FAA says proposed Seattle skyscraper is too tall

The Federal Aviation Administration is concerned that a proposed skyscraper in downtown Seattle would be too tall.

At Fourth Avenue and Columbia Street, a proposed 102-story tower could be a hazard to aircraft, according to the FAA. That’s why a notice of presumed hazard was sent to the developer.

“The structure is presumed to be a hazard to air navigation,” the FAA wrote.

Related: What are they building?

The skyscraper, if built under its current design, would be 1,117 feet above ground level. It would be the tallest building on the West Coast, higher than the 1,018-foot U.S. Bank Tower in Los Angeles and well over the 967-foot Columbia Center in Seattle.

The notice recommends reducing the height of the proposed building to to 965 feet above ground level. Any height exceeding that would result in a “substantial adverse effect.”

The main concern stems from Boeing Field. Such a tall building could disrupt operations. A crane to construct such a tall building, or a shorter one for that matter, could also disrupt helicopters going to and from Harborview Medical Center, according to the notice.

“While the Harborview Medical Center may be able to accept the loss of their helicopter special instrument approach for a few months, a requirement for the crane to render the approach unusable for a longer period of time may be unacceptably detrimental to the hospital, and could
further limit the height of the building if the crane would be required to be on site for an extended period of
time,” the notice states.

The developer, Crescent Heights Inspirational Living, has a few options: terminate the proposal, or request the FAA study the building at a maximum height of 965 feet. Alternatively, if the developer agreed to limit the height to 499 feet above ground level, the FAA would withdraw its objection.

Under current plans, the skyscraper would total 1.2 million square feet and include 1,200 residential units, and more than 160,000 square feet of retail and office space and a 150-room hotel. The likelihood of a building that large in downtown Seattle, however, looks unlikely for now.

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