No Helicopter Tours Near Homes On North Beach

Noise Pollution - A helicopter taking off and landing many times per day, every 15 minutes, would detract from the tranquil atmosphere of our neighborhood. Peace and quiet is the primary reason we bought property here and enjoy living on North Beach. Our community of retired people and professionals, many who work on the computer from home, stands to suffer greatly from the disruption caused by a helicopter taking off and landing and making continuous flights to and from the beach. Small rental cottages and a trailer park are located only 300 feet from the proposed landing site. Many of the tenants living in that area work at night and sleep during the day. Helicopter noise would place a burden on that part of our community, which includes residents that fall in a lower socio-economic bracket.

Public Safety - The proposed helicopter landing location at the old Stripes store on the Hwy 181 northbound frontage road is within the footprint of an expansive, multi-year detour imposed by the State of Texas to build the new Harbor Bridge. This $1 billion construction project will continue to be under construction until at least the summer of 2025. The Hwy 181 frontage road, located less than 50 feet from where the helicopter proposes to take off and land, is already constricted in width due to that construction. Many vehicular accidents already occur on the main lanes of the highway between the Burleson and Beach Ave exits, as the "S-Turns" cause motorists to lose control and crash. Adding a helicopter landing and taking off next to that would increase the threat to public safety that already exists in that stretch of highway.

Development Plan - The North Beach Area Development Plan was approved by the Corpus Christi City Council in 2011. Since members of our community participated in that planning process, the plan reflects our vision for our neighborhood. Under "Development Goals" the plan intentionally targets "the southern half of North Beach as a location for 'high impact' destinations with the north half of North Beach as a destination for 'low impact' destinations." The proposed helicopter location on the north half is therefore in the "low impact" area. A better location for a noisy activity like helicopter rides would be on the south half of the beach, between Burleson and the Aquarium, in the high-impact area. View the 2011 Development Plan online

Threat to Wildlife - Less than 500 feet from where the helicopter is proposing to take off and land is the Rincon Canal wetlands. A birdwatching area was erected nearby at Beach Ave by the Texas State Aquarium because a wide variety of migrating and local shorebirds can be commonly seen foraging in the shallow marsh and mangroves. Many of these birds nest at the nearby Nueces Bay Rookery Island, which makes the Rincon wetlands and the Timon wetlands near the North Beach Eco Park the closest feeding grounds to that rookery. To ensure the survival of the next generation of shorebirds, it's important that the parent bird be able to fly to a close location to feed, then get back to the nest as soon as possible. If the North Beach feeding grounds are disrupted by helicopter flights, that could have negative repercussions on the success of those federally protected shorebirds.

For all the reasons listed above, we oppose any permits and/or tax incentives for a helicopter company on the north half of North Beach. The use of TIRZ incentive funding for such a venture is unjustifiable when there are many more pressing needs within our community that warrant investment of public dollars. TIRZ funds come from a percentage of the property taxes we pay here on North Beach, therefore the voice of the taxpayers should be considered when deciding how that money is allocated.

In closing, we urge officials to not allow any helicopter take offs and landings on the north half of North Beach. We believe that preserving the unique charm and tranquility of our neighborhood for humans and wildlife should be top priority and that any funding spent here should go to projects that benefit the public as a whole.