SEAL BEACH : Petitioners Want Helipad Removed

Tired of helicopter noise, Leisure World residents this week presented petitions to local, state and federal officials calling for Rockwell International to move its helicopter landing pad.

More than 600 people signed the petition that asks Rockwell to relocate the helipad so it will not face apartments for seniors along Westminster Avenue.

The apartments were built in 1963 and a permit was issued for the helipad in 1967, when officials estimated there would be about four flights daily. But as the Rockwell facility has grown over the years, the flight level has increased to about 10 daily, company officials estimate.

Leisure World residents say helicopter noise levels exceed city standards. Tom Lyon, a Leisure World leader, said the helicopter noise level has reached almost 80 decibels. City noise standards call for 55 decibels, with higher levels acceptable depending on their duration, said city Planning Director Lee Whittenberg.

Rockwell has also surveyed helicopter noise, and preliminary findings show that the helipad does not exceed the city’s noise limits, Rockwell spokeswoman B.J. Snyder said.

The company has considered moving the helipad to the other side of the facility, but noise there would affect existing homes and a proposed housing development, Snyder said. The Mola Development Corp. has been seeking approval to build 335 houses on the Hellman Ranch property that would border the Rockwell property.

The city will not take action on the petitions until Rockwell’s helicopter noise reports are received and studied, Whittenberg said.

The Leisure World residents also petitioned the state Coastal Commission and the Federal Aviation Administration, saying the agencies circumvented state environmental regulations by not requiring an environmental study or holding a public hearing before approving the helipad.