On Thursday, Feb. 13 the Haines Borough Planning Commission approved conditional use permits for two Constantine mine heliports that are currently in operation.
“The heliports are already constructed and in use. We are looking for permission to operate them as they are,” Liz Cornejo, Constantine’s Vice President of Community and External Affairs, said. Cornejo explained that the mine had been operating the two heliports under discussion since 2013 and 2016, respectively.
Cornejo said the mine had been aware of the need for conditional use permits at the time of heliport construction and had asked the borough if they needed to apply for one. She said the company had been advised that they did not need one for either heliport.
While heliports require a conditional use permit in order to operate in the borough’s general use zone, resource extraction is a “use-by-right.” The mine should not need conditional use permits to operate heliports because helicopters are integral to the mine’s resource extraction activities, Cornejo said.
However, current borough manager Debra Schnabel determined that a conditional use permit was necessary in order for Constantine to operate the heliports. Schnabel cited borough code restricting heliports in the general use zone in a memo submitted to the planning commission.
Lynn Canal Conservation executive director Jessica Plachta spoke during public testimony, thanking the borough for regulating an activity “that’s been unregulated for so many years.” Plachta said Lynn Canal Conservation objected to Constantine’s conditional use permit application on several grounds including a lack of evidence of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) approval for the mine’s Glacier Creek heliport and the fact that Constantine submitted a single application for two separate heliports. She urged committee members to impose restrictions on any conditional use permit they approved.
Cornejo responded to Plachta’s concerns. She gave evidence of BLM approval of the Glacier Creek heliport and said that the mine agreed that separate conditional use permits made sense and would pay an additional $150 for a second application.
The conditional use permits for the two heliports passed the Planning Commission unanimously without restrictions.
Other topics at the meeting included:
Adoption of a draft ordinance recommended by the Code Review Commission clarifying the definition of public notice.
The announcement of borough planner Tim O’Melia’s resignation at the end of the month. O’Melia cited a lack of experience as his reason for resigning.
Commissioner Sylvia Heinz’s announcement that she would need to either resign or request a leave of absence from the planning commission for personal reasons. Chair Diana Lapham suggested Heinz discuss the decision with the Mayor.
Date setting for two committee workshops: a maintenance of non-borough roads workshop on Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 3 p.m. and a workshop to refine criteria for heliports in the general use zone on March 19 at 6:30 p.m.