Mountain Man Trails: Who owns Gallatin County? The Bozeman area’s biggest property owners ranked

Found here. Reproduced here for fair use and discussion purposes. My comments in bold.
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What struck me about this article is it never does the math about who are the real big players in land ownership in Gallatin County. So, we shall do the math. The county has a total of 2603 square miles of area, of which 29 square miles is water. That's 2574 square miles, or 1,647,360 acres.

According to the article, the following public entities own land: US Government, 723,893 acres; State of Montana, 62,889; City of Bozeman, 3,879; MSU, 2255; Gallatin County, 1273; Bozeman Schools, 272; City of West Yellowstone, 63; City of Belgrade, 37; City of Manhattan, 40. Total owned by government entities is 794,601 acres, or 48.2% of the county.

That's nearly half the county that is off the taxpayer rolls.

Gallatin County, stretching from rugged country north of Bozeman to Montana’s southern border with Idaho, has 1.7 million acres and a whopping 46,000 distinct taxable properties.

So who exactly controls that real estate — and, by extension, the homes, livelihoods and recreation of those of us who live on it?

In short, a lot of folks, but the federal government especially. Also, the local hospital, a slew of public institutions, and at least one billionaire. Beyond that, given the vagaries of tracking down corporate ownership across holding companies and state lines, it’s not always possible to say with any degree of certainty.

The county’s parcels, according to a Chronicle analysis, are held by about 30,000 distinct owners, ranging from individuals to local businesses to national and international corporations. While a majority of landowners by number are everyday Montanans, individuals or families holding title to a single home, a few big players — tabulated here — inevitably stand out by acreage and net worth.

The county, of course, is dominated by public lands — including 63,000 state-owned acres and 724,000 acres of federal land, the latter largely managed by the U.S. Forest Service. While the forested mountains surrounding the Gallatin Valley are, at least for tax assessors, low-value in comparison to population-center real estate, their sheer expanse makes them hugely valuable, with federal lands inside the county valued at nearly $134 million.

Local government entities — including the Bozeman School District, city of Bozeman and Gallatin County — are also major landowners. The city, for instance, owns a total of 3,879 acres across 130 parcels — assessed at a market value of $56.2 million.

Large swaths of the county’s rural stretches are, however, owned by a relatively small number of private entities, some of whom have holdings surrounding blocks of public lands.

The largest, Climbing Arrow Ranch Inc., holds 53,800 acres in north Gallatin County and south of Three Forks, assessed at a total value of $5.3 million. The county’s second-largest private landowner by geographic scope is billionaire Ted Turner, who owns 52,234 acres, valued at $12.4 million, through Turner Enterprises Inc.

Combined, Gallatin County’s five largest private landowners hold more then 159,000 acres, two-and-a-half times the acreage owned by the state. Those holdings are valued together at almost $23 million.

In terms of total market value, health care provider Bozeman Health Deaconess Hospital is the area’s real estate giant. Through a variety of entities including its foundation and real estate development arm, the institution holds a swath of east Bozeman property valued in excess of $110 million, including buildings. Among its properties are the hospital’s Highland Boulevard campus, the Aspen Pointe retirement home and unsold portions of the new Knolls at Hillcrest subdivision atop Peets Hill.

Beyond Deaconess, only a handful of familiar names make a list of the county’s top 20 property owners by value, among them First Security Bank and Four Corners-based tech firm Zoot. Most others appear to be corporate entities that own high-value properties like retirement homes or Bozeman-area retail centers.

For example, the Bozeman Lodge retirement complex off Oak Street is valued at more than $21 million and registered to a Massachusets-based trust. The retail complex that includes REI, the Olive Garden and Buffalo Wild Wings off North 19th Avenue, owned by Stone Ridge Partners LLC, is valued by the state at more than $22 million — about a million less than the combined figure for the five largest land owners.

However, reliably determining the specific individuals behind land-owning corporate entities isn’t always possible, at least given information readily available through the database maintained by the Montana Secretary of State’s office.

For example, state records for major landowners Black Bull Owner LLC and CH SP Acquisition LLC both list other limited liability corporations as their principal owners. Both of the second-tier entities, Black Bull Holdings and CH SP Investment, are registered to the same Boston office — implying, but not confirming, they have at least some common ownership.

Black Bull is a golf community west of Bozeman, and CH SP owns the Spanish Peaks resort in Big Sky — both properties that passed through bankruptcy proceedings during the Great Recession. The Chronicle reported in 2013 that the Spanish Peaks property had been purchased by Boston-based CrossHarbor Capital Partners in partnership with Boyne Resorts, and that CrossHarbor had previously purchased Black Bull and the Yellowstone Club, the latter of which is located in Madison County.

As for Bridger Bowl’s iconic ridge? It’s Forest Service land, actually (though the ski area does own 540 acres), surveyed in a pair of square-mile parcels valued at $57,125 and $37,277. Call world-class skiing priceless if you will, but that works out to quite the deal — less than a quarter-cent per square foot.

