Boca Raton Creates Home for Future ‘Vertiport’ for Next-Gen Air Travel

A notional ‘vertiport’ and electric aircraft. (Courtesy: FAA/Volocopter)

It’s an age-old concept that has never quite come to fruition: the proverbial “flying car.” But while it’s been over a century since the Wright Brothers completed their first flight, air mobility at the local level is finally moving closer to reality, with electric and unmanned aircraft poised to compete for fares. Boca Raton officials say they want to be ready for the emerging trend.

An ordinance advanced by the city’s planning board last week “allows the city to adapt to emerging technologies and future circumstances of moving people and property,” said Brandon Schaad, the city’s Development Services director.

Specifically, the ordinance allows the inclusion of “vertiports” in specific areas of the city, most prominently at a site adjacent to the existing Boca Raton Airport at the Florida Atlantic University Research Park.

A vertiport is a “designated area for the landing, takeoff, and servicing of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft,” a city planning document said. “Vertiports are an essential part of urban air mobility, which is the transportation of passengers and goods by electric aircraft.”

A notional ‘vertiport’ and electric aircraft. (Courtesy: FAA/Volocopter)

While VTOL aircraft are often associated with military platforms like the Harrier and F-35B, the civilian market is expected to see an onslaught of new transportation airframes that will take off vertically, driven by electric motors that power various configurations, including upscaled versions of the “quadcopter” layout of many consumer drones. A vertiport would allow these vehicles space to land, recharge, and embark and disembark passengers. The ordinance would allow veriports near the airport as well as in limited areas zoned for “institutional” use, such as rail stations and universities that may be able to incorporate such a facility in the future.

The vertiport concept differs from the traditional “helipad,” officials said. The Federal Aviation Administration issued its first guidelines on vertiports in 2022, which has led cities like Boca Raton – as well as some private companies – to begin thinking about placement and design. Vertiports should be “safe, well-lit and well-marked, and … support the necessary charging infrastructure,” the FAA has said.

The nation’s first vertiport may well be located in Florida, with private firm Lilium, based in Germany, having already built the infrastructure for a private air taxi service in the Orlando area. Another company, Reef Parking Management, has offered space on top of their parking garages in Miami and Los Angeles for future vertiports. The FAA, however, has yet to certify wide-scale electric aircraft for passenger use.

Boca Raton Airport (Photo: Boca Daily News)

A notional ‘vertiport’ and electric aircraft. (Courtesy: FAA/Volocopter)

Vertiports would be required to measure at least 100-by-100 feet in area with a 48-by-48 foot landing zone in the middle. They must be located at least 500 to 700 feet away from existing runways if they are located near a traditional airport.

The measure did draw questions from some officials.

“I’m concerned about putting a helipad in a residential area,” said planning board member Larry Cellon. “Broken Sound has lots of open areas where they could put something like this.”

Schaad said areas where vertiports could conceivably be allowed would need to be zoned for institutional uses, then qualify under a slew of additional regulations.

“The [vertiport] would have to constitute a private transportation facility, and then it would trigger the compatibility factors,” he said. “There are things built into those zoning districts that govern how far it should be set back from an existing uses, for example.”

One of those issues would be a requirement that the city “protect the character of adjacent neighborhoods and environmental concerns,” Schaad said.

The ordinance passed a board vote 5-0. Its next stop will be the city council for formal adoption.