A local developer last week submitted a conditional use permit application to build three helipads at 10 Mile Haines Highway.
The Haines Borough Planning Commission will consider John Floreske’s permit application at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11.
Floreske’s application shows plans for three 59-foot helipads 250 feet apart, each connected to an existing 1,100-foot gravel roadway by a 39-foot-long ramp. The helipads would be sited on the east side of the highway, several hundred feet from the roadway.
Floreske received an Army Corps of Engineers permit in March to fill 1,400 cubic yards of wetlands as part of the project.
In his conditional use permit application, Floreske said he had letters of support for the project. However, they were not included in the application.
Planning and zoning technician Tracy Cui said Floreske informed her he will either submit them later this week or at the beginning of next week.
Under borough code, eight criteria must be met before a conditional use permit is granted, including that “the use is so located on the site as to avoid undue noise,” “that the value of the adjoining property will not be significantly impaired” and that “the use is consistent and in harmony with the comprehensive plan and surrounding land uses.”
Floreske’s application states the project has been designed to meet FAA recommended rules and standards.
Cui met with Floreske last week to review the application in what Floreske referred to as a “pre-application conference” to explain the process.
Floreske does not state in the application what he intends to use the helipads for, nor has he commented publicly on his plans.
The project’s Army Corps of Engineers permit comes with several conditions, including mandatory erosion control measures and restrictions on the condition of the fill to be used.