Casino withdraws plans for helicopter pad

Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2002 | 11:10 a.m.

The company that wanted to build a helicopter landing pad in the parking lot of the Castaways hotel-casino has withdrawn the proposal.

The request had been on the agenda for today's Las Vegas City Council meeting. The matter can be resubmitted to the council at another time.

Two weeks ago, the applicant, Silver State Helicopters, had requested postponement of the council consideration. That was to give the company time to meet with residents who opposed the landing pad because of the potential for excessive noise that would be a detriment to the quality of life in the surrounding neighborhoods.

Silver State and the Castaways wanted the landing pad for the Boulder Highway resort located two miles east of downtown Las Vegas to launch tours of the Strip and perhaps the Grand Canyon.

The request for the landing pad was unanimously rejected by the Las Vegas Planning Commission on Oct. 24, and city staff said they had several concerns about the safety of the site. Commission Chairman Craig Galati said the site is not an appropriate base for helicopter tours because it is too close to residential areas.