Crowd opposes plan for private heliport

The location of a proposed private heliport in South Salem, near the Connecticut state line.

The driveway to 21 Woodway Road in South Salem, where a private heliport is sought. Thane Grauel photo

Family seeks landing zone on 50-plus acres

By NEAL RENTZ

People came out in force March 25 to oppose a requested special use permit for a private heliport on a family’s South Salem property.

A public hearing held by the Lewisboro Zoning Board of Appeals on a request by Martha and Richard Handler, who want a helicopter landing area on their property at 21 Woodway Road, South Salem. Their 50.37-acre parcel is in a R4A, 4-acre residential district, and borders the Connecticut state line.

None of the town residents who packed the town’s courthouse in South Salem spoke in favor of the plan. The town of Ridgefield, Conn., also is opposing the heliport. It sent a lawyer to the hearing and its first selectperson has written to Lewisboro expressing concerns.

Michael Sirignano, an attorney representing the Handler family, told the ZBA that in July 2025 the Town Board approved a new law to regulate private helipads. The measure included provisions to regulate heliports used for private aircraft, including a stipulation that they could be on residential parcels of at least 50 acres. The permits expire after two years if not renewed. 

Sirignano said the measure gave the ZBA the authority to provide special use permits for helipads. Prior to the Town Board’s action, heliports were “totally unregulated” in Lewisboro, Sirignano said.

His client lives on a parcel of more than 50 acres in a residential zone, meeting requirements of the town law for heliports, Sirignano said. The area is at least 500 feet from any adjacent property line which is also a requirement of the law, he said. The heliport is being used for private non-commercial use, he said. The private helicopter that has been used by his clients generates 100 decibels of sound, which is less than the 135 limit under the law, he said.

“We meet all the standards,” Sirignano said.

He said his clients are obeying the law.

“I don’t think they should be denied a special use permit,” Sirignano said. “We’ve been totally transparent.”

The application has drawn considerable opposition, including petitions from people living in Lewisboro and neighboring Ridgefield.

One of the petitions was signed by 20 Lewisboro residents who oppose issuing the permit. The petition listed several concerns, including airspace safety, noise impacts, environmental and wetlands impacts, possible threats to the New York City water supply and negative impacts on property values and community character. 

Lee Lefkowitz, an attorney representing the town of Ridgefield, said the Lewisboro Town Board did not conduct a sufficient review of the legislation under the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act. Last year’s legislation was not a “Type Two” action, he said.

Under New York state law, a Type Two action determines that an action will not have a significant negative impact on the environment and therefore, does not require a full environmental assessment.

“The Town Board should go back to the drawing board,” Lefkowitz said. 

Ridgefield First Selectperson Rudy Marconi also wrote to Lewisboro Supervisor Tony Gonçalves to register concerns.

“The cross-border impacts of this proposal cannot be ignored,” Marconi wrote. “The introduction of frequent helicopter operations in this location would have a direct and lasting negative effect on the health, safety, and welfare of Ridgefield residents.”

For his part, Sirignano provided the ZBA with letters of support for the permit from four neighboring families. One was written by Martha Kelley and Gabe Rotman, who live at 35 Woodway Road, South Salem.

“In addition to the fact that there has never been a disturbance on our street, our perspective is that the community will stand to benefit greatly from having access to emergency medical services that can land a helicopter nearby — given the fact that the closest emergency room is about 35 minutes away in Danbury,” Kelley and Rotman wrote. 

A recent test flight was conducted on the Handler’s property. ZBA member Thomas Fischetti said, “I find it hard to believe that it was 100 decibels.” 

Lewisboro resident Tom Christopher, who signed one of the petitions, expressed several concerns about the heliport.

“This is a private neighborhood” and not suitable for a heliport, he said. The noise from the helicopter used by the Handler family is “deafening,” he added. 

Christopher’s wife, Dawn, said the ZBA has the power to deny the permit.

Another resident, Spencer Weneck, said the heliport is a threat to drinking water because of the property’s close proximity to Boway Creek, a headwater of the Cross River Reservoir. The ZBA should not rule on the permit request until the New York City Department of Environmental Protection is given the chance to evaluate the water supply risk.  

The board voted unanimously to continue the public hearing at its next meeting, Wednesday, April 22.

Ms. Handler is president of the board of the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem.