Tall Buildings Causing Problem for College Park Airport
Developer Southern Management is being forced to redesign a $115M four-diamond hotel across from the University of Maryland because it’s considered a hazard to air navigation at the nearby College Park Airport (above), reports the Washington Post. The Hotel, as it’s being called, is just one of three controversial buildings wreaking havoc on the FAA and Maryland Aviation Administration's plans to keep the oldest continually running airport from losing its operating license. If it becomes too dangerous to land, the airport could be shut down. The 13-story proposed hotel is 35 feet above airport regulation.
Clark Hall, UMD’s six-story biomedical facility, is expected to be 134 feet above ground level and four feet higher than air regulations, according to the Diamondback. The View, which is already complete, stands at an even taller 16 stories -- though the FAA has only ruled it an obstacle, not a hazard. Southern Management is prepared to comply with the changes, tacking on an additional $5M to add a wing and reduce the height of the nearly 300-room hotel. Hopefully the others will follow suit so that a museum won’t be all that’s left of the historic airport once used by the Wright Brothers.
