Revere council approves permit for choppers

REVERE – The Revere City Council decided in favor of the controversial special permit for Now City Tours to operate a helicopter tour company at 777 North Shore Road by an 8-3 vote Monday night.Councilors at large Brian Arrigo, Jessica Giannino and Ward 5 councilor John Powers voted against the special permit while the rest of the council voted in favor of it.When the vote for the special permit came up last month, the council decided to delay the decision a month to see if they could reach some kind of agreement.Some were surprised that they were speaking and voting on the matter Monday night.”I wish I had known we were speaking about this tonight,” Powers said at the zoning subcommittee. “There would have been at least 40 or 50 people here from Ward 5 to show their disapproval.”Ward 4 councilor Stephen Reardon thought plenty of time had passed and that the council had to finally make a decision.”We did have a very thorough meeting with residents last month,” Reardon said. “I also got a petition with 60 or so signatures saying they were in approval of the special permit. It’s a tough call.”The council did, however, suggest changes to the request, to which Steve Williams, manager of North Shore Road LLC and partner with Now City Tours, agreed.Now City Tours will now operate from 8 a.m. up until a half-hour after sunset.However, the compromise didn’t soothe Powers’ worries over the special permit. Powers expressed concern for Ward 5 residents, who already must deal with trains and planes going through their area.”How much is enough?” Powers asked. “I think it is very clear that they don’t want it.”Now City Tours is 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.Powers, the ward councilor where the company is located, urged the council to vote with him – a request that fell on deaf ears.After the vote, Powers thanked Arrigo and Giannino for their support.”Thank you to Councilors Arrigo and Giannino for standing up for the residents of Ward 5,” he said.The statement upset some councilors.”This is not just a Ward 5 issue, it is a citywide issue,” Ward 1 and council president Richard Penta said.Sara Brown can be reached at [email protected].