FAA Eyes Lower Building Restrictions Near Airports

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government wants to dramatically lower the height limits of buildings near hundreds of airports, but the proposal is drawing fire from real estate developers and members of Congress who say it will reduce property values.

The Federal Aviation Administration proposal, supported by airports and airlines, is driven by encroaching development that limits safe flight paths for planes that might lose power in one engine during takeoff.

The proposal would change the way the FAA assesses plans to build or modify structures near 388 airports to take into account potential hazards created for one-engine takeoffs.

An FAA official said the agency has narrowed the proposal to include structures within only one possible flight path per runway.

But developers say that could easily reduce the value of thousands of properties.