FAA Wants Shorter Buildings Near U.S. Airports
Tuesday, July 29th, 2014
The Federal Aviation Administration wants to reduce height limits on buildings near airports, but the proposal has sparked disputes between airlines and airports that support the change, and development interests worried about hurting property values.
The FAA says buildings should be shorter to bolster safety at 388 airports nationwide, to give pilots more options up to 10 miles from an airport in case one of an airliner's two engines fails while taking off or landing.
The policy change would affect 4,000 tall buildings near airports and 4,000 more that are planned nationwide, according to a 2012 analysis by the Weitzman Group real-estate consultants in New York. Many more developments that haven't yet filed applications with the FAA could be affected, according to study author Peter Bazeli, senior vice president of Weitzman.
