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A WEALTHY CEO has sparked fury among his neighbors after turning his yard into a helicopter landing pad, and justifying it by saying it makes him a better dad.
Construction tycoon Doug Schieffer, 50, the owner of Northland Concrete and Masonry, has hit back at his critics, calling them “spiteful.”
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The dad has triggered outrage in the wealthy community of East Gull Lake, some 110 miles northwest of Minneapolis, Minnesota, after submitting plans to build a private helipad outside his $4.5 million vacation home.
He first submitted the plans for his waterfront property in 2020 but was rebuffed by authorities in the small town of less than 1,000 people.
But Schieffer tried again, calling the rules “dumb,” after they said he wasn’t allowed to have a landing pad within city limits.
“At this point, the opposition is all about spite,” he said in an interview with The Star Tribune.
READ MORE ON NEIGHBOR DISPUTES
After a number of complaints about his chopper landing and being stored on his property, Schieffer was sent three notices of violation between August 2023 and February 2024.
In May this year, he was issued with a cease and desist order by the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
But court records state that he is continuing with his “unpermitted activities and violations.”
After trying and failing to appeal the violations twice this year, Schieffer unsuccessfully appealed the denial before taking civic action.
Pictures from the city’s suit show Schieffer’s helicopter repeatedly landing in the backyard of his home.
They maintain it is a zoning violation and that they have had complaints from neighbors.
The city also insists Schieffer isn’t legally allowed to even store his helicopter on his property because it isn’t an airport.
In an interview, Schieffer said that everyone has “a right to make noise,” and claimed that the “burden of proof” was on his neighbors to show that his helicopter was louder than the lawnmowers and chainsaws they used.
Schieffer said he uses the chopper to travel from his home some 140 miles south in Webster, Minnesota, to his vacation lake house.
He added that he wasn’t backing down.
“Put restrictions on me and let’s move on because this is really dumb,” he said.
Schieffer also said that his helicopter allows him to get to events in his children’s lives, adding that he was “Just trying to be the best dad I can be and be there as much as I can for my kids.”
He said flying the helicopter was also a “passion” for him.
The city says it saw further complaints this summer – a time when Schieffer is typically in town.
A hearing is scheduled on January 8 before a district judge, who will have three months to deliver a verdict.
Schieffer and his attorneys did not respond to The U.S. Sun’s requests for comment.
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