Benefits to the Neighborhood
How Does Westside Woods Benefit Helena?
Throughout the application process, Sussex Construction has been tackling problems head-on and encouraging ideas and solutions with the City, County, local neighbors, and the School District. Sussex is greatly concerned with Public Health & Safety which is why we rely on the City’s codes and regulations to ensure we are conforming to their standards. This project has been designed to meet -or exceed- all federal, state, and local standards and regulations to promote and protect health and public safety. Westside Woods has been vetted by the City, for almost 2 years, and City Commissioners have approved this project.
We are aware of the existing issues, in the County where the proposed subdivision is located, and we are offering solutions to help the public safety of this area by annexing it into the City, bringing in city utilities, fire mitigation, and upgrading the roads connecting to this subdivision to city standards with curbs, gutters, sidewalks, and storm drains. Working together, we hope this project will bring positive change to the westside of Helena.
Benefit – Safer Neighborhoods
This proposed subdivision meets or exceeds all local, state, & federal public safety standards. This project also provides offsite improvements beyond the subdivision requirements with complete streets for all impacted routes to Kessler Elementary School.
Subdivision Benefits:
- Complete Streets
- Fire & weed mitigation
- Streetlights & fire hydrants
- City sewer & water
- 1 mile of new trails
- 13+ acres of open space
- Art trail installations
Neighborhood Benefits:
- Improved crosswalks by Kessler School.
- Traffic softening measures on Granite
- Impacted streets will be upgraded
- Paved roads
- Curbs & gutters
- Boulevard sidewalks
City of Helena Annexation
This area is identified in the 2019 City of Helena Growth Policy as being within the Urban Standards Boundary (USB). Land within the USB are areas where growth is expected to occur and that can be served with city services, particularly water and wastewater. The area is shown as “Urban” on the future land use map indicating that it is appropriate to be developed to densities currently found within the City of Helena and is an ideal area for growth and annexation.
Although the property is in Lewis and Clark County, Sussex believes it is more responsible, safer, and sustainable to annex Westside Woods into the City of Helena. By annexing this property into our capital city, Westside Woods will not have individual wells and drain fields that can pollute soils and lower groundwater levels. This neighborhood will be on metered water and connect to city sewer treatment facilities. Residents that move into this neighborhood will pay city taxes and contribute to the Helena tax base.
Development within the City will require Sussex to install additional city services such as paved streets, curbs and gutters, fire hydrants, street lights, and boulevard sidewalks that meet (and sometimes exceed) city requirements. These upgrades will make the new and surrounding neighborhoods safer and easier for the city to maintain; it will also help boost the city’s tax base and conserve our natural resources by protecting water quality and use.
A Local Company
Sussex Construction is a locally owned and operated company in Helena, Montana. Since 1996, we have been hard at work creating several quality Helena communities that include: Heron Creek, Ridgeview, and Sussex Park. Sussex is passionate about great design, quality builds, and sustainable practices. We also believe in sharing and donating to dozens of local organizations in Helena. Our focus of charitable contributions is on causes that better the people and environment of the place we call home. We are invested in our community and our future generations. Through this project, we hope to continue to invest in our Helena community.
Benefits of a Local Company:
- Local Company that supports local businesses and charities
- Great care and consideration go into each project while working with the City, County, and Helena community.
- Respecting the land means we are not proposing to maximize density for the zoning of this area to reduce the impact.
- A local builder supports our local economy and sources local workers & materials.
- Out-of-state builders:
- Bring in their workforce and resources; take profits with them.
- Often build to max density to maximize profits.
- Not always considerate of local community impact.