Riverside Airport Panel Grounds Neighborhood Helipad Plan

CORONA

A plan to construct a helipad in an upscale Corona neighborhood near the Cleveland National Forest has been shelved for now.

The Riverside County Airport Land Use Commission on Thursday voted unanimously to indefinitely continue its review of the project amid some concerns raised about noise studies related to the residential helipad.

The commission said residents would get notice if and when the public hearing is resumed.

Corona resident Ron Ben-Itzhak has submitted a conditional-use permit application to the city to build the helipad on a 4.8-acre lot next to his Hidden Springs Drive home.

That conditional-use permit process triggered a review by the Airport Land Use Commission, a body that looks at development projects near airports and makes recommendations to cities.

Neither Ben-Itzhak nor his representatives attended the hearing, but John Guerin, the commission's staff planner, said the applicant requested the continuance in order to look at the best way to move forward.

Guerin said the postponement was due to several concerns raised about two noise studies the applicant did regarding the project.

There was no determination of existing noise levels to compare to post-helipad levels, information related to wind was missing and a different helicopter was used in an acoustical study, Guerin said.

Residents and developers opposed to the project made their objections known and asked to be notified of future hearings.

Ed Mitchell, a Hidden Springs resident and pilot, asked the commission to look into the safety of the Robinson R44 helicopter, the kind Ben-Itzhak flies. He has submitted his own research to the commission.

It has been a long permit process for Ben-Itzhak, who first went to the city's Project and Environmental Review Committee in October 2005.

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