Planning commission recommends denial of private helistop permit after residents raise noise, safety and quality-of-life concerns

The Flower Mound Planning and Zoning Commission on an advisory vote recommended denial of a special-use permit to allow a private helistop on a 7.74-acre lot in the Hillside development near Cross Timbers and Bell Drive.

Town planning staff told commissioners the proposed touchdown area is a 36-by-36-foot pad located about 125 feet south of Cross Timbers and roughly 200 feet northwest of the first developed single-family lot in Hillside. The staff report said residential noise limits in the town code are 52 A-weighted decibels between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. and 62 decibels between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., and that the town treats exceedances of roughly 20 decibels above those limits as a violation. Staff cited a study for a Bell 407-like helicopter showing roughly 97.2 decibels at 100 feet and about 80.2 decibels at 400 feet, and concluded the aircraft would likely exceed local noise thresholds while running on the pad.

Why this matters: The commission’s recommendation now goes to the Town Council for final action. Neighbors said approval would set a precedent for similar permits near housing, while the applicant said the helistop would be used infrequently for short pick-ups and drop-offs and would not house fuel or maintenance equipment on site.

Staff presentation and permit conditions

Planning staff described the permit as a request for a ‘‘helistop’’ defined in town materials as a landing pad for occasional rotary-wing use not exceeding a gross weight of 6,000 pounds. Staff recited proposed…