City of HelenaCommunity Development
Zoning — Current vs Proposed compare v1.0

Provenance

Method & sources

What this comparison is built from, and how the proposed dimensional numbers are handled given the source report does not publish a standards table.

Source of the proposed framework

Zoning Regulations Update — Preliminary Recommendations Report
Prepared by Houseal Lavigne (City of Helena consultant) · 2026-07-16
Draft for City Staff Review Only · 07162026_PRR_External Draft 1.pdf

Ch. 1 (Key Update Themes, district list) and Ch. 2 (Land Use Plan Alignment, district crosswalk + intent)

Source of the current standards

current_zoning_dimensions.json (Helena City Code Title 11-4-2, Table 2)

Why proposed numbers are carried forward

The consultant report defines proposed districts by name, consolidation, and intent narrative only. It publishes NO dimensional-standards table for the proposed districts — the report's own Ch. 2 states that the future UDO 'Chapter 2: District Standards' will establish dimensional standards for all districts. Where a proposed district is a rename, or a consolidation of current districts that already share identical dimensional standards, the current numbers carry forward unambiguously ('carry_forward'). Where a district is new or replaces a district with a different intent, no proposed numbers exist yet ('tbd').

How each dimensional treatment is labelled

TreatmentMeaning
carry_forwardProposed district inherits the current district's dimensional standards (rename, or merge of districts with identical standards).
carry_forward_with_changeStandards carry forward, but the report recommends a specific dimensional change not yet quantified.
tbdNew district or replacement with different intent; the report publishes no dimensional standards.
overlayOverlay district; applies over a base district and has no standalone dimensional envelope.
eliminatedDistrict is recommended for elimination.
Honest limitation

This site does not invent proposed setbacks, heights, or coverages. The consultant report is a preliminary recommendations document; its own Chapter 2 states that the future UDO's "District Standards" chapter will establish dimensional standards for all districts. Until then, the only defensible proposed numbers are those a rename or an identical-standards merge carries forward unchanged. Everything else is shown as not yet specified.