HELENA — As the City of Helena looks to ease its affordable housing needs, leaders are looking at three new ideas to help expand attainable housing options.
Helena's population grew 18.9 percent between 2010 and 2023 and is estimated to have a housing shortage of approximately 1,400 homes. Another 5,000 homes will be needed by 2045.
The first proposal is a library of pre-reviewed home-building plans. The online library would start with Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and smaller homes.
The goal is to reduce design costs and make the permitting process easier.
Another idea is issuing a specialty license plate called "Guardian of the Gulch" to raise funds to support Helena's Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
The City hopes to have the plates available to the public through the Lewis & Clark County Motor Vehicle Department starting July 1, 2027.
A third idea is a community affordable housing showcase, featuring two or more exhibition homes and ADUs that residents could tour for a year.
City leaders say the showcase would highlight different approaches to lower-cost home construction. At the end of the showcase, the homes would be transferred through nonprofit partners to local families in need.
“This showcase is an opportunity to bring attainable housing solutions, innovative construction methods, and manufacturing right here to Helena,” said City Manager Alana Lake. “It gives people something they can see, experience, discuss, and learn from while helping move the conversation about housing affordability forward.”
"There isn't one solution to Helena's housing challenges,” said City Community Development Director Chris Brink. “We need to be creative about both reducing the cost of building homes and finding new resources to support that effort. These projects are all different, but they share the same goal, to find practical, locally-driven ways to make housing more attainable in Helena.”
