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Haire Seeks Home Helipad

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By STEPHEN HAMMILL, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 17, 2007

ODESSA - Auto Dealer Ernie Haire is seeking permission to build a helicopter pad on his Keystone Lake property.

He will make his case for a special-use permit to the county's Land Use Hearing Officer on Nov. 16. The public hearing will take place at the Board of County Commissioners meeting room, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd.

The hearing was scheduled for Friday but was moved back at Haire's request after staff members of the county's Planning and Growth Department said it was unlikely the helipad proposal would be approved at this time.

The 5-acre property at 17909 Crawley Road sits in a relatively rural section of the county. A number of Haire's neighbors are up in arms.

'The very concept of such a visually loud, obnoxious and invasive use of our community is unacceptable,' Crawley Road resident Mark Eberbach wrote in a letter to the Planning and Growth Department.

In her letter to the county, Crawley Road resident Shirley Perez wrote, 'He should try landing his helicopter closer to his home in Avila. It should be more convenient for him. I'm sure his neighbors there would appreciate it.'

Haire also owns a home at 16225 Villarreal de Avila in central Tampa.

William and Virginia Klein have lived in Keystone for 34 years. In their letter to the county, they wrote, 'We feel helicopters are completely unsuitable for the lake environment because of the noise pollution.'

The Kleins live five houses down from Haire's property. They cited various bird species living in their woods as another reason why the helipad should not be built.

James Swain, president of the Lake Keystone Property Owners Association, said the Tampa Port Authority should decide on the permit.

'Generally speaking, they do have jurisdiction over activities on Lake Keystone,' said Tom Hiznay, senior planner with the county, 'but in this case the site plans submitted aren't specific enough for them to know.'

Hiznay said it is possible that if a special-use permit is granted to Haire, the Port Authority could step in with further requirements or demands.

The decision of the Land Use Hearing Officer will be filed with the clerk of the county commission within 15 days of the hearing. The permit number is SU 07-1748.

For information, call the Planning and Growth Department at (813) 276-2058.

Reporter Stephen Hammill can be reached at (813) 865-1523 or at shammill@tampatrib.com.

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