# 1316 Bozeman Ave — Genesis Project Plan

> **Current as of Aug 23 night:** Live packet numbers are on the one-page board and the filled City form. Working priced exterior **$84,680.59** including handicap entrance **$5,000**. Downtown HURD / BID is **parked — not this filing**. Basement is **not a use**. This file is lineage; do not file from it if it disagrees with the board.

**Working name:** The Warehouse / Joshua Tree at the Railroad District  
**Property:** 1316 Bozeman Avenue, Helena, MT 59601  
**Applicant path:** Stephen Banker (Joshua Tree Cabinetry) — lessee  
**Helper:** Diane Anders  
**City program:** City of Helena — Railroad Urban Renewal District (RURD) Tax Increment Financing (TIF)  
**As of:** 2026-08-11

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## 1. What this is (one sentence)

Stephen is moving his cabinetry shop into a historic stone railroad-district warehouse and asking the City of Helena to match up to **50%** of exterior restoration costs — windows, wells, doors, masonry, gutters, ADA ramp — under the Railroad District TIF program.

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## 2. Who decides (the approval chain)

| Step | Who | What |
|------|-----|------|
| 0 | **REQUIRED first call** — City Community Development | Eligibility talk before applying |
| 1 | City staff | Completeness + merits review |
| 2 | **Helena Urban Renewal TIF Advisory Board** (HURTIF — replaced separate RURD board Nov 2024) | Recommend yes/no + terms |
| 3 | **Helena City Commission** | Final vote |
| 4 | Signed development agreement | Money only after this |

**Contacts**
- Community Development: (406) 447-8490 · citycommunitydevelopment@helenamt.gov · 316 N. Park Ave, Room 445
- Historic Preservation Officer may sit ex officio on the board (good early ally)

**Cadence (legacy RURD language still on forms):** applications by the 1st of the month → board ~3rd Thursday. Confirm current HURTIF calendar with staff on the eligibility call.

**Hard money rule (printed on the form):** costs to be paid with TIF **cannot be incurred before funding approval**. Quotes are fine. Paying Custom Glass before approval = those dollars may not get matched.

**Lessee rule:** if Stephen does not own the building, **written owner permission** + lease must be in the packet.

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## 3. Why the City cares (score to their criteria)

Official priority that fits this project best:

**#5 Historic Façade & Site Improvement Program** — restore/rehabilitate historic buildings.

Also scores on:
- Increased taxable valuation / adaptive reuse of underused warehouse
- Job creation (shop + local contractors)
- Health & safety (wells, masonry, ADA)
- **#6 Marketing/Branding** — our story site + short film literally satisfy a named RURD priority

**Precedents that prove the pot pays for windows/façade:**
- Pattern House — ~$75K RURD TIF for exterior accessibility + façade
- YWCA Helena — ~$150K TIF toward replacing ~60 windows

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## 4. The building story (working timeline — verify primary sources)

| Era | Story thread |
|-----|----------------|
| Late 1800s | Helena mercantile / Kleinschmidt / Union Mercantile lineage (needs primary-source tightening) |
| Early 1900s–1930s | **Nash-Finch** food/beverage distribution warehouse; Christie Transfer managed ~1935–36 |
| **Oct 1935** | Helena earthquakes — State Liquor Warehouse next door shattered; Nash-Finch building photographed amid the chaos |
| 1949–Jul 1, 2026 | **Capital Transfer & Storage** — three generations of the Horne family; closed after 76 years |
| 2026→ | **Joshua Tree Cabinetry** — Stephen Banker leases; adaptive reuse as working shop + restored exterior |

Railroad district context is the spine of the RURD plan — warehouse + tracks + food distribution = the economic story the district was created to revive.

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## 5. What Diane already gathered (folder inventory)

~107 files on Desktop → `Diane Historic Home`, including:
- Draft narrative: `SB Appl for Carter.docx` (incomplete — blanks marked)
- Repair matrix: windows, wells, concreted openings, barn doors, ADA, masonry, gutters, overhead door, basement windows
- Custom Glass quotes (Milgard vinyl) + shop drawings — office ~$5,560 · front casements ~$4,746 (expires Aug 27 / Sep 5 2026)
- Diane field count (Aug 7 email): 3 concreted windows + wells left; 1 well between building & state bldg; 5 concreted rear windows; 1 concreted rear door + double barn doors
- History notes: Nash-Finch, Kleinschmidt, Union Mercantile, Capital Transfer, earthquake
- Dozens of site photos (stone walls, arches, concreted openings, barn doors, wells)
- Official RURD application PDF pages photographed

### Application gaps still open
- Exact private $ already spent / committed
- Full cost worksheet + leverage ratio
- Cost of public services answer
- MCA 7-15-4288 eligible activities mapping
- Owner permission letter
- Job counts (permanent vs construction)
- Current property taxes / ownership structure
- Typo: “Jericho Tree” → Joshua Tree
- Window product strategy vs historic character (see §6)

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## 6. THE WINDOW QUESTION (do not guess — decide with eyes + code)

### What Stephen seems to want
- Restore exterior historic visage
- Fix glass/panes, reopen concreted openings, repair wells
- Quotes in hand for **new Milgard vinyl** units (office + shipping)

