City Approves Building Despite FAA Warnings

KPBS | By KPBS Public Broadcasting

Published January 23, 2007 at 1:53 PM PST

This story was published more than 17 years ago.

The City of San Diego has approved construction of a 180-foot-tall building near Montgomery Field despite FAA objections. We speak with a representative of the city and the FAA about the dispute surro

Tom Fudge: If you live near Montgomery Field, you know that there’s a tall building going up right off of the 163. It’s a 180-feet-tall. And that is a fact the Federal Aviation Administration is not happy about. The FAA considers the tall building a flight hazard. And it has told the developer that it can build no higher than 160 feet. Caltrans has also criticized the building, and has asked the city to strictly enforce the 160-foot limit.

The City of San Diego, meanwhile, has allowed the developer to put a roof on the 180-foot, still-unfinished building. At the same time, the city attorney’s office has sued the developer, arguing its height puts at risk the lives of pilots and people on the ground.

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We invited the building developer, Sunroad Enterprises, to join us on the show. They refused to provide us with a spokesman.

Guests

Marcela Escobar-Eck, director of San Diego’s Development Services Department.
Ian Gregor, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.