Bozeman could learn a lot from Fayetteville, Arkansas. Fayetteville is a university town in the Ozarks that’s become an amenity destination for many of the same reasons as Bozeman (vibrant city, recreational opportunities, strong economy).
In its recent rankings, People For Bikes identified Fayetteville as one of Bozeman’s peer cities. You’ll note in the rankings that Fayetteville recently blew past Bozeman in terms of the quality of its bicycle network, a result of a concerted effort in Fayetteville to build out its bicycle network.
For example, Fayetteville’s development code requires that when a new business is approved next to a trail, the business has to build a connection to the trail. In the last six years Fayetteville has gone from being a bronze Bicycle Friendly Community to surpassing Bozeman and becoming a gold Bicycle Friendly Community.
Fayetteville has housing challenges of its own, but is taking proactive steps to address its housing shortage. This includes a new program of 30 permit-ready building designs that the City is developing and making freely available, including designs for ADUs and duplexes.
Last month Fayetteville’s mayor convened a Housing Crisis Task Force (similar in concept to Gov. Gianforte’s statewide housing task force) with representation from a broad swath of stakeholders. Bozeman could consider doing the same. It would be interesting to see what might happen if many of the vocal voices on housing issues in Bozeman were put on the same task force and charged with coming up with solutions.
Oh, and while we’re on the topic, did I mention that Fayetteville eliminated commercial parking minimums citywide back in 2015? As Sightline reports, this strategy has been a boon for local businesses and the city’s economy (and the meteoric rise in Fayetteville’s biking status is likely not entirely coincidental). I visited Fayetteville a year or so ago to check out the region’s famous mountain biking. I had no difficulty finding parking downtown—nor did I have any difficulty finding great restaurants and bakeries!
If looking for inspiration from peer communities in terms of reducing car dependency and practical housing solutions, Fayetteville offers ample inspiration.
