FLORHAM PARK — The New
York Jets withdrew their application for a helipad at their Florham Park
training facility Wednesday amid neighbors' opposition to the project.
Florham
Park Planning Board Secretary Marlene Rawson said she received a letter
from the N.Y. Jets attorney Wednesday withdrawing the application. The
letter did not indicate a reason for the withdrawal, Rawson said.
The
application was originally scheduled for a May hearing, but the matter
kept being adjourned, she said. It was next scheduled to be heard at the
July 22 meeting, she said.
Madison Mayor Bob Conley said he
hadn't spoken with residents yet, but he's sure the news "is going to
make many residents happy."
"I'm sure their feeling very good about it on the western side of Madison," Conley said.
After the application was filed in May, Florham Park and Madison residents objected to the project with hundreds signing an online petition against it.
Pat
Rowe, a Republican council candidate who lives in the Madison
neighborhood adjacent to the property, started the petition because he
and other residents were concerned about noise pollution from low-flying
helicopters, the possibility of an accident occurring or the use of
local athletic fields for emergency landing zones.
"I'm also
concerned that with the Jets being one of the two host teams for the
upcoming Super Bowl at the Meadowlands, we could see a much larger
volume of traffic to the site this winter, regardless of how the
helipad's use is being positioned," Rowe has said.
Nearly 480
residents signed the petition, citing concerns ranging from increase air
traffic, noise pollution and disruption to the neighborhood.
"This
is a ridiculous request," David Arthur said in his petition statement.
"Anyone arriving at the proposed helipad will still need to use a car to
get to the facility. Morristown airport is there for a reason. No need
to satisfy four or five people with something this stupid."
The
driving distance from Morristown Municipal Airport in Hanover to the
N.Y. Jets facility is approximately 2.8 miles, according to Google Maps.
Even
though the application has been withdrawn, it's still possible for
Florham Park Helipad LLC to try to seek approval in the future. Since
the planning board never ruled on the application, it was withdrawn
without prejudice, Rawson said.
Florham Park Helipad LLC was
formed in October 2012 and lists its agent as Richard Goldman of Drinker
Biddle and Reath LLP. Goldman has not yet returned a phone call
requesting comment.
The N.Y. Jets declined comment through a team spokesman.
Story: http://www.nj.com
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment