Helicopter use divides neighborhood in Renton

For several decades, Renton's lakefront residents have lived alongside the buzz of seaplanes and the roar of cigarette boats. Then last spring, a new sound slipped into the mix — the thwap, thwap, thwap of Charlie Conner bringing his helicopter home.

Conner, president of Conner Homes, has been landing his Hughes 500 in his backyard and parking it in his garage. Much to the delight of many of his neighbors. And much to the dismay of others.

Standing before the City Council last week, Conner said he couldn't understand what all the fuss was about.

"Two minutes on startup, two minutes on shutdown, and then it's gone," he said.

While Conner awaits a hearing appealing his temporary-use permit, the city staff on Monday presented its own recommendation, to allow the conditional use of helipads along the residential lakefront. The scope would be limited: At most, about seven properties have enough space to meet Federal Aviation Administration guidelines, city planners said.

But for some neighbors, even one helipad is too many. They described private helicopters as noisy nuisances that could crash in their neighborhood, symbols of nothing more than Renton's richest playing with their toys.

"There's a perfectly good airport within miles of here," said Joanie Rosling.

Supporters framed it as a property-rights issue: Why should Conner have to rent a hangar at the city airport when he's skilled enough to make a safe waterfront approach, then land without disturbing his neighbors? Besides, they said, aircraft are part of the romance of living in Renton, where the sight and sound of them bring fond associations with Boeing.

"I grew up with silence," said Sharon Smith, who was raised on a wheat farm in Eastern Washington. "Silence is overrated."

The Kennydale neighborhood, where Conner lives, has seen its fair share of growth lately: A Seattle Seahawks headquarters is under construction nearby, along with a sprawling shopping complex called The Landing.

Not to mention the 114 luxury homes Conner himself is building by the lakefront.

In a region with significant wealth and several bodies of water, the helipad issue has come up before. Seattle and Bellevue ban helicopters for personal use in residential areas. Mercer Island doesn't allow private aircraft to land on the island; Paul Allen lands his helicopter on a helipad in Lake Washington, then ferries it to the shore.

Renton officials said they knew of one private helipad in residential Redmond, where conditional-use permits are required, and another in residential Hunts Point, where they are not.

Conner said he kept a helicopter at his previous home on Lake Sammamish, in unincorporated King County, for 14 years without complaint from neighbors. He takes about 40 trips a year, he said, mostly during weekdays for business.

Last spring, when he moved to Kennydale, Conner's new neighbors seemed fine with the helicopter; he presented the City Council last week with more than 40 signatures of support.

One name was conspicuously absent.

"You see before you the lone voice in the wilderness," said Pegi Galster, who lives two houses away.

Galster said she first heard the helicopter last summer. It roared right by her bedroom window. On a Sunday morning, at 7 a.m.

Conner called it a case of mistaken identity; neighbors said plenty of traffic helicopters hover in the area, which is near Interstate 405.

But Galster raised her concerns with city officials, who required Conner to apply for a temporary-use permit while they studied the issue. Renton's current regulations do not address helipads in residential areas, which means they are not allowed.

After the city granted Conner the temporary-use permit, Galster and another resident appealed it, along with an environmental review that concluded the city's proposal would not significantly affect the environment.

Both of those matters go to a hearing examiner in May. The city will then send its proposal through the City Council hearing process for a vote.

City staff members said last week they believed placing conditions on the use of private helicopters would avert any damage to Kennydale's quality of life; in addition to its views and access to the waterfront, the neighborhood is already known for its noise. It sits below an air-traffic corridor, next to a major highway.

And that's precisely why the city should not allow more noise-making machines to come in, some residents said.

"The question is, how far do we want to go with this?" said Brian Shive. "When I get home, I like to have some peace and quiet."

But one person's noise is another person's peace and quiet. One woman described the sound of the helicopter as a "nice purr," while others said the sight of its blades was exciting entertainment, something they would sit on porches, and lean out windows, to see.

Cara Solomon: 206-464-2024 or csolomon@seattletimes.com