Plan for downtown skyscrapers poses hazard to flights, FAA says
Developer says ruling was expected, vows to pursue proposal
Federal aviation officials have labeled Donald J. Chiofaro’s proposed downtown towers a “presumed hazard,’’ ruling the complex would have to be chopped to 407 feet - about half its current height - to avoid interference with planes landing and taking off at nearby Logan International Airport.
The preliminary ruling released yesterday by the Federal Aviation Administration is not a death knell for Chiofaro’s skyscrapers, but it means he faces a lengthy review if he expects to build anything near the heights he is proposing.
Chiofaro, the developer of International Place, wants to build a residential tower and an officer tower on the site of the Harbor Garage along Atlantic Avenue between the New England Aquarium and the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway. His original proposal called for a complex reaching 780 feet in height, although he recently said he is considering a shorter version at 625 feet.
The FAA finding indicated Chiofaro’s project would be too tall and may interfere with planes taking off and landing at Logan International Airport, which is two miles from the proposed development site across Boston Harbor.
“The structure as described exceeds obstruction standards and/or would have an adverse physical or electromagnetic interference effect upon navigable airspace,’’ the ruling stated.
The ruling emphasized that the finding is preliminary and that further study is necessary to determine whether the effect of Chiofaro’s proposed complex would have a “significant’’ impact on air traffic.
Principals at Chiofaro’s development firm said the FAA’s ruling was expected and the company still plans to pursue a high-rise development on the property.
“It is the standard response for this stage of the process for a project of this magnitude,’’ the firm said in a statement. “The process will continue and we will continue to pursue approval of the tallest structure we can, which our expert consultants indicate can exceed 700 feet.’’
Chiofaro said previously that he would reduce the size of the proposed complex based on the concerns of the Massachusetts Port Authority. He said officials at Massport, which operates Logan, told him that 625 feet would be an acceptable height for the complex.
His development proposal includes a hotel, condominiums, offices and a ground-floor retail mall that would connect the Greenway to waterfront.
A Massport spokesman declined to comment yesterday because the agency is still reviewing the findings from the FAA.
Casey Ross can be reached at cross@globe.com. 
