New Jersey Town Approves Heliport for Powerbroker’s Firm

The Evesham, New Jersey Township Planning Board has approved a proposal to build a heliport despite objections from a nearby hospital and residents.

Permission for the landing area was requested by the insurance firm Conner, Strong & Buckelew, whose chairman is southern New Jersey Democratic powerbroker George Norcross.

The insurance firm says it needs to get staff out quickly to investigate accidents and large claims around the Mid-Atlantic region. The firm also says helicopters would land there about a dozen times a week.

More than 75 people attended a planning board meeting Wednesday, most to oppose the plan.

The heliport still needs approval from the state Transportation Department and Federal Aviation Administration before it can be built.