The proposed Westside Woods subdivision is NOT sustainable, safe, or responsible development. Help ask the Helena City Commission to deny the proposal due to serious concerns about public safety, infrastructure, and traffic impact.

THE ISSUE:  In September 2022, Sussex Construction resubmitted their application for the Westside Woods subdivision, to add 172 housing-units to the City of Helena's  Westside near Kessler Elementary.  The plans they submitted in September 2022 are nearly identical to what was submitted in November 2020 and denied by the City Commission in January 2022.  

Over the past 18 months, hundreds of members of the public have spoken up with grave concerns about public and wildfire safety, infrastructure, and traffic impact.  (Please see shw406.com for a list with more detail on each concern). 

HOW TO HELP: Save Helena Westside (SHW) needs YOUR help in showing the City Commission just how widespread the public concern is for these issues.  Please consider doing the following:

• Sign this petition, asking the Helena City Commission to deny the subdivision, as proposed. 
• Follow SHW on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/savehelenawestside
• SPREAD the word by sharing the SHW FB page and online petition on social media, via email, and by word of mouth
• Join SHW list for email updates by sending message to savehelenawestside@gmail.com
• Make a tax-deductible financial contribution to support SHW’s efforts (see shw406.com for more info)
• Make public comments via email and/or in public meetings (join SHW email list and follow SHW FB page for updates as to when these will occur)

Every voice counts.  Every person matters.  Every effort helps. 

Thank you for considering standing alongside us and supporting SHW in advocating for sustainable, safe, and responsible growth that does not outpace infrastructure and is not at the expense of public health and public safety.

THE PETITION WORDING:

Dear Mayor and City Commission,

We the undersigned ask that you deny the Westside Subdivision, as currently proposed, due to serious concerns about public safety. The development as proposed does not align with the City of Helena’s Growth Policy objective to, “maintain public health and public safety as high priorities, providing necessary services and addressing potential hazards within and adjacent to City Limits”.

We recognize that development is important for the growth of our beloved community, and we are NOT opposed to development. However, to ensure safe and sustainable growth, development cannot outpace infrastructure, nor can it be at the expense of public health and public safety.

• We are concerned about safety of children with additional traffic congestion around Kessler’s pick up and drop off, which according to the school administration cannot be moved elsewhere. School traffic “in relatively confined areas can create unsafe conditions and traffic delays,” GHALRTP, section 9.6.4.
• We are concerned that the westside neighborhood could not be safely evacuated out of a single primary access to HWY 12 in the case of an emergency, like a fast-moving forest fire.
• We are concerned about public safety and emergency access with the dead-end streets in the proposal. Dead end roads are often blocked when emergency vehicles are present, preventing other residents from traveling to and from home. Dead end roads also make it much harder to safely evacuate residents in the case of an emergency and are generally prohibited in Section 12-4-2(E) of City Code.

Thank you for considering our concerns as you weigh out "all relevant evidence relating to the public health, safety, and welfare" as required in MCA 76-3-605 (1).