Gallatin County commissioners are scheduled to consider proposed modifications to the Riverbend Glamping Getaway near Gallatin Gateway, Montana, on September 22, continuing a permitting process that has involved county proceedings and litigation over several years.
The public hearing concerns floodplain permit application F2026-020, submitted by Jeff Pfeil on behalf of Pfeil Acquisitions, LLC. According to Gallatin County, the hearing will begin at 9 a.m. on September 22 in the Community Room of the Gallatin County Courthouse in Bozeman.
Commissioners will consider the application under Section 10.2.3 of the county’s Floodplain Hazard Management Regulations and direct the Floodplain Administrator regarding the permit.
The current application follows the approval of an earlier Riverbend proposal. The original project called for 58 non-permanent accommodations, including Conestoga wagons and tipis constructed on wheeled frames, on an island in the Gallatin River near Gallatin Gateway.
According to the Montana Supreme Court, slightly more than half of the proposed campsites were located within the floodplain identified through a 2019 Federal Emergency Management Agency Letter of Map Revision Floodway Determination.
Gallatin County published notice of the original application on December 6 and December 13, 2020, and accepted written comments through December 28. During that period, Protect the Gallatin River submitted a petition containing 1,062 signatures and 255 unique comments from petition signers. The Montana Supreme Court later noted that hundreds of public comments had been submitted and that nearly all opposed the project.
On November 15, 2021, Gallatin County Floodplain Administrator Sean O’Callaghan approved the original floodplain permit with 15 conditions, according to NBC Montana. Protect the Gallatin River and other parties appealed the decision to the Gallatin County Commission.
At an April 8, 2022, public hearing, commissioners modified the permit by adding a seasonal condition requiring all accommodations located within the floodplain to be removed from November 1 through July 1 each year.
Water and sewer utilities serving those sites were also required to be capped and sealed during that period. The commission otherwise affirmed O’Callaghan’s approval and its 15 original conditions. Commissioners signed their Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law and Order on May 26, 2022.
The dispute then moved to court. Protect the Gallatin River appealed the commission’s decision to Gallatin County District Court, with the litigation ultimately reaching the Montana Supreme Court. On February 18, 2025, the Supreme Court affirmed the District Court’s decision on the issues raised by Protect the Gallatin River, leaving the county’s earlier permit approval in place.
The application now under consideration represents a change to the previously approved project design. County documents state that the revised proposal would eliminate all proposed accommodations from the Regulated Flood Hazard Area.
The application also seeks approval to remove two foundations associated with structures that no longer exist and restore the ground elevation, remove the septic tank serving the existing house, and install vegetated bioswales for stormwater detention.
Other proposed changes include new gas and electrical service equipment, relocation of a public well, parking near a proposed shop and office, hydrants along the main access road, and revisions to the water and sewer main layout. Access roads would be reduced from the previously permitted extent, with roundabouts proposed to facilitate circulation.
The application also calls for relocating a sewer lift station approximately 130 feet south of the north property boundary. Water and sewer mains crossing a spring creek would be installed through trenching and sleeving rather than boring.
For outdoor hospitality operators considering development in flood-prone areas, the case illustrates how floodplain requirements can affect not only the location of guest accommodations but also supporting infrastructure, utilities, access and seasonal operations.
The revised proposal also demonstrates how an operator or developer may seek to modify an approved plan after regulatory review, potentially changing the relationship between guest units and regulated areas while retaining other elements of a larger development.
Commissioner Zach Brown told NBC Montana that the commission’s involvement stems in part from the level of public interest surrounding the project.
“Because this project has had so much public intrigue and controversy, the initial permit that was granted was then appealed,” Brown said. “And so, then that got the commission involved.”
Brown said commissioners are acting in a judicial capacity as they review the current application.
“We have a judicial role,” Brown said. “So, we act as the court of initial jurisdiction, and we administer floodplain regulations and we’re ultimately directing the floodplain administrator on how to act on the 22nd.”
Under the county’s regulations, commissioners may hold a public hearing when public comments indicate that approval or denial of a floodplain permit is of significant public interest. Following the September 22 hearing, the commission is required to issue a written decision within 30 working days directing the Floodplain Administrator to approve or deny the permit. The Floodplain Administrator must then issue or deny the permit within 30 working days in accordance with the commission’s decision.
The county’s current project listing confirms that the September 22 hearing is part of the active permitting process for Riverbend Glamping Getaway.
Brown said the commission must consider information presented through the public process before directing the next step.
“The law implores us to act with fairness and discretion and deal with facts, and those facts need to be presented in a public meeting and dealt with on the record,” Brown said.
NBC Montana reported that it contacted Pfeil for comment on the current proposal but did not receive a response before publication.