Top 20 Gallatin County property owners by assessed value

1. BOZEMAN DEACONESS HEALTH SERVICES

Number of parcels: 51
Total assessed value: $110,595,410
Total acreage: 565

Lands held by entities under the Bozeman Health umbrella, including the hospital campus, Aspen Pointe retirement home, much of the Knolls at Hillcrest subdivision and a swath of vacant land east of Highland Boulevard.

2. BLACK BULL OWNER LLC

Number of parcels: 158
Total assessed value: $36,077,688
Total acreage: 351

Golf course greens and what appear to be unsold lots in Black Bull, which bills itself as “Bozeman’s private golf community,” located north of Huffine Lane between Bozeman and Four Corners. State business records list offices for the LLC in Missoula and Boston.

3. WORLDMARK THE CLUB

Number of parcels: 1
Total assessed value: $28,033,549
Total acreage: 8

The WorldMark resort building in West Yellowstone, operated by the Wyndham hotel chain.

4. FIRST SECURITY BANK

Number of parcels: 14
Total assessed value: $27,739,443
Total acreage: 17

A handful of properties scattered around the Bozeman area, some of which house branches of the locally owned bank. The company lists Tom Milesnick as the chair of its board of directors.

5. ZOOT PROPERTIES LLC

Number of parcels: 10
Total assessed value: $25,246,106
Total acreage: 32

Headquarters for Four Corners-based financial services tech firm Zoot Enterprises. Chris and Shawn Nelson of Bozeman are listed as LLC members on state business records.

6. CH SP ACQUISITION LLC

Number of parcels: 38
Total assessed value: $22,633,776
Total acreage: 1,754

A real estate group that took ownership of the Spanish Peaks resort in Big Sky following its 2011 bankruptcy. Registered to offices in Missoula and Boston.

7. STONE RIDGE PARTNERS LLC

Number of parcels: 5
Total assessed value: $22,077,338
Total acreage: 18

The retail complex off North 19th housing REI, Olive Garden and Buffalo Wild Wings. State business records list Jason Hawkings, of Boise, Idaho, and Don Cape, of Bozeman, as LLC members.

8. WHITEFISH L P

Number of parcels: 15
Total assessed value: $21,940,738
Total acreage: 66

Several commercial and real estate properties in the Bozeman area, including storage unit facilities and the West Main Street complex housing Dollar Spree. David Osterman of Bozeman is named as the LLC’s registered agent in state business records.

9. SNH/LTA PROPERTIES TRUST

Number of parcels: 1
Total assessed value: $21,295,098
Total acreage: 7

Property housing the Bozeman Lodge retirement home off West Oak Street. The trust is registered out of Massachusetts.

10. MITCHELL DEVELOPMENT & INVESTMENT LLC

Number of parcels: 21
Total assessed value: $20,912,695
Total acreage: 43

Properties in the Bozeman Gateway development between West Garfield Street and Huffine Lane. Includes the parcel housing Rosauer’s, as well as others being built up by the Great Falls-based Mitchell Development Group, which names John and Ted Mitchell as members in state business records

11. WESTLAKE GEORGE E

Number of parcels: 13
Total assessed value: $19,887,722
Total acreage: 435

Several properties including the sites of Walmart and former Kmart building off North Seventh Avenue, as well as a 200-acre parcel just outside city limits on the northwest corner of Bozeman. State property records give a Vancouver, Washington, address for George E. Westlake.

12. D & G INVESTMENTS LLLP

Number of parcels: 4
Total assessed value: $19,219,463
Total acreage: 21

Several properties off Huffine Lane, including the Ressler Toyota and Chevrolet dealerships at the corner of Gooch Hill Road. State property records list a Bozeman address for the trust.

13. J & D FAMILY LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

Number of parcels: 9
Total assessed value: $18,969,532
Total acreage: 32

Properties housing the Billion Auto Group, headed by Joe Billion, off South Cottonwood Road.

14. BRIDGER PEAKS HOLDING LLC

Number of parcels: 5
Total assessed value: $18,149,552
Total acreage: 15

Properties housing the Smith’s shopping center at the corner of 19th and Oak. State records name the company’s registered agent as Peter Dayton of Missoula, and addresses in San Diego and Cincinnati are also listed in state property records.

15. UNIVERSITY SQUARE BOZEMAN SHOPPING CENTER LLC

Number of parcels: 1
Total assessed value: $16,974,600
Total acreage: 14

The University Square (Albertson’s) shopping center off Main Street at Babcock Street. The LLC is registered out of Columbia, Missouri.

16. GENESIS PARTNERS LLC

Number of parcels: 11
Total assessed value: $16,162,779
Total acreage: 13

A major portion of the Oracle, formerly RightNow Technologies, business park off South 19th. U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, his father Clair Daines, and likely Montana gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte are listed as members of the LLC in state business records.

17. HIGHGATE BOZEMAN LLC

Number of parcels: 1
Total assessed value: $15,303,171
Total acreage: 7

Highgate Senior Living facility off Oak Street. State business records list the company as registered in Great Falls and name British Columbia-based Buron, Inc. as a principal.

