Commercial center planned at Helena’s Mountain View Meadows subdivision | Local
A sign posted along Crossroads Parkway is giving a hint of things to come to the property that sits in the shadow of the Mountain View Meadows housing project and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana headquarters.
Crossroads Commercial Center now has 17 commercial lots available and 46 lots overall, in an effort to build up more business between Helena and East Helena and help serve the growing residential and business community. The property is within a stone’s throw of state Highway 12, where a steady stream of traffic rolls by.
Tyler Warne, broker and owner of Coldwell Banker Commercial, said the signs have been up since December and he receives a couple of calls a week about the property. He said the projects could also be a blend of commercial and multifamily units.
Mark Runkle, the property owner and developer of Mountain View Meadows, said he hopes to have an upscale commercial center — referred to as “The Crossroads” on the Mountain View Meadows website — complete with a nice restaurant.
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He noted state Highway 12, which runs by the property, has 23,000 vehicles a day and Interstate 15, which is 1.5 miles away, has 15,000.
But it could be a few years. He said he is holding back from promoting the commercial property until he gets more of the residences in for Mountain View Meadows, which is a master-planned community that is now approaching 500 units.
“We’re not expecting things to move to quickly until we get more housing and apartments in that area,” he said. “I think we’ll be highly occupied with residential for the next year or two and we’ll see what comes along.”
He added that it is his theory that commercial projects have “to come to us” and he doesn’t need to make a big effort to go out and sell.
“Historically, commercial always follows rooftops,” he said.
Runkle noted the Blue Cross headquarters will be complemented by a senior living community to be built by St. Peter’s Health and Immanuel Living, a Kalispell-based Immanuel Lutheran Communities subsidiary.
Officials said it will include 150-200 units on about 20 acres of commercial property and bring more residents to the area.
Runkle said there is flexibility for commercial projects as lots range from a half-acre to as large as 20 acres. He said he believes he has the largest commercial lots in the city.
Warne, who is also with Green and Green Realty Associates, said the center would be good for some smaller commercial businesses as well, such as chiropractors, lawyers and dentists.
He also said he would like to see a grocery store or high-end grocery store.
Warne believes the commercial center would draw people not only from East Helena, but Montana City, Clancy and North Jefferson County as well.
“It’s just in the right spot,” he said.
While the project is in Helena, Warne and Runkle said East Helena also identifies with Mountain View Meadows as students who live there attend East Helena schools.
Warne said what makes Crossroads and Mountain View Meadows unique is that they have city infrastructure and are ready to go.
Warne said the east side of Helena is where he thinks “the path of progress” will be in the future. He said whatever is built on the property will have to be approved by the Mountain View Meadows architectural board.
He is certain the Crossroads development will happen.
“I am pretty optimistic on Helena in general…” he said, adding that there are few places in the United States where you can live and recreate from your front door.
“People have a high demand on this kind of living,” he said. “I’m bullish on Helena.”
Assistant editor Phil Drake can be reached at 406-231-9021.
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