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The proposal to build an indoor baseball practice facility at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds in northeast Bozeman got a thumbs up from city commissioners this week.

Site plans for a 8,640 square foot facility proposed by the Bozeman Bucks Legion Baseball program for next to their existing field are still waiting on final approval and building permits from the city, but commissioners did give them the go-ahead to skirt some city standards

The commission was asked to approve 15 exemptions from city standards for the site plans.

“I would say 15 sounds like a high number when you say that, but they all stem from this building trying to fit in with the fairgrounds around it,” said Garrett Schultz, the director of operations for the program and an engineer during the commission meeting.

Per the city staff recommendation, commissioners approved 14 of the exemptions, which included not having to provide vehicle or pedestrian connection to adjacent properties and striping in the parking lot.

City planner Lynn Hyde said during the commissioners meeting that state law allows for government agencies to ask for exemptions from local zoning requirements. The facility is located on the Gallatin County Fairgrounds, which is owned and run by the county.

Hyde said that since the facility is located within the fairgrounds proper, the exemptions made sense. The only requested exemption that was not approved was for a request to not provide bicycle racks.

City commissioners did approve an amendment to allocate up to $1,500 to help the program acquire bike racks.

Commissioners also amended a requested exemption from the city’s sign codes to specify it could only apply to the size, number and location of the signs, so that the facility would still have to comply with the city’s sign lighting standards.

Schultz said the program sells signs to local businesses to help finance their operations.

The program raised about $600,000 for the project.

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Nora Shelly can be reached at nshelly@dailychronicle.com or 406-582-2607.

Nora Shelly covers city government for the Chronicle.

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