18. LUZENAC AMERICA INC

Number of parcels: 6
Total assessed value: $14,954,705
Total acreage: 130

Facilities near a railroad line outside of Three Forks. Bloomberg Business describes the company as a North American talc producer based in Greenwood Village, Colorado.

19. POB GALLATIN LP

Number of parcels: 2
Total assessed value: $13,876,782
Total acreage: 12

The shopping center housing Ross and Michaels off North 19th. State business records list office addresses for the entity in Helena and Carrollton, Texas.

20. GALLATIN MALL GROUP LLC

Number of parcels: 1
Total assessed value: $13,868,613
Total acreage: 37

Property housing the Gallatin Valley Mall off Huffine. Steven Corning of Billings, William Watts of Sewickley, Pennsylvania, Jerry Horn of Laquinta, California, and John Morrow of Spokane, Washington, are listed as LLC members in state business records.

Top 20 Gallatin County property owners by size

1. CLIMBING ARROW RANCH INC

Number of parcels: 107
Total assessed value: $5,343,441
Total acreage: 53,799

A section of land in north Gallatin County and another south of Three Forks. Frank, Page, Katharine and Margaret Anderson are named as company principals in state business records, each listing local mailing addresses.

2. TURNER ENTERPRISES INC

Number of parcels: 120
Total assessed value: $12,396,757
Total acreage: 52,234

Land sections in north Gallatin County and south of Three Forks. Turner Enterprises manages land holdings and other investments by former media mogul Ted Turner, according to its website. State business records list R. E. Turner and Russell Miller of Bozeman, among others, as the firm’s principals.

3. ELK RIDGE LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

Number of parcels: 35
Total assessed value: $1,818,034
Total acreage: 18,657

A swath of land in far northeast Gallatin County. State property records list James Lane of Harlowton, John Lane of Cascade and Thomas Lane of Livingston as general partners.

4. MORGAN LAND CO.

Number of parcels: 38
Total assessed value: $1,931,347
Total acreage: 18,239

Land off the north end of the Bridgers. State business records list 14 partners in the company. All have local addresses.

5. HORSESHOE HILLS LLC

Number of parcels: 37
Total assessed value: $1,426,930
Total acreage: 16,160

Land in northwest Gallatin County. Edwin and Alice Brainard of Belgrade are listed as LLC members in state business records.

6. YANKE RONALD C FAMILY TRUST

Number of parcels: 71
Total assessed value: $2,246,007
Total acreage: 9,126

Scattered forest lands in the Bangtail Mountains. The RY Timber company, which says on its website that it was founded by Ron Yanke of Boise, Idaho, operates a sawmill in Livingston.

7. DEHAAN FRANK INC

Number of parcels: 22
Total assessed value: $1,640,049
Total acreage: 8,734

Land northeast of Manhattan.

8. BIGGS RANCH INC

Number of parcels: 18
Total assessed value: $864,011
Total acreage: 7,342

Land straddling Dehaan Frank Inc. land, also northeast of Manhattan. State business records for the company list Calvin, Dennis and Jimmy Biggs, all of Belgrade, as board members.

9. EVERTSON FAMILY LTD PARTNERSHIP

Number of parcels: 19
Total assessed value: $2,162,294
Total acreage: 7,034

Land south of Three Forks, some apparently in cultivation based on aerial photos.

10. GREEN ROBERT R & OTHER INTERESTS

Number of parcels: 2
Total assessed value: $1,061,745
Total acreage: 6,652

Land north of Manhattan.

11. WOOSLEY LAND & LIVESTOCK LLC

Number of parcels: 18
Total assessed value: $1,167,847
Total acreage: 6,648

Land in the northeast corner of the county, south of Elk Ridge lands. State records name Allen and Myrtle Woosley of Wilsall as LLC members.

12. YANKE LINDA L & OTHER INTERESTS

Number of parcels: 51
Total assessed value: $1,384,623
Total acreage: 5,845

Forested lands in the Bangtail Mountains

13. F DOUBLE D HORSESHOE HILLS LLC

Number of parcels: 17
Total assessed value: $140,782
Total acreage: 5,782

Land northeast of Logan

14. LAZY J RANCHES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

Number of parcels: 21
Total assessed value: $1,490,152
Total acreage: 5,669

Parcels in Bridger Canyon. Marcel Hoffman of Gallatin Gateway is named as the LP’s registered agent in state business records, while property records list a P.O. Box in Houston.

15. LANE ROBERT D

Number of parcels: 16
Total assessed value: $222,052
Total acreage: 5,575

Land in west Gallatin County

16. DYK LAND COMPANY LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

Number of parcels: 4
Total assessed value: $1,403,023
Total acreage: 5,564

Large, undivided parcels of land in northeast Gallatin County. Alice Dyk and Lorilyn Wubben, both of Manhattan, are named as general partners for the LP in state business records.

17. KAMP THOMAS J

Number of parcels: 13
Total assessed value: $1,257,691
Total acreage: 5,089