Helena tables warehouse proposal amid traffic concerns near Mountain View Meadows

Helena has paused review of a proposed distribution warehouse near Mountain View Meadows after city staff said the traffic analysis did not adequately address what the project could do to Crossroads Parkway, Alice Street and nearby streets in the city’s northern growth area.

The proposal, filed as PREAPP2601-0002, covers 13.83 acres at 3645 Alice St. on the west side of Crossroads Parkway, south of Alice Street. City records show the parcel is still in Lewis and Clark County and is zoned R1/R2. The plan calls for a 39,250-square-foot industrial distribution warehouse surrounded by parking, with access from Crossroads Parkway and an extension of Alice Street, and connections to city water and sewer in Crossroads Parkway.

Helena’s zoning commission tabled the April 14 item, file ZONE2602-0001, after staff concluded the submitted Transportation Impact Study did not adequately or holistically address projected traffic impacts tied to the zoning action. That delay keeps the project in the review stage while the city waits for more information from the applicants, who are seeking annexation and pre-zoning before any warehouse could operate there.

City planning records list Brooks Stickler of Kimley-Horn and Associates as the applicant, acting for Spencer Draper and Venture West with permission from property owner Didi Peccia. One city record identifies the requested zoning as B-2, or general commercial, while the Feb. 2 pre-application agenda described the intended use as an industrial distribution warehouse and said the developers were seeking industrial zoning. That mismatch will likely need clarification as the proposal moves through Helena’s land-use process.

The project has drawn attention because city documents did not name an occupant, but officials said Amazon representatives had been in touch, leading the city to believe Amazon may be the intended user. City planner Michael Alvarez said the proposal would need pre-zoning, annexation and then a conditional use permit before a warehouse or distribution center could be built there. If the site moves forward, the decision will shape not just one parcel but the traffic patterns, infrastructure demands and residential pressure around Helena’s expanding northern edge.