Met Square gets OK for liftoff from FAA

The Federal Aviation Administration changed course and determined that the Met Square project in downtown Miami is not a hazard for commercial air traffic.

In December, the FAA sent Met Square developer MDM Development Group a “notice of hazard” letter, recommending that the 538-foot hotel and residential project be scaled down to 471 feet so as not to interfere with airplanes flying overhead to and from Miami International Airport, about 5 miles away.

On Jan. 29, the FAA sent the developer a letter stating that, after further study was conducted, Met Square would not be a hazard to air navigation at 538 feet. The FAA simply required that the building be marked and lighted with red lights in accordance with its regulations.

“We continue to work towards beginning construction on Met Square, the culminating component of the multi-billion dollar, master-planned Metropolitan Miami project.” said Ian Swanson, a principal of MDM Development.

The FAA also warned the developers of One Bayfront Plaza, Brickell City Centre and Aria on the Bay in December that their buildings could pose a hazard to air traffic. The regulator hasn’t reached a final determination on those cases.

Aria on the Bay would be about the same height as Met Square, but Brickell City Centre and One Bayfront Plaza would be considerably higher. In fact, they would become the tallest buildings in Miami, at over 1,000 feet each.

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Story by: Brian Bandell – Jan 30, 2015, 3:43pm EST
Photo Courtesy: Biz Journals

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