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Council previews ordinance to allow limited, permitted helicopter landings for commercial air tours
Summary
Staff presented a preview ordinance to permit single‑day commercial helicopter landings on private property with a special‑use permit (300‑foot buffer, hours limited to 10 a.m.–6 p.m., six permits per half‑year) to streamline approvals for operators while requiring property‑owner consent and local notice.
The council previewed an ordinance that would amend the municipal code to permit limited commercial helicopter landings on private property in Broken Arrow under a new special‑use permit process. Trevor (speaker 14) described the draft provision as a narrowly tailored mechanism that allows a property owner to apply for a one‑day permit for an authorized landing with public notice to adjacent property owners within 300 feet and time‑of‑day restrictions from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Pilot/operator John Doyle (speaker 29) told council the change would help organizers conducting community events—he described an example of an operator dropping Easter eggs for a church celebration and needing an on‑site refill station instead of returning to Tulsa between flights. Staff emphasized the permit would be administered by the city clerk's designee to streamline review rather than requiring council hearings for each request and that the FAA requires written property‑owner permission to land in any case.
Council set the preview ordinance for adoption consideration at a later meeting, with staff noting the proposal includes limits on frequency, buffer requirements and a cap on permits to reduce neighborhood impacts.
