Niagara Falls Planning Board Gives Approval to Plans for Heliport and Tourism Center

Apr. 29—NIAGARA FALLS — A longtime staple of the tourist season has received approval to break ground on a new heliport and tourism center.

The Niagara Falls Planning Board has unanimously approved a rezoning recommendation and a site plan that will allow Rainbow Air to move its operations to a property adjacent to the former Carborundum Center on Buffalo Avenue. In addition to constructing two new helipads, the company will also expand its operations by building a 30,000-square-foot tourism center.

"It's a $10 million project without one dime of public money," Rainbow's Director of Operations Paul Faltyn said. "We're looking to be a year-round destination."

The architect overseeing the project told Planning Board members that they "hope to start construction this summer on the heliport facility." Faltyn said the company is hopeful that it could begin operations at the new site by 2024.

Rainbow Air, which was established in 1995, had previously operated its tours from a landing pad near the Niagara River gorge. The tour company said that location required an inconvenient take-off procedure and was the source of constant noise complaints from some South End residents and businesses. That location has now been abandoned and the company will operate during the 2023 tourist season from a base at the Niagara Falls International Airport, near the Niagara Aerospace Museum.

Another helicopter tour operator is seeking approval to takeover the former Rainbow Air site. That request to the Falls City Council was tabled this week to allow for a further review by members.

The proposed project, dubbed the Rainbow Air Tourism Center, will be accessed off of Acheson Drive from Buffalo Avenue. It will include room for three helicopters and two helipads, an outdoor dining/gathering area and parking for both cars and buses.

The tour company said they are aggressively marketing the project to tour operators around the world.

The single-story indoor facility would contain a maintenance hangar, an aviation heritage center that will present Niagara Falls' role in the history of flight, and a retail sales area with convenience food and drink items. The facility will also have an entertainment center with 15 custom designed 3-D flight simulators that will allow visitors to have the experience of flying over the Falls.

The project architect told the Planning Board that the new location was chosen to allow the company's helicopters "a quick departure to the south, over the Niagara River" which will allow the aircraft to "climb to altitude quickly and minimize noise." The flight path of the helicopters in and around the Falls is tightly controlled by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and Air Transport Canada.

Rainbow Air officials said they have conducted studies that show that the noise from departing helicopters at the new site is no greater than the noise of trucks operating on Buffalo Avenue.

"We sought to minimize noise downtown by moving here," the project architect told the board.

"We wanted to bring entertainment to the area and we have heard for years that the noise downtown was bothersome."

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