City has four times fewer home starts than rest of L & C County

Ron Bartsch, owner of Sussex Construction, was planning to develop a two-lot infill in the 200 block of Hayes Avenue, an area within Helenas city limits.

When Bartsch attended a meeting this spring to discuss his proposal with several of the citys planning departments, however, he was met with requirements that made him reconsider.

Bartsch said he was told he would have to pave the road up to the two-lot development, a distance of three city blocks, as well as build sidewalks the whole way, incorporate stormwater drainage and provide fire turnaround access.

In all, Bartsch estimated the costs would ring up about a $1 million bill.

Because they are so firm on, you know, These are the current regulations. Heres how you have to do it, it makes the city of Helena undevelopable, Bartsch said.

I think that the city has to understand that these exceptions exist, he added later.

Regulations such as the ones Bartsch faces are among a slew of reasons why some developers are saying Helena isnt doing enough to promote development in city limits, which may help explain why the number of home starts in Lewis and Clark County is about four times greater outside the city than inside.

Figures from the Montana Building Industry Association show that during the first half of 2014, 102 single-family houses were started in Lewis and Clark County outside Helena, compared to 24 in the city.

George Thebarge, director of community development and planning with Lewis and Clark County, pointed out that those figures are hard to pin down because the county does not issue building permits.

The MBIA said it received its numbers from electrical permits issued for single-family housing units.

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City has four times fewer home starts than rest of L & C County