Towers would threaten jets, Massport says
By Casey Ross, Globe Staff | May 5, 2009
An architectural rendering of proposed development near the New England Aquarium developer by Donald J. Chiofaro. (Kohn Pedersen Fox Architects)
The Massachusetts Port Authority has told developer Donald J. Chiofaro that two towers he is proposing to build near New England Aquarium are too tall and would encroach on Logan International Airport's airspace.
Chiofaro has proposed a 40-story office tower and a 59-story residential tower linked by a 770-foot tall "skyframe" that would create a rectangular arch that itself would be taller than the two towers.
The authority said the project exceeds its height guidelines for the waterfront by at least 145 feet and could interfere with airplane maneuvers during emergencies. The property, located about two miles from Logan, and now the site of the Boston Harbor garage, is under the path of airplanes using Runway 27, Massport said.
The authority notified Chiofaro that its guidelines would limit the height of his development to 625 feet.
The Federal Aviation Administration has the final decision, but Massport's guidelines are used as reference point in the federal review.
Chiofaro, however, is disputing Massport's determination. The developer said an aviation consultant whom he hired, a former pilot, concluded the proposed heights are acceptable.
"We believe we can satisfy the FAA, especially considering that the proposed redevelopment site is not in a departure path for Logan," Chiofaro said in a prepared statement. "We are certainly aware of and have spoken with Massport about their map and their height guidelines, and we look forward to a dialogue with all parties."
Chiofaro has not yet filed a permit application for his proposed development with the FAA.
Massport officials said they first spoke to Chiofaro's development firm about height restrictions last spring, when they were preparing to adopt new guidelines for development. The guidelines, adopted last fall, establish a circle of protected airspace the authority said is needed to preserve clear flight paths around Logan.
A Massport spokesman said yesterday that under the guidelines, Chiofaro's site has a height restriction of between 600 and 625 feet above mean sea level. Mean sea level is about 10 feet below the ground level of Chiofaro's development site, officials said.
Chiofaro's towers have also provoked opposition from residents in the adjacent Harbor Towers condominiums, who argue it would overshadow the nearby Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway and surrounding buildings. City zoning limits buildings in that area to 155 feet, so Chiofaro would also need height variances from the city to build higher.
The Boston Redevelopment Authority is hosting a public meeting about his proposal at 6 p.m. next Tuesday at the Boston Marriott Long Wharf.
Casey Ross can be reached at
cross@globe.com.
