Nearby condo residents are questioning potential helicopter noise as Griffin’s team seeks more time for outreach and testing.
MIAMI BEACH A proposed private helipad at billionaire Ken Griffin’s Terminal Island marina will return to the Miami Beach Planning Board on November 3, after officials postponed consideration amid objections from nearby condominium residents.
The board deferred the proposal at its October 6 meeting, giving Griffin’s representatives additional time to address concerns about helicopter noise, according to the Miami Herald.
The proposed landing site would be added to Griffin’s already approved 3.5-acre private marina at 120 MacArthur Causeway, next to the U.S. Coast Guard station. The marina was designed to accommodate his 308-foot yacht, Defy.
The helipad remains a separate proposal. Approval of the marina does not mean helicopter operations have been authorized.
Residents Challenge Noise Findings
Opposition has come from residents of eight waterfront condominium buildings near the MacArthur Causeway and in the South of Fifth area. The buildings collectively house about 2,000 residents, the Herald reported.
Their concern is how takeoffs and landings could affect daily life in nearby homes, particularly on balconies and in outdoor spaces.
Griffin’s representatives have offered a different assessment. His team commissioned noise studies involving the Airbus H160 helicopter he plans to use. According to the Herald, those studies found that noise during approximately 13 seconds of takeoff and landing would be comparable to an ordinary conversation heard from a nearby condominium balcony.
That comparison is a finding presented by Griffin’s team, rather than an agreed conclusion among residents. Condo representatives have questioned whether it adequately reflects the disturbance they could experience.
Attorney Neisen Kasdin, who represents Griffin’s company, One Island Partners, supported postponing the matter to allow further community outreach and testing, the Herald reported.
Committee Support Did Not Settle the Issue
The proposal previously received support from Miami Beach’s Land Use and Sustainability Committee, which voted 2–1 in September to advance the request.
The city’s September 24 meeting record identifies the matter as a proposed change to land-development regulations that would allow a private helipad as an accessory use in Terminal Island’s I-1 Light Industrial zoning district. The item was also referred to the Planning Board. Miami Beach, FL
That distinction matters: the discussion involves changing what the zoning rules permit, alongside evaluating the proposed facility.
According to the Herald, Commissioner Joe Magazine urged Kasdin to spend more time listening to residents and addressing their concerns.
Residents have also raised a broader question about the public benefit of allowing a private aviation facility primarily intended to serve one homeowner. Their objections extend beyond helicopter specifications to whether the convenience provided to Griffin justifies potential disruption for surrounding buildings.
Griffin Already Uses Watson Island
Griffin currently uses a helicopter landing site on Watson Island.
Kasdin told city officials that Griffin made 61 helicopter trips from that location last year, according to the Herald. The proposed Terminal Island helipad would make travel more convenient between Griffin’s Star Island home, downtown Miami and Miami International Airport.
The reported Watson Island trips provide context for his existing helicopter use. They do not establish how frequently a new Terminal Island facility would operate.
For nearby residents, the next round of discussion could help clarify anticipated flight frequency, operating hours and how additional testing would assess noise at affected buildings. Those details would make the proposal easier to evaluate than a single comparison to conversational sound.
What Happens Next?
The November 3 Planning Board agenda lists an item concerning helipads in the I-1 district. November 3, 2026
Under the process described by the Herald, the matter would proceed to the full Miami Beach City Commission if it advances through the Planning Board.
The postponement gives Griffin’s team time to conduct further outreach and testing. It also leaves the central question unresolved: whether a private helicopter landing site can operate at the marina without creating an unacceptable disturbance for neighboring residents.
