The Haines Borough Assembly Tuesday night reversed the planning commission’s decision to grant a conditional use permit (CUP) for a Chilkat River Adventures heliport at 24 Mile Haines Highway. The assembly voted 5-1 with Debra Schnabel, Ben Aultman-Moore, Cheryl Stickler, Gabe Thomas, and Tyler Huling in favor and Jerry Lapp in opposition to reversing the decision. The assembly reconsidered the approval of Chilkat River Adventures co-owner […]
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Assembly to reconsider 24-Mile heliport CUP
Following consideration of five appeals, the Haines Borough Assembly stepped back from a planning commission decision last week to authorize a new heliport at 24 Mile Haines Highway. The assembly voted 4-2 to rehear River Adventures’ conditional use permit (CUP) application for the heliport, which had been approved for one year’s heliski season. Ben Aultman-Moore, Gabe Thomas, Debra Schnabel and Tyler Huling supported the […]
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Planning commission okays 24 Mile heliport
By Madeline Perreard The planning commission last week voted 3-2 to approve a heliport at 24 Miles Haines Highway–a decision that sparked opposition from dozens of residents and motivated some residents and elected officials to reconsider whether commission members ought to be elected, and what constitutes a quorum. On Dec. 8 the commission approved the borough manager’s […]
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Heliport was scripted in advance
Long evenings and project procrastination found me in the cheap seats at the planning commission meeting Thursday. First up, a heliport permit application needing to satisfy 8 code criteria. Confusingly, the pitch came not from the applicant, but rather the borough manager, whose electronic apparition appeared regularly coaching the commissioners via zoom or texts relayed by the […]
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Hearing delayed for proposed heliport
A public hearing over a proposed heliport at 24 Mile Haines Highway was postponed last week for the second time in two months. The hearing — now scheduled for Dec. 8 — concerns a conditional use permit for a new heliport that would be used for Alaska Mountain Guides’ heliskiing operations. It would be built on Chilkat River Adventures’ property on […]
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Hearing delayed for proposed heliport
A public hearing over a proposed heliport at 24 Mile Haines Highway was postponed last week for the second time in two months. The hearing — now scheduled for Dec. 8 — concerns a conditional use permit for a new heliport that would be used for Alaska Mountain Guides’ heliskiing operations. It would be built on Chilkat River Adventures’ property on […]
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Tour operator proposes heliport at 24 Mile
The borough’s largest tour operator has proposed building a helicopter port at 24 Mile Haines Highway to expand heliskiing operations and improve access to the mountains in case of ski-related emergencies. But the proposal — by Sean Gaffney’s company Chilkat River Adventures — has raised concerns from some upper valley residents wary of noise and the potential effects of […]
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Planning commission approves Constantine heliport permits
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 […]
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Commission to decide on considering heliport permit
The Haines Borough Planning Commission will need to decide whether or not they should consider a conditional use permit (CUP) application for a heliport near 26 Mile Haines Highway at its Nov. 14 meeting based on a legal doctrine cited by opponents of the proposed heliport. Scott Sundberg, owner of Big Salmon Ventures, has four times in the last 10 […]
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Heliport re-application in the works
Borough planning commissioners Thursday delayed voting on a tour operator’s eight-year push for a permit to construct a commercial heliport near 26 Mile Haines Highway, opting to first consult with the borough attorney. The application, brought forward by Big Salmon Ventures co-owner Scott Sundberg, has been repeatedly denied by both the planning commission and borough assembly since […]