Looking out of the window of his Canton waterfront condominium building this week, Chuck Paterakis decided to “do a little study.”

Over the course of just 90 minutes Tuesday night, the H&S Bakery co-owner counted 10 helicopters that flew in or out of Pier 7. Two of the helicopters went over his building, and one was shining its lights.

“I’ve been here 10 years, and really, the last year has been worse where the activity is going right over the building,” Paterakis said.

He and other residents voiced concerns about the uptick in flight activity at a Zoom session hosted by City Councilman Mark Parker on Wednesday. The city is moving to relocate the Baltimore Police Department’s helicopter operations from its longtime home in Middle River to a heliport in Canton owned by developer Scott Plank, and the site has already been buzzing with new activity in the area as the city plans a more permanent transfer.

But a 20-year lease for the heliport was temporarily yanked from the city spending board’s agenda earlier this month after neighbors complained it was a done deal with little public input.

Foxtrot has already been using the pier to refuel for the past two years, contributing to an overall spike in activity at the heliport. A Banner analysis last year showed a substantial increase in use, with the number of flights up 41% over the first six months compared to the same period in 2024.

Other choppers that use the pier include other local police departments, WBAL’s news helicopter, private medical transports, a company offering private tours and military helicopters.

Freddie Ephraim, a former Medevac pilot who manages the heliport, said at Wednesday’s meeting that they encourage pilots to stay above 1,000 feet but that it is a “self-governing” directive, as it is not required by federal regulations.

“Because we want to fly neighborly, we want to make sure that people are adding minimal impact with the noise here,” Ephraim said

Anita Bhatia, an Upper Fells Point resident, said her historic home is being rattled daily.

“Self-governing does not work,” she said. “I have been monitoring the flights going over my house since November. Eighty-percent-plus are below 1,000 feet. ... They’re dropping right at my house and flying over at really low heights.”

Police officials tried to assure residents that because Foxtrot has already been using the site, the impacts will be minimal. It will save time in the air and fuel costs, they said.

“Like most things in life, it’s location, location, location,” said Andrew Smullian, deputy chief of staff to Police Commissioner Richard Worley.

There’s a larger concept in mind for the Canton site that could also including the police marine unit, even though it was defunded and disbanded six years ago. “You could call it a maritime public safety center,” Smullian said.

An addendum to the lease regarding the marine unit will come before the city’s Board of Estimates in the coming weeks or months, he said.

Already, upgrades for the helicopter unit at Pier 7 will cost at least $17.8 million, doubling the city’s rent from the $387,000 its paying at Martin State to $665,000 in the first year of the lease. It escalates to $1.1 million in the final year. The agreement does not include other “operating costs” to be determined.

Baltimore Police Chief of Patrol Col. Ryan Lee admitted that the department previously had “never entertained this location” due to concerns about taking off and landing from a pier surrounded by water.

He said newer helicopters purchased in recent years decrease that risk, though they are not equipped with emergency flotation systems, and the unit is pursuing training “consistent with what military pilots would have over water.”

Residents could get a reprieve from the overall flight traffic. Seth Peichert, vice president of asset management for heliport owner War Horse, said a flight tour company that he said has been contributing to the type of traffic irritating residents will be going away as BPD makes the site its home.

The company could not be immediately reached for comment.