Effect on Lewis & Clark County Residents:

  1. Devaluing & Limiting Your Property:
  • The new proposed County Zoning will not allow you to divide your property below 10 acres.
  • This reduces your property’s potential uses, and reduces the value of your property for potential buyers.
  • A property that can be divided into 1 acre lots is much more valuable than property that can only be divided into 10 acre lots.
  • Under some circumstances this zoning may decrease real estate appraisals of your property whether you ever plan on subdividing it or not.
  1. Pushing Property Tax Payers out of Lewis & Clark County:
  • This zoning will push home building, and property tax payers out of Lewis & Clark County, and into Jefferson and Broadwater Counties where people will be able to build homes on smaller less expensive lots.
  • This new Zoning that pushes property tax payers out of Lewis & Clark County will also reduce property taxes used to fund:
    • L&C County Roads
    • L&C County Sherriff
    • L&C County Jail
    • L&C County Library
    • L&C County Fairgrounds
  1. Housing Affordability:
  • Helena already faces a lack of supply of homes, and a lack of lots to build homes on.
  • 10 acre minimum lot sizes increases the cost of lots, and therefore the overall cost of homes.
  1. Home-Based Businesses – If you answer yes to any of the following questions you won’t be able to continue to operate:
  • Do you operate a home-based business?
  • Is your home on the same property as your business building or shop?
  • Do you have more than 2 employees or have more than 10 car trips a day (including delivery)?
  • Note:  You are also not allowed to have a business sign under the new County Zoning.
  1. Turns Neighbors into Spies:
  • The only really clear procedure in the zoning regulations is for complaints and enforcements.
  • This will encourage neighborhood spats on whether neighbors are in compliance with the new zoning regulations.