HELENA — Habitat For Humanity of the Helena Area plans to build its new 1,500-home Rose Hill neighborhood on 250 acres south of State Highway 282 in East Helena. The organization encourages the community to bring their questions to a series of upcoming meetings.
“I don't want the city to feel like they're in the dark about what's happening or not knowing. We want to create as many opportunities as possible for the community to interact with what we're attempting to do,” said Jacob Kuntz, Helena Area Habitat for Humanity Executive Director.
They’re attempting to transform two hundred fifty acres of field into a neighborhood, focusing on affordability and sustainability.
“We tracked down folks who we knew could design a neighborhood to build the type of housing that Montanans most need: starter homes, the missing middle housing, smaller homes, townhomes, and cottage homes. Not these large, larger single-family homes and large acreages, but homes attainable for most Montanans, for the workforce,” said Kuntz.
Habitat for Humanity is holding two events to keep the community informed and answer questions about the project.
Attendees can expect to learn about the neighborhood layout, affordability of units and more.
“They should expect to get an idea, walk away and see, you know, here's our plans, here's how we feel it's going to benefit East Helena,” said Kuntz.
Kuntz also recognized that East Helena is a city with a long history and an existing sense of community.
“We don't want to lose the spirit of East Helena, which is an amazing town founded by immigrants, hardworking Montanans who forged a path for their families. It's the epitome of the Montana spirit, and we want to be a part of adding to it, not taking it away.”
(Watch the video to hear more from Kuntz about the importance of the community's participation in this project)
The first information event is this Friday from 3 to 7 p.m. at East Helena City Hall. The last hour will be a question-and-answer session. The second information event is set for April.
