Town bans airports, enacts helipad regulations

By THANE GRAUEL

It’s been more than a century since airports began popping up on farms and fields around the U.S. 

On Monday, the town of Lewisboro decided it was time to put some rules in place.

The Town Board unanimously passed zoning amendments that prohibit airports within town limits and regulates potential private helipads.

The update to zoning regulations was forwarded from the Planning Board. The Town Board held a public hearing on the amendment June 14 and passed it the same night.

Helipads would be for use by helicopters and “electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles,” or eVTOLs, typically single-person aircraft.

The amendment reads, “The Town finds that, due to the proximity of the Westchester County Airport and the Danbury Airport, the landing of aircraft in the Town is not required to serve the transportation needs of Town residents. Therefore, no landings or takeoffs of any aircraft, except as permitted in section 220-43.9 herein, and except emergency aircraft for emergency purposes, and no airfields are otherwise permitted in any zoning district.”

The helipad amendment is much longer, and spells out where they could be placed by special permit. They would be allowed in the R4A — single family — district on properties over 50 acres. They would require a setback of at least 500 feet from property boundaries.

Accepting a special permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals for a helipad “shall constitute Applicant’s grant of a license agreement allowing police, fire, emergency medical services and other emergency services to access and use the helipad for emergency medivac transfers,” the amendment reads.

The text amendment was reviewed by the Westchester County Planning Department, which called the issue “a matter for local determination.”

The Planning Board discussed the amendment at its May 25 meeting 

“The Planning Board supports the Town Board’s efforts and the enactment of regulations governing private helipads within the town,” that board wrote,” and its implementation by a two-year permit issued by the Zoning Board of Appeals.”

It continued that it agreed with the recommendation of the ZBA that the Town Board obtain guidance from an aviation consultant so the regulations “will address all flight safety property use concerns” and ensure a streamlined permitting process.

Among the Planning Board’s suggestions for the measure were that it should set minimum design standards for helipads, including dimensional lighting, surfacing and fire suppression, “should exempt the emergency use of a helipad from noise and other flight use standards.”

There should be a daily limit on the number of takeoffs and landings, the Planning Board said.  

One person spoke at the hearing. 

“I certainly don’t mind if it’s for police or emergency use, but how many people want helipads on their property?” Simone O’Connor asked. “... are we taking into consideration helicopters and how many are going to be flying around, and all that usage for the environment we all care about? I hope that we really think about this.”

Town Board member Andrea Rendo asked Police Chief David Alfano to explain the need for the changes.

“It probably needs to be clarified for the public that this isn’t a zoning code addition that’s going to say ‘helicopters welcome,’ it’s actually doing the opposite, because we have no regulation of these,” Rendo said.

Alfano said he had two reasons for suggesting the updates.

“One is that they have these one-man helicopter craft that are starting to be more affordable,” he said of electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles, or eVTOLs. “With all the drone incidents we’ve had over the last year or two in town, we still continue to have, now having one-person electrical and/or gas operated drones that last about 20 minutes or so buzzing around town with no limitation, this is one of the reasons to create some sort of limitation ...” 

Town Supervisor Tony Gonçalves asked Alfano about research into how many households might qualify for helipads.

“I believe off the top of my head there are 11, just by going through some of it with the tax assessor,” Alfano said, adding that some were horse farms that likely wouldn’t want aircraft buzzing around.

He said first responders are aware of the properties in Lewisboro where helicopters can safely land, and if one of them were to have an actual helipad the emergency services might benefit.

Alfano also mentioned that a lot of the issues raised by the Planning Board were covered by FAA guidelines.