Revere panel delays chopper permit choice

REVERE – Ward 5 City Councilor John Powers urged his fellow councilors to vote down a special permit for Now City Tours to operate a helicopter tour company at 777 North Shore Road.”People do not want this,” Powers said. “If I had it my way, this wouldn’t happen.”However, the divided city council couldn’t make a decision and decided to instead vote for a 30-day extension to further debate the subject. The extension was voted 6 to 5 in favor of it.Steve Williams, manager of North Shore Road LLC and partner with Now City Tours, is seeking a special permit to operate a helicopter tour company that offers customers aerial views of Revere Beach and Boston.Attorney Lawrence Simeone said the company was FAA-regulated and would be taking off and landing in the direction of the marsh and would not be flying over any houses.Neighbors expressed concerns about the helicopters.”We talk about billboards and this and that about the quality of life,” resident John Arrigo said. “This is a quality of life issue. You can hear the noise when they take off and land.”However, others refuted the noise compliant.”There are helicopters from all over flying over Revere,” Ward 6 Councilor Charles Patch said. “After a while you hear them and don’t pay very much attention to it.”Councilor at large Brian Arrigo disagreed.”It is a quality of life issue. It is not the right sight. The location is not suitable,” the councilor said.Councilor at large Anthony Zambuto believed granting the special permit was best for the city.”I have a saying and it’s sometimes the good is the enemy of the best,” Zambuto said. “The good for a few neighbors would not be the best for the city as a whole.”A majority of the tours happen during the weekend between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., according to Matther Nowosiadly, who works for Now City Tours.”We are trying to be active, positive members in the community,” Nowosiadly said.While a majority of neighbors did not approve of the special permit, there was a petition presented from about 60 neighbors who were in favor of it.The council now has 30 days to make a decision on the matter.Sara Brown can be reached at [email protected].