Politics & Government

Summit To Vote On Helipad Tonight

Zoning Board of Adjustment needs 5-member super majority to approve application for helipad on roof of Overlook Hospital.

The long-awaited vote on Overlook Hospital's application to build a helipad on the roof of the hospital's C-wing will take place tonight at 7:30 in council chambers at Summit's city hall.

After more than a year of testimony from expert witnesses on real estate, acoustical impacts, medical impacts and planning and zoning impacts, the Zoning Board of Adjustment members will cast their votes in the case.

Overlook Hospital officials want to build a helipad for inter-facility transfers of stroke patients who need care at the hospital. Overlook has been designated by the state as one of 11 Comprehensive Stroke Centers in the state. Nearby Morristown Memorial Hospital, which has a helicopter-landing pad, is another.

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The proposed trajectory for the helicopters goes over Springfield.

Current inter-facility transfers are flown to either Morristown Memorial or Morristown Airport and then transported the remainder of the distance via ambulance. Hospital officials have said a helipad on the roof of Overlook would save time and precious brain cells for its stroke patients.

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Tonight, attorneys in the case–Bart Sheehan representing Overlook, Michael Kates and Jay Delaey representing residents opposed to the application–will begin the night with their closing statements. There should also be a discussion about Federal Aviation Administration pre-emption over any proposed conditions the board might impose on Overlook, namely one that would give the Zoning Board the ability to recall the case if the hospital exceeds the 5 to 9 flights a month they are forecasting by more than 50 percent. However, there is a question of whether or not the Zoning Board even has the authority to do so once a helipad is built or whether the FAA retains sole authority over the pad at that point.

Then the zoning board members will deliberate and cast their votes on this application. Because the application involved a D-variance, or a use variance, the board needs a five member "super majority" to approve the application.

But for the last year, residents have raised a plethora of concerns, including the noise of the helicopter, the effect on property values and the safety risks due to a potential crash over a dense residential neighborhood in Summit.

In fact, the opposition grew so strong, many residents began sporting "No Helipad" lawn signs and assembling on weekends outside Starbucks to protest the application.

Summit Patch has been covering the battle over the proposed helipad. We've assembled a chronological overview of our coverage below. 

  • In September, PHI Inc. pilot Steven Masi testified about the proposed flight path the helicopter would take when approaching and departing Overlook. Pilot Masi continued his testimony in October. 
  • Acoustical Engineer Mary Eagen testified in November about the results of acoustical impact tests and predictions she and her firm conducted to assess whether or not the helicopter would be in violation of the city's noise ordinances. 
  • In December, the architect and civil engineer testified about the helipad. 
  • The hearings really sped up in the new year. In February, planning consultant Michael Tobia testified that in his professional opinion the helipad was an accessory use to the hospital and should be considered inherently beneficial. That conclusion would make it easier for the zoning board to grant a variance to Overlook.
  • March was a big month for the hearings when opponents of the helipad got to begin their case by calling their own expert witness on medical helicopters. Then in a second meeting that month, the board got to hear from three Morristown residents who testified about life with a helipad nearby.  The opposition also called their own professional planner to refute Tobia's claim that the helipad should be deemed an accessory use. And to cap off March, zoning board attorney Dennis Galvin revealed that two zoning board members had donated time and/or money to Overlook Hospital in the past but deemed these contributions not conflicts of interest in the case. 
  • Later that month, we wrote about the residents who were now sporting "No helipad" lawn signs and assembling outside Starbucks to protest the helipad.
  • In April, Tobia returned for questioning and the project's opponents attacked his conclusions. The attorneys also all submitted written statements that they had no objections to the two members with a history of donating to Overlook remaining on the board. Due to much debate about the actual acoustical impacts of the helipad, the Zoning Board decided to hire its own expert to review the study done by the hospital's witness. Opposition attorneys also revealed they had received a copy of Overlook's strategic plan which they say shows the hospital either didn't plan on building a helipad in 2006, when the plan was written, or deliberately covered up their plans. 
  • In April we also began our series with Hometowne Television with a behind-the-jargon edition with Joseph Steinberg, chair of the Millburn Zoning Board, who shed some light on the technical aspects of the zoning board and key terms involved with this application. Planner Peter Steck also finished his testimony. 
  • In the first of three May meetings, the opposition called their own real estate appraiser to refute the testimony of the hospital's real estate expert. We did out second installment with HTTV when Overlook President Alan Leiber and Dr. John Halperin gave some historical context to the application. Then, the zoning board's independent acoustical engineer testified. And in a meeting that went until 1 a.m., the zoning board concluded the hearing with an entire evening of public comments. We finished our partnership with HTTV with a segment with two concerned residents.


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