Crews broke ground Tuesday on the Bridger View Commons, a four-story mixed-use development rising from the asphalt lot at the corner of North 7th and Oak. The project will feature 42 “luxury” apartments above 8,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. Monthly rents are listed at $2,850 for a one-bedroom.

The lot was purchased in March by Bridger View Development LLC for $3.2 million. Prior to that, it belonged to the estate of Dale Hagen, who operated Hagen’s Auto Repair on the site from 1974 until his retirement in 1998. The lot has held exactly fourteen cars on average weekday afternoons for the past twenty-six years.

“We’re bringing a curated urban living experience to the heart of historic Bozeman,” said Chad Whitmore, managing partner at Bridger View Development, reached at 406-555-0192. “The finishes are elevated — quartz countertops, wide-plank LVP, in-unit washers. At this price point, it’s a steal compared to Denver or Bend.”

The building replaces a single-story brick structure that housed a hardware store, a bail bonds office, and a tattoo parlor called Electric Spirit. That building sold in 2021 for $1.1 million. The tattoo parlor relocated to Belgrade. The hardware store did not.

Pre-leasing begins next month. The ground-floor retail spaces are marketed at $38 per square foot, triple net. A coffee roaster from Missoula has signed a letter of intent for the corner unit. A local bookstore owner, Marlene Dipple, toured the space last week but said the numbers “don’t pencil” for her shop, Dipple’s Pages, which has operated on Main since 1989.

“I’ve watched four coffee shops open and close in that block alone,” Dipple said. “But sure, let’s try a fifth.”

The project qualifies for the city’s workforce housing incentive program by designating six units at 120% of area median income. Those units will rent for $2,310.

Construction is estimated at eighteen months. The parking lot currently fits fourteen cars.