Town airs proposed takeoff/landing ban of helicopters, sea planes and amphibious aircraft

A proposed code amendment that would ban helicopters, sea planes and amphibious aircraft from taking off or landing anywhere in the Town of Riverhead drew support from the chairman of town’s helicopter noise task force and a Jamesport resident at a town board hearing Wednesday night.

The proposed ban would not apply to any “town-owned airfields” or to emergency medical, police or military aircraft or to operations involving public health or safety. It also would not apply to the use of aircraft as an accessory use to agricultural production.

The language of the draft as currently written would seem not to exempt operators within the Calverton Enterprise Park from the ban after the site and its runways are no longer owned by the town. The town is in contract to sell most of its remaining vacant land and the park’s two runways to Calverton Aviation and Technology. If the code is adopted in its current form, it’s not clear what impact it would have on the developer’s plans for the site, which could include research and development of aircraft that would come within the language of the ban and would use the site for takeoff and landings.

The proposed code would exempt operators “with prior valid approvals.”

The revision to section 301-233 of the Riverhead Town Code would establish a fine of $1,000 for the first offense and $2,000 for each subsequent offense.

John Cullen of Northville, chairman of the town’s helicopter noise task force, which suggested the code change to the town board, spoke in support of its adoption.

“We’ve taken enough noise already,” Cullen said.

Robert Skinner of Jamesport questioned whether the town has jurisdiction over the waterways surrounding the town’s land mass. Town attorney Robert Kozakiewicz said the town’s jurisdiction extends off its shores into the waterways, on the surface only.

“I look at this as being almost visionary legislation,” Robert Skinner of Jamesport said. He said it was “forward-thinking” and “a preemptive strike” for what may happen in the future.

“Nobody in the past ever thought the helicopter situation would get to what it is,” Skinner said. “Nobody thought that Sound Avenue would get to what it is. Nobody thought the twisting of the term ‘agritainment’ would go from a large farm stand to basically an amusement park,” he said.

“It’s not a stretch to think that somebody’s going to want to put in condos or a hotel and have a floating helipad,” Skinner said. “Or that something like that would have access by sea plane to pull up to the property.”

Skinner said he thought the fines were not high enough and would be worked into the air transportation companies’ cost of doing business. But, he said, “I think this gives us a working template to try to reign this in.”

No one spoke in opposition to the proposal.

“I want to thank the helicopter task force for bringing this to us and also the code committee to help draft it,” Councilwoman Catherine Kent said.

The public hearing record was left open until Oct. 25 for written comment.