The hit TV series Yellowstone has attracted public attention to Montana’s untamed wilderness, and while the show’s storylines are fictional, the stunning landscapes are real.
As the uber-wealthy drive up prices in established Mountain West retreats like Aspen, Jackson Hole, Vail and Park City, folks searching for the perfect blend of rugged beauty and trendy urban living are turning to Bozeman. We sat down with the team behind Bozeman Yards, the new boutique condo community going up in the city’s hip Arts District, to learn about the project that’s poised to set the new standard for urban living in the Mountain West.
Remote, yet convenient
Bozeman boasts a unique combination of natural Rocky Mountain charm and robust infrastructure and culture. Residents have direct access to world-class outdoor activities in places like Yellowstone National Park, Big Sky Ski Resort, Bridger Bowl Ski Area and Paradise Valley. The area itself is easy to reach, with Bozeman International Airport providing nonstop flights to more than 20 U.S. cities.
Scott Baldasare, CEO, Alta Capital, was drawn to the area after spending the last 30 years skiing, hiking and biking in mountain towns with his family. He chose the city’s northeast neighborhood, which he thinks of as “the Brooklyn of Bozeman,” for his new development.
“This was the only neighborhood in Bozeman that we wanted to focus on,” he says, “not only because of its immediate connection to the trail system and Story Mill Park, but also because it has this incredible authenticity to it.”
Lance Saunders, Director of Design, Stokes Architecture & Design, describes Bozeman as “the cool, hip, younger sibling to the more posh resort towns.”
Creating Montana perfection
To bring the Bozeman Yards project to life, Baldasare tapped SMA, a local Montana architect with experience on high-end condo projects, as the base building architect, along with acclaimed hospitality architect Stokes Architecture & Design. The team chose TLee Spas, whose work on facilities around the world for resorts including EDITION Hotels and Auberge Resorts has made them the leader in spa design, to create the spa amenities in the Yards Club.
“It’s a first-class team to build what will be the best project in Bozeman, Montana,” says Baldasare. “We wanted to create a boutique-hotel-style residential building with an amenity program that feels like the ideal canvas for your Montana lifestyle.”
The design for Bozeman Yards started, as always, by choosing the right location. Rob Pertzborn, Senior Principal, Intrinsik Architecture, also consulting on the project, has lived in Bozeman for over 35 years and has come to think about the city in a unique way: “In New York City, you’ve got all these buildings huddling around nature in Central Park. Bozeman is somewhat the reverse of that. We have millions of acres of nature all around us.”
Bozeman Yards is positioned at the edge of the city, giving residents a sense of living on an urban island in the midst of a vast wilderness. Unobstructed views of the Bridger Mountains to the north; in the other direction, it’s a 10-minute walk to Main Street, which boasts stylish retailers, sophisticated nightlife, and James Beard nominated restaurants. The project itself is located in the Mill Arts District, which has great art galleries, bars, coffee shops and restaurants.
“What makes Bozeman Yards unique is that it’s perfectly situated,” says Saunders. “It’s that duality of the connection to nature and the connection to urban life.”
Maximizing mountain views
The three-building development, which optimizes the site’s mountain views, will include 60 condos and 4 rowhomes.
“What we’re doing with these buildings is connecting the people coming here to nature,” says Saunders, “because at the end of the day, that is what they want.”
Large windows throughout the development function as oversized picture frames that draw the eye to the natural expanses beyond, views that will be preserved thanks to the site’s location looking out at the mountains. Many residences look over the neighboring historic train depot, a landmark that cinephiles will recognize as a prominent setting in Robert Redford’s 1992 period piece A River Runs Through It.
Baldasare and his team wanted every unit to have outdoor space, whether via balconies or ground-floor access to private garden terraces. The individual units convey approachable luxury with an emphasis on natural materials such as oak wood flooring, quartzite stone tops, natural limestone tiles, basalt stone and natural plaster finishes.
Building residents have access to the Yards Club, Bozeman Yards’ luxury amenities suite. The private spa designed by TLEE Spa on the second floor features panoramic views of the Bridger Mountains from an outdoor plunge pool and fireside deck. Inside, residents will enjoy a private lounge, steam room, and, the star of the show, a sauna with a picture window facing the mountains that would look right at home in the glossy pages of Travel and Leisure.
The amenities embody the same dedication to cultivating an indoor/outdoor lifestyle as the residences, complete with expansive views and sliding doors that ensure residents are never more than a few steps away from nature.
This aesthetic extends to the property’s landscape architecture from Design 5, where pocket parks with firepits and bocce courts integrate the Montana landscape into the community.
The project, which breaks ground this fall with an expected delivery date in late 2027, is already attracting sales.
“We are over 30% presold just on the private basis,” says Baldasare. “We haven’t yet gone public, but we will hit the MLS in early July, and that’ll be our official public launch.”
To learn more about this thoughtfully designed boutique condo community and get access to insider pricing before the public MLS launch, visit BozemanYards.com.