations for Big Sky and Hebgen Zoning Districts. Despite numerous requests since 2021 from the late Richard Lyons, representing BCPOA, for a new committee to work on the sections the Planning Department left out of 2021 updates – Short Term Rentals and Planned Use Developments, the county has failed to do so. Recent inquiries have also been rebuffed, which is why we started a petition at the Feb 29 Property Rights Meeting to show community support for a new Zoning Advisory Committee to be appointed for Bridger Canyon as soon as possible. Only County Commissioners can form a zoning advisory committee and then appoint Bridger Canyon owners and citizens to participate through an application process.
An online Petition is in the works now that will be added to this website as soon as possible to continue collecting support from Bridger Canyon Owners. Once at least 100 signatures are verified, we will formally apply for the Zoning Committee to be appointed.
Please keep checking back for the petition…
We also need volunteers for hands on help to get the word out in social media, post cards letters to the editor, etc. If you would like to help please send an email to: propertyrights@bridgercanyon.org
A few of us are committing our lives to this process until it is accomplished. We thank you for your support.
– Wendy
***This is the definition of government overreach.***
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