By Fischer Genau DIGITAL MEDIA LEAD
Editor’s note: Explore Big Sky is published by Outlaw Partners, an affiliate of Outlaw Real Estate Partners, the developer of Urban Farm.
Urban Farm, a new 106-acre development just inside the western boundary of Bozeman city limits, is poised to reshape the city. The project is scheduled to bring around 1,000 new housing units, a second branch of the Bozeman Public Library, several new parks, and a site set aside for a future city fire station to the area. It also plans to bring a variety of businesses including restaurants, grocers, retail stores and a hotel. Urban Farm occupies an area about as large as downtown Bozeman, and, on its own, it has the potential to increase Bozeman’s supply of housing by 4%, according to data from the 2024 American Community Survey.
“Urban Farm is the new entrance to the city of Bozeman,” Mike Magrans, the managing partner for Outlaw Real Estate Partners, said.
Outlaw Real Estate Partners is the developer of Urban Farm and has been working on the project since 2019. So far, the Millhouse Apartments and the Grange Homes and Townhomes have been built along Fallon Street. A small dog park in the southwest corner of Urban Farm was finished this summer, and in early October, a new traffic light was installed at Huffine and Laurel Parkway to manage the projected uptick in traffic.
Another confirmed development is Fieldcrest, a subdivision that will bring 21 single-family homes and 43 townhomes to the northwest region of Urban Farm. Magrans said they plan to break ground on at least 10 of those homes this fall. Another lot has been designated for 62 new duplex, triplex, and townhome units.
A satellite branch of the Bozeman Public Library is under contract, as is a 24-hour Veterinary Emergency Group hospital in a new 10,000-square-foot building. Next to the emergency vet, a popular regional coffee brand has signed a letter of intent for a two-story building with a drive-through.
Another parcel has been sold to Roers Companies, a Minnesota-based multifamily real estate firm. They plan to build 250 multifamily apartments, half of which will be tax credit affordable housing, and 10,000 square feet of commercial space for various businesses.
OREP is also targeting a boutique grocer, family entertainment, a health and wellness facility, food and beverage options, and other businesses like offices and hotels for unclaimed commercial space.
“We’ve always had a vision”
After obtaining the land in three separate purchases, OREP submitted their plan to the city for approval.
“We’ve had this vision of Urban Farm from the beginning,” Magrans said.
The city of Bozeman gave Urban Farm final plat for the last phase of the project in September, cementing property boundaries, streets, rights-of-way and utility easements for water, sewer, and electric. Urban Farm’s zoning is a mix of higher-density residential and flexible mixed-use districts, including B-2M, one of the most flexible in the city, which allows a wide variety of commercial and residential uses.
“Land like this is very scarce in Bozeman,” Magrans said.
This year, OREP planted a field of sunflowers and corn on an empty lot. They plan to plant a new crop every year. PHOTO BY FISCHER GENAU 
Urban Farm from above. Thousands of vehicles pass by the site every day, making it one of Bozeman’s most visible neighborhoods. PHOTO COURTESY OUTLAW PARTNERS 
Urban Farm’s community lawn. Magrans said he imagines concerts there in the summer and other community events using the space. PHOTO BY FISCHER GENAU 
Kids can fish in Urban Farm’s stocked fishpond next to its main central park. PHOTO BY FISCHER GENAU
Since breaking ground on the Millhouse Apartments in 2022, OREP has invested tens of millions of dollars into Urban Farm. OREP is one of the most active developers in Bozeman and Big Sky, Magrans said, taking on land development, industrial, and housing projects, and Urban Farm is their most ambitious project to date.
The land used to be cultivated to grow corn and wheat, and OREP decided to pay homage to its agricultural legacy in the name. They also plan to install a rotating farm each year in a different area; this year it was a crop of sunflowers and Montana sweet corn. Magrans said Urban Farm stands on some of the best soil in Bozeman.
Built for families
This summer, OREP finished installing electric, water and sewer, curbs, gutters and a network of trails and parks. Now, their goal is to sell unclaimed lots to other businesses and developers, and Magrans said that having infrastructure installed makes lots more attractive to prospective buyers. Magrans and OREP designed Urban Farm with families in mind, and the businesses they’re targeting are geared towards that demographic.
“There are very few family-friendly amenities on the west side of Bozeman,” Magrans said. “We want to create family-friendly amenities so you don’t have to go downtown.”
Magrans added that OREP designed Urban Farm to be walkable and bikeable for people living in its neighborhoods. Most lots are connected by walking trails and green space, and on the east side, where Baxter Creek runs through the property, OREP enhanced the waterway and retained a parcel of wetlands to serve as a bird sanctuary.
“We want people to never feel like they have to walk down a city street,” Magrans said.
OREP envisions Urban Farm as a vibrant community space. Just east of Urban Farm’s central park, they built a long lawn to be used for events. Magrans said he imagines concerts there in the summer and other community events using the space. Neighboring this area, OREP planted an orchard and a garden in the hopes that a future restaurant can use its harvest for their food.
A grand opening
On Tuesday, Oct. 13, OREP held a harvest festival and grand opening at Urban Farm. They brought live music, food trucks and a pumpkin patch to its central park beside the fishpond, and visitors got a taste of what the future of Bozeman’s west side could look like. Both Magrans and Outlaw Partners CEO Eric Ladd gave opening remarks, thanking the partners who have helped Urban Farm take shape and celebrating the progress made on the space.
“It’s amazing to think that we now have over 100 contiguous acres in city limits of Bozeman that’s going to basically be the new end of town,” Ladd said. “We carry a tremendous responsibility to develop this end of town really really well and bring a lot of the great services that this growing community needs out of this area, but do it with class and dignity.”
People gather on the fishpond’s dock at OREP’s harvest festival and grand opening of Urban Farm. PHOTO BY FISCHER GENAU 
Kids play in the snow at Urban Farm’s grand opening. PHOTO BY FISCHER GENAU 
Attendees examine a map of Urban Farm. PHOTO BY FISCHER GENAU 
Cowboy Coffee and other local vendors were present at the harvest festival. PHOTO BY FISCHER GENAU 
A family picks free pumpkins at Urban Farm’s harvest festival. PHOTO BY FISCHER GENAU
During the evening, families picked out pumpkins and walked down the newly built trail lined with saplings to the park’s playground, and people gathered on the dock by the pond to visit, eating barbecue or drinking coffee from Cowboy Coffee.
“We set out with a vision of creating a neighborhood,” Magrans said. “We love the idea of being able to walk to the park, to ride your bike to the library, to meet a neighbor under this really cool silo and maybe catch a fish at the pond. That’s what we’re here to do is to create community and create an experience.”
After almost seven years of work, OREP has laid the groundwork for Urban Farm. Over the next decade, as more houses, businesses, and buildings are erected, it will become part of the landscape, redefining the west side of Bozeman and providing a new home for people living in the growing city.
Learn more about Urban Farm’s commercial and residential spaces and next phases.
