The Alpharetta Planning Commission on May 1 recommended approval of a master-plan amendment and conditional use to add a vertiport — listed in the city’s Unified Development Code as a heliport — to the Northwinds Summit master plan at 1000 Summit Place. The approval, made by motion, includes conditions that require a site-specific vertiport plan, a fire-risk assessment in accordance with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards approved by the local authority having jurisdiction, and evidence of compliance with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) standards; the commission’s recommendation will go before City Council on May 19, 2025.

Kathy Cook, Planning Department staff, said the requested change would add heliport (the closest UDC category) as a conditional use and explicitly limit that conditional use to the submitted plans depicting a vertiport on the top level of a future three-level parking deck. The staff report notes the Northwinds Summit master plan covers about 24 acres, includes previously approved office and hotel development and allows mixed uses; the proposed deck shows first-level retail (about 10,000 square feet) and shared parking, a second level of controlled-access parking and a third level reserved for the vertiport with four landing areas.

Cary Armstrong, managing director of Popen Land Enterprises and the applicant’s representative, described the request as an effort to accommodate eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft and advanced air mobility services. “These things that take off and landing generate the same noise as a residential vacuum cleaner,” Armstrong said, arguing the aircraft would be quieter than nearby roadway noise and could provide short trips — he cited a 20-minute trip to Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport — and potential uses beyond airport shuttle service, including medevac and disaster response.

Commissioners questioned how the UDC’s heliport category would apply to new vertiport technology and whether the site plan and hours of operation would adequately address sound and safety concerns. Cook told the commission the staff conditions were site-specific and that any future proposal that needed to meet heliport standards (which assume more takeoff/landing distance) would require a change of condition. Commissioners and staff said they would consider a text amendment to the UDC to explicitly reference vertical takeoff facilities and reduce confusion between the terms heliport and vertiport in public materials.

The applicant said ownership and operation plans are not final: the developer would likely participate in initial construction and seek an operator or other long-term owner, and state legislation recently discussed at the meeting was placing vertiports within the Georgia Department of Transportation’s general aviation category, a change that affects planning and potential funding. Staff also required developers to provide a fire-risk assessment approved by the local authority having jurisdiction and to demonstrate FAA compliance for planning, design and construction before further approvals.

The commission approved the master-plan amendment and conditional use by motion; commissioners did not record a roll-call vote in the public record provided. The recommendation proceeds to City Council for final action on May 19, 2025.