### What historic / TIF reviewers usually want
- **Repair first** original wood sash where salvageable
- If replace: **in-kind** (wood, matching muntin pattern, true divided lite or historically appropriate SDL)
- Vinyl often weakens “Historic Preservation” scoring and can clash with Secretary of the Interior Standards if the building is treated as historic character-contributing

### Basement / wells / egress
- Concreted basement openings + corroded wells = both **character** and **life-safety**
- If basement becomes occupied work space → modern egress size/operability rules may apply (City Building Division + fire)
- If storage-only → different path; still need wells drained/safe and openings treated honestly on the plans

### Decision gate (before locking quotes)
1. Photo inventory of every opening (numbered elevations)
2. Call Building Division + HPO: pane-only vs full unit; concreted reopen; basement occupancy intent
3. Two-track cost: (A) historic wood repair/replace-in-kind · (B) modern vinyl — show both to City so we don’t get rejected on character
4. Only then update the TIF budget line

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## 7. Grant / money stack (beyond the City match)

| Source | Fit | Notes |
|--------|-----|-------|
| **RURD / HURTIF TIF** | PRIMARY | Up to 50% match; façade priority #5 |
| Montana Historic Preservation Grant (Commerce / accommodations tax) | Strong if owner-eligible + historic | Biennial; Feb 28 even years historically |
| Federal + State historic tax credits | Owner-side | Fed ~20% + MT 25% of federal amount — **owner** usually claims; lessee path needs structure |
| Preserve Montana / SHPO technical help | Advisory + grant navigation | |
| MBAC / Helena Chamber small-biz | Ops, not façade | |
| USDA / rural small business (if eligible) | Equipment / shop | Secondary |
| Private lenders / Stephen cash / sweat equity | Required leverage | Board loves high private:public ratio |

**Extent the ask:** TIF for exterior envelope + ADA; separate asks for shop equipment / workforce if any; never double-dip the same invoice.

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## 8. Deliverables Genesis will build

### A. Application packet (P0 — get money)
1. Completed official form + financing worksheet
2. Project narrative scored to all 10 measurable objectives
3. Owner permission + lease excerpt
4. Numbered photo elevations + repair matrix
5. Window strategy memo + alternate bids if needed
6. MCA 7-15-4288 eligibility map
7. Precedent sheet (Pattern House, YWCA)
8. Board presentation (10–12 slides / short HTML)

### B. Project worksite (P0 for Stephen — private)
Private site: checklist, deadlines, who to call, permit tracker, photo log, spend-before-approval warnings.

### C. Public story site (P1 — also scores Marketing priority #6)
Past → present → future of 1316 Bozeman; newspaper clips; earthquake chapter; Capital Transfer farewell; Joshua Tree arrival; donate-eyes / follow-the-restoration.

### D. Short film (P1 — “shot through time”)
3–5 min: Sanborn/rail era → 1935 quake → Horne family decades → empty warehouse → craftsman’s hands restoring stone & light. Carter GO before any paid generation.

### E. Soul dossier on Stephen (P1)
Family, Pennsylvania → Montana arc, craft philosophy, employees, why this building — Genesis people method (truth only, nulls beat invention).

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## 9. Execution order (rock & roll)

| Wave | Work | Owner |
|------|------|-------|
| **0** | Confirm eligibility call booked with Community Development | Diane / Stephen |
| **1** | Deep research: Sanborn, newspapers, Helena As She Was, tax parcel, owner of record, HPO, building code | Genesis |
| **2** | Window & egress decision memo + opening schedule | Genesis + Stephen |
| **3** | Fill every blank in application; cost worksheet; owner letter | Genesis + Diane + Stephen |
| **4** | Board presentation + renderings | Genesis |
| **5** | Private worksite live | Genesis |
| **6** | Public story site | Genesis |
| **7** | Film treatment → Carter GO → produce | Genesis |
| **8** | Secondary grant matrix filed & calendared | Genesis |

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## 10. Extra ideas (beyond what was asked)

1. **Oral history with John Horne** — living memory of 76 years in that building; gold for film + board emotion.
2. **State building next door** relationship — the well between buildings; neighbor letter of support.
3. **Before/after night-and-day board** — one elevation with concreted windows vs reopened light (architect or skilled illustration).
4. **Craft-as-preservation argument** — a cabinetmaker restoring a warehouse is the district’s economic story in one body.
5. **Volunteer / apprentice days** — photo ops + job-creation narrative.
6. **Montana Memory / Chronicling America clip reel** embedded on the story site.
7. **Ribbon / open-shop day** after Phase 1 windows — invite commissioners who voted yes.
8. **Insurance / structural note** on masonry + gutters — boards love “protect the public investment.”

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## 11. What we need from Stephen / Diane / Carter

**From Stephen (facts, not homework essays):**
- Owner name + permission willingness
- Lease term
- Dollars already in / committed
- Intended basement use
- Headcount now / planned
- Preferred window path if City pushes wood

**From Diane:**
- Any more docs/photos coming
- Whether eligibility call already happened

**From Carter:**
- YES to start Wave 1–3 now
- YES/NO on public story site + film in parallel vs after application
- Brand name for the project (working: “The Warehouse” / “Light Back Into Bozeman”)

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*Genesis standard: research first, invent nothing, deliver finished packets — not homework for the craftsman.*