The City of Bozeman announced Monday an ambitious economic development initiative aimed at attracting 1,000 new jobs to the Gallatin Valley over the next three years. The plan includes targeted recruitment of technology firms, manufacturing operations, and remote-work-friendly companies. It does not include any corresponding plan for where 1,000 additional workers might sleep.

“This is about economic vitality,” said Bozeman Economic Development director Teresa Holt. “We want diverse, high-paying jobs that allow people to build careers here.” When asked what a career-building salary would need to be to afford the median Bozeman home price of $742,000, Holt said that was “a separate conversation.”

The initiative proposes tax incentives, streamlined permitting, and what Holt called “quality of life marketing,” which involves showing prospective companies photos of the Bridger Mountains and not mentioning January.

City commissioner Doug Fendler expressed enthusiasm for the plan while acknowledging its gaps. “Jobs are great. We need jobs. But we also need places for people with jobs to live,” he said. “Right now those two issues are being handled by different departments that do not appear to be in regular communication.”

Belgrade real estate agent Connie Marsh said the last major employer recruitment brought approximately 200 new workers to the valley in 2024, roughly half of whom now commute from Three Forks. “You can work in Bozeman,” she said. “You just can’t afford to exist in Bozeman.”

The plan also calls for new parks infrastructure, including a recently hired parks director whose first task, according to city documents, will be “assessing current capacity.” Residents noted that current capacity of most city parks is “full” on any day above 55 degrees.

MSU economics professor Dr. Alan Breck said the initiative follows a common pattern in mountain-west cities. “You attract jobs, which attracts people, which raises housing costs, which pushes out the people who do the other jobs,” he said. “It’s a very elegant cycle if you don’t think about it too hard.”

Holt said housing concerns will be addressed “in parallel” through existing affordable housing programs. When asked which programs, she said she would follow up with specifics.

She has not yet followed up.