City to Draw Limits on Building in Flight Path

The San Diego Planning Commission ordered the city planning staff Thursday to develop an ordinance that would regulate the height of buildings constructed in the three flight paths approaching Lindbergh Field.

Developers and airline officials alike told the commission that an ordinance is crucial to keep major commercial carriers in San Diego and to prevent design and construction headaches for potential builders.

“We have to establish a strong, clear communication process early on,” commission Chairman Ron Roberts said.

In the past, developers have been required to conform with Federal Aviation Administration rules for height limitations. Builders, however, were not always aware of FAA restrictions and were sometimes stymied in the development plans.

With the ordinance, city officials hope to prevent problems such as those experienced by the developers of the proposed Balboa Park Hotel, which was delayed for six months while architects redesigned it to meet an 88-foot limit. Developer Malcolm Hughes told the commission the delay and redesign cost him about $250,000.

Describing himself as “a prime victim of the present situation,” Hughes said, “We have suffered because there were not any rules. I believe a limit in line with the FAA standards would enable property owners to know where they stand.”

But a larger concern for San Diego, officials said, was the potential of a developer slipping through the bureaucratic cracks and building a structure that might constitute hazards to the safe operation of the airport. In that case, the airport runway could be reclassified, prohibiting large commercial airlines from using it and forcing Lindbergh Field to become a commuter airport.

George Carver, of the Air Transport Assn. of America, which represents major air carriers, told the commission: “Airspace is a precious commodity. Once you lose it, it is difficult to get back. Our concern is protecting what is there now.”

Without an ordinance, “The type of aircraft that lands here could be limited,” Carver said. “The airlines have a lot invested in San Diego. We want the flexibility of operating our aircraft here.”

An earlier moratorium on building in the Lindbergh Field flight paths will remain in place until the city planning staff comes up with an ordinance that the commission approves. The panel told the staff to have a draft of the ordinance ready for commission review Sept. 5. If it meets commission approval, the ordinance would then go before the City Council.

The areas affected by the FAA regulations are V-shaped paths flaring in three directions from the airport. One stretches from the east end of Lindbergh Field across Hillcrest to Balboa Park; another from the west end of the runway to Point Loma, and the third extends southeast to downtown with corners at Broadway and Pacific Highway and Columbia and B streets.

City planner Janet Fairbanks said the borders of the approach paths affected by FAA regulations have not been defined. She also said no buildings are planned that present a hazard.

Under FAA guidelines, buildings on the western edge of downtown could not exceed 195 feet, or about 20 stories.