Six-Month Prohibition Follows Uber-Like Service At Sundance Film Festival

The Summit County Utah county council has put a six-month ban in place preventing the establishment of any new landing sites for helicopters in Snyderville Basin.

The 3-1 vote follows a controversy that arose last summer when two companies used helicopters to shuttle passengers between Salt Lake City and the Sundance Film Festival in January. The noise from the helicopters prompted complaints from residents living near the landing sites.

Bob Wheaton, the president and general manager of the Deer Valley Resort, said there have been a lot of requests for such a service for the past several years. "I would like to applaud the effort of the county to have a temporary restriction because it will give them time to take a look at what is important and gather public input" Wheaton told the council.

He admitted that there are noise concerns, but he said that the moratorium would give all interested stakeholders an opportunity to really delve into the issue.

The Park Record newspaper reports that one resident, Tim Papage, said he was disappointed to see "such a knee-jerk reaction to the complaints of 25 to 40 people."

The county's current ordinance prohibits helicopter flights including private transportation because it is not an approved land use according to the county's code.

The chair of the county council said that the six-month ban is "an opportunity" to find a workable solution "if this is something that makes sense."

(Summit county courthouse pictured in YouTube video image)

FMI: Temporary Ordinance