[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Trustees
of the Village of Port Jefferson 5-14-1975 by L.L. No. 4-1975 (Ch. 43A of the 1970
Code); amended in its entirety 12-13-2021 by L.L. No. 17-2021. Subsequent amendments
noted where applicable.]
This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Heliport
Local Law of the Village of Port Jefferson."
The purpose of this chapter shall be to provide rules, regulations
and standards to guide the operation and location of heliports within
the Village of Port Jefferson in order to promote public health, safety,
convenience and general welfare of the municipality. It shall be administered
to ensure the orderly growth and development and the conservation,
protection and proper use of land and adequate provision for circulation
of traffic utilities and services.
The provisions of this chapter shall be enforced by the Building
Inspector, Zoning Officer and any other official of the Village of
Port Jefferson charged with the enforcement of Village of Port Jefferson
local laws.
For the purpose of this chapter, the terms used herein are defined
as follows:
An area of land, water, or a structure used or intended for
the landing and takeoff of helicopters, together with appurtenant
buildings and facilities, and used solely for that purpose. Such area
shall be used as a special use facility and not for public transportation.
Such area may not include any refueling, maintenance, repair or hangar
facilities, except that a tie-down may be provided for and limited
to a single aircraft.
An operating authorization must be obtained from the Building
Inspector before any of the facilities governed by this chapter may
be occupied or operated. Such authorization may only be issued after
all of the requirements of all applicable local laws, statutes or
regulations and conditions imposed by the municipal approving agency
have been complied with.
A.
The heliport application shall be made to the Village of Port Jefferson
Planning Board for a conditional use as part of a site development
plan or site plan amendment.
A.
The Planning Board shall set a public hearing, which hearing may
be conducted as part of a regular Planning Board meeting.
B.
The Planning Board may impose such reasonable conditions upon the
issuance of an operating authorization as it may deem necessary to
protect the public health, safety, welfare and general interest. Specifically,
but not be way of limitation, the Planning Board may impose conditions
calculated to provide:
(1)
Adequate off-street parking facilities.
(2)
Adequate open areas and yard on the site.
(3)
Adequate and attractive fences and other safety devices, where required,
and sufficient landscaping, including shrubs, trees and lawn, which
will be periodically maintained.
(4)
The posting of suitable maintenance bonds with the municipality to
assure the proper and continued maintenance.
(5)
Approval of the proposed flight pattern by the Federal Aviation Administration
and the New York State Department of Transportation.
(6)
Hours of operation. The Board of Trustees may prescribe the hours
of operation of any heliport for which authorization is granted pursuant
to this chapter.
C.
The Planning Board may require the submission of building plans and
specifications and such other information as it may deem necessary
for a full consideration of the application.
The following are general requirements for heliports in the
Village of Port Jefferson:
A.
The application must describe the type and characteristics of the
largest helicopter the landing area will accommodate, including overall
length, rotor diameter, maximum gross weight, and the proposed frequency
of operations.
B.
The site plan shall be drawn to a scale of not more than one inch
equals 200 feet and must show the terrain elevation for a least 800
feet in the direction of the flight path(s) from the center limits
of the landing area of the proposed helistop. It must also locate
any obstructions in all directions within such 800 feet, their height
and the approach-departure path corridors.
C.
The site plan shall also show the relationship of the helistop to
property lines, streets and zoning boundary lines. Any access drives,
off-street parking or landscape areas shall also be shown.
D.
The helistop landing and takeoff area shall meet the minimum dimensional
criteria for the Touchdown and Liftoff Area (TLOF), Final Approach
and Takeoff Area (FATO), and Safety Area as defined in the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) Advisory Circular 150/5390-2C.
E.
For ground-level heliports, the TLOF surface shall be either paved
with a bituminous or concrete surface or aggregate turf as approved
by the Planning Board and FAA.
F.
Every ground level helistop shall erect a safety barrier around the
helistop operational areas in the form of a permanent-type fencing
or a wall, as may be determined by the Planning Board, and protected
to prevent entrance of unauthorized personnel, with a minimum fence
height of three feet. Construct the fence no closer to the operation
area than the outer perimeter of the safety area. Make sure the barrier
does not penetrate any approach/departure (primary or transitional)
surface. All safety considerations for the helistop shall meet FAA
AC 150/5390-2C.
G.
Suitable landscaping for the helistop, based on its relation to street
frontages, residence districts and surrounding buildings or uses,
may be required by the Planning Board.
H.
If a TLOF has limited weight-carrying capability, mark it with the
maximum takeoff weight of the design helicopter, in units of thousands
of pounds, as shown in FAA AC 150/5390-2C.
A.
There will be two 100-pound dry chemical extinguishers or other suitable
types mounted on carts with pneumatic tires approved for this use
by the Port Jefferson Village Fire Inspector, a two-and-one-half-inch
standpipe preconnect connection and a pull-type alarm box direct to
the Port Jefferson Firehouse as prescribed by the Village Fire Inspector.
B.
All fire protection equipment is to be located within the secured
area near each access gate/door but below the level of the TLOF.
