Helena site to become $2 million auto body and paint shop

The construction at 1000 E. Lyndale Ave. drew enough attention that Helena viewers asked what was going up there, and city records now give the answer: JMPD Enterprises Body and Paint Shop is taking shape at the site. The project is far larger than a simple facelift. City permit documents show a $2,022,827.04 commercial alteration tied to 29,289 square feet of renovation and addition work.

The City of Helena issued permit BCOM25-0175 on Jan. 20, 2026, for demolition of a pole structure, renovation of a wood frame structure and a PEMB addition. The permit materials also call for storm-water mitigation and work to improve emergency access, details that show the city is treating the project as both a business buildout and an infrastructure issue on one of Helena’s busier commercial stretches.

The property’s land-use history helps explain why the change is drawing notice. A May 6, 2025 variance packet filed by CWG Architects for Helena Body and Paint said the site was then occupied by vacant commercial structures in the CLM zoning district and had previously been used for Construction Material Sales, specifically Builders FirstSource. The proposed future use is Vehicle Services, identified as Helena Body and Paint.

Before the variance request, city pre-application materials dated Feb. 3, 2025 show the applicant wanted to talk through setbacks, sidewalks, landscaping and fire access. The proposal also laid out access points from East Lyndale Avenue on the south, National Avenue on the west and Dodge Avenue on the east, underscoring the amount of circulation and site planning that comes with a project of this size.

The variance packet asked for a front lot line setback reduction from 15 feet to 0 feet and sought approval for 13 required off-street parking spaces to sit more than 35 feet from a tree. Together with the permit valuation and footprint, those requests point to a substantial reworking of the property rather than a modest tenant improvement.

For East Lyndale, the project signals another shift in the corridor’s land use as older commercial sites are replaced or rebuilt for new business activity. Residents who watched the construction now know the site is being transformed into a major auto body and paint operation, with the city’s own records showing how much work remains before the property becomes operational.