Public commenters at the Bozeman Inter Neighborhood Council meeting urged neighborhood associations to support Midtown’s appeal of the Guthrie development and raised concerns that a recent city interpretation could limit enforcement of the Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District (NCOD).

“With the approval of the Guthrie, staff has taken an interpretation of the NCOD applicability and the guidelines for construction within the NCOD that is not enforceable, it's not compulsory, which is gonna have the effect to invalidate the NCOD citywide,” said Scott Boyd during the meeting’s public-comment period.

Noah Tenbrook, a Midtown resident who helped organize opposition to the Guthrie, said the neighborhood had invested thousands of volunteer hours and faces substantial legal costs to pursue administrative and quasi‑judicial appeals. “The financial burden's almost $20,000 to put the democratic process to work,” Tenbrook said, asking neighborhood groups to attend the appeal hearing and voice concerns.

Daniel Carty, a resident near both HomeBase’s buildings and the Guthrie, echoed the ask and urged neighbors and friends to attend the scheduled hearing.

Deputy Mayor Joey Morrison and staff noted that the Guthrie appeal hearing is scheduled before the city commission on April 1. City staff and neighborhood leaders also discussed the relationship between site approvals, master site plans and the NCOD. Midtown organizers said they are preparing for the commission hearing and other public advocacy.

The public commentators emphasized they are not opposed to housing in general but want consistent application of the NCOD standards and called for equal enforcement of rules that they say have been in place since 1991.

There was no formal action recorded in the meeting minutes on the Guthrie item; speakers used the public-comment period to encourage neighborhood mobilization and attendance at the appeal hearing.