Heliport Feasibility and Siting Study

Heliport Feasibility and Siting Study

Presented by

Kent Penney, Airport Systems Director

Aviation Department

Pre Council Meeting

May 18, 2010

Presented by

Lisa Pyles, URS

Why a Heliport in the Downtown Area?

• Door-Step to Door-Step time (point-to-point)

• Downtown Fort Worth is the Western Economic/Business Center of the DFW Metroplex

• Helicopters move high value goods, services and people

• Existing airports are too far in time from Downtown Fort Worth

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Activities To Date

• Background

– URS was selected by the Aviation Department in 2008 to do various Aviation Planning projects

– URS selected for Heliport Feasibility and Siting Study by City Council M&C C-23868, 10-20-2009

• Stakeholders Group

– 3 Meetings of the Stakeholders Group were conducted

to receive input through the Feasibility & Siting Process

• Neighborhood Groups

– 1 meeting was conducted to inform the neighborhood closest to the highest rated site (United Riverside)

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Stakeholders Group� William Boecker, President/CEO, Fine Line Diversified Development

� Johnny Campbell, Chairman of the Board, Convention & Visitors Bureau/Sundance Square

� Guy del Giudice, Chief Pilot, CareFlite

� Brian Dunaway, President, Epic Helicopters, LLC

� Jim Dunaway, President, JRD Group, Inc.

� Jim Godfrey, Board Member, Aviation Advisory Board

� Randle Harwood, TRV Project Manager, City of Fort Worth

� Alex Jimenez, Board Member, Aviation Advisory Board

� Ruseena Johnson,Capital Program Specialist, City of Fort Worth

� Randy Means, Board Member, Aviation Advisory Board

� Jay Paschke, Chief Pilot, Fort Worth Police

� Brinton Payne, Director Government Affairs and Urban Development, Chamber of Commerce-Ft Worth

� Kent Penney, Airport Systems Director, City of Fort Worth

� Doug Rademaker, Program Management, City of Fort Worth

� Jack Sosebee, Director of Transport Services, Cook Children's Medical Center

� Andy Taft, Director of Downtown Development/TIF District, Downtown Ft. Worth, Inc.

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Fort Worth Heliport Study - Outline

• What is a Heliport?– a small airport suitable only for use by helicopters; typically

contains one or more helipads and may have services such as fuel, maintenance facilities, hangars or ground transportation

• Existing Heliports

• Validation of Need

• Site Evaluation and Preferred Site

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Downtown Dallas Vertiport – 1994

•Owned by City of Dallas

•2 landing pads

•5 parking spaces

•No fuel available

•No maintenance available

•Open 7 days a week - 7:00 am to 10:00 pm

•Operations – 50 per month

Garland Heloplex – 1991

•Owned by City of Garland

•Fuel and minor maintenance available

•Attended 8:00 am to 6:00 pm Mon-Sat;

Sun 9:00am to 5:00pm

•Operations – 100 per day

Area Heliports

Validation of Need• NCTCOG Year 2000 Heliport System Plan – 1983

� Recommended 4 area locations (Downtown Dallas, Downtown Fort Worth,

North Dallas/ Addison, Las Colinas)

• Analysis of FAA Data

� 423 Helicopters registered in 8 county DFW Metroplex (2009)

� 26% of helicopter operations in Texas are in the DFW Metroplex

• URS/City of Fort Worth Survey

� 75% would use a downtown heliport

� 35% would use it more than 10 operations a month

� Types of Uses

38% Corp/Exec 19% Aerial Surveying 16% Sight-seeing

13% Air Taxi 11% Pilot Training

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Conclusion: Significant Demand Exists

• COG 1983 Study first identified need

• Population, congestion, and income levels have increased

since 1983

• Fort Worth is the 17th largest city in US and still growing

• Majority of survey respondents favor facility

• Greater percentage would use it >10 times per month

• Helicopter use viability depends on point to point travel

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Site Assessment - Evaluation Criteria

• Highest Weighting

– Navigable Airspace

– Emergency Access

– Community Overflight

• Medium Weighting

– Proximity to Business Centers

– General Land Use Compatibility

• Lowest Weighting

– Availability, suitability and Interface with Surface Transportation

– General Site Considerations

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Seven Areas Assessed

A : Forest Park

B: University Dr

C: Purina Plant

D: White

Settlement Rd

E: ITC Site

F: E35 / S121

G: Forest Park/

Rosedale

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Interference with Approach

to Runway 34 at Meacham

4 Areas Eliminated:

Area A – Forest Park

Area B – N. University Dr.

Area D – White Settlement Rd.

Area G – Forest Park and Rosedale

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Area C Area C –– Purina Plant Purina Plant –– Score 42Score 42

No Emergency Vehicle Access; Vehicle access via 1st St; RR Crossings on East and West Sides, Cell

Tower North End of the Area13

Area E Area E –– Intermodal Trans Center Intermodal Trans Center –– Score 53Score 53

Limited Auto and Emergency Vehicle Access; No Airspace Issues, Minimal Community Overflight

Issues; Site Constrained by Rail on both East and West14

Area F Area F –– East IHEast IH--35 / South 121 35 / South 121 –– Score 63Score 63

Good Auto and Emergency Vehicle Access; No Navigable Airspace Issues; Minimal Community

Overflight Issues 15

Noise Contours for Area F

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Next Steps

• Establish Informational Website for the Study at

www.fortworthgov.org/aviation

• Conduct Public Forum providing information on

the Top 3 sites (May/June)

• Report to City Council results of Public Forum

and Outreach

• Negotiate Design Contracts

• Council Consideration of Contracts in (June/July)

• Facility Operational by February 2011

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Questions/Comments/Conclusion

Heliport Feasibility and Siting Study

4th Street

Qtran Corporation

Purina Plant

Area C Area C –– Purina Plant Purina Plant –– Score 42Score 42

No Emergency Vehicle Access; Vehicle access via 1st St; RR Crossings on East and West Sides, Cell

Tower North End of the Area

Area E Area E –– Intermodal Trans Center Intermodal Trans Center –– Score 53Score 53

Limited Auto and Emergency Vehicle Access; No Airspace Issues, Minimal Community Overflight

Issues; Site Constrained by Rail on both East and West

Harmon Field Park

Greenway Park

Area F Area F –– East IHEast IH--35 / South 121 35 / South 121 –– Score 63Score 63

Good Auto and Emergency Vehicle Access; No Navigable Airspace Issues; Minimal Community

Overflight Issues

Area F – East 35W South 121

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Indianapolis Downtown Heliport – 1978

Office and hangar facilities

Self-serve fuel

Minor maintenance available

Operations – 25 per day

New Orleans Downtown Heliport – 1997

Attended 24 hours per day

Fuel available

No maintenance

Operations – 9 per day

Portland Downtown Heliport – 1989

Owned by City of Portland

Unattended

No fuel or maintenance available

Operations – 14 per day

Other City Heliports in US