Plans to build a commercial helipad in Boston are being revived with the ongoing relocation of General Electric’s headquarters to the city over the next couple of years. In fact, the Boston city council is holding a hearing tonight to discuss the issue.
City and state leaders offered to help build a helipad as part of the incentives to lure GE from its longtime headquarters in Fairfield, Connecticut, earlier this year. The Massachusetts Legislature is also considering the helipad issue.
Boston’s last two public helipads closed in 1999 to make way for other developments, namely the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Plans to construct a new one fizzled in 2008 amid strong local opposition. At the time, the council said, “Establishing a helipad would likely lead to an influx of helicopters to the area, which would impact noise, air pollution and safety concerns in our neighborhoods.”
However, according to the council’s order in June for a public hearing, “State and local officials have begun actively identifying potential locations to place the helipad without public input.” Attendees at the hearing are expected to include representatives from the state’s departments of economic development and transportation.