FAA Report Says Most Oceanfront Projects Won't Interfere

The city of Myrtle Beach, SC is breathing a collective sigh of relief after getting a long-awaited report from the FAA on Thursday. City planners had worried plans for a new radar facility might quash hopes of further development on the beach, but an FAA-sponsored study concluded that won't be the case.

The report did, however, caution that plans for additional runways at the seaside city's airport might be a problem. If any are ever constructed high-rises along the beach might pose an air navigation hazard.

The city has been holding its breath since plans for a new radar were announced as early as 2002. Things came to a boil this past summer as the city went into full panic mode. The city has tangled with county planners and the FAA a number of times over the issue, especially since neither consulted with city planners before deciding where to locate the radar.

In a nutshell, the FAA's report concludes, "Under normal air-traffic operations at Myrtle Beach airport, the construction of tall buildings along the oceanfront will not impact the coverage area for the ASR-11 radar except for some limited areas."

There are still some areas where building heights are limited because of those plans for additional runways. Although the city and county rejected the proposal years ago, the runways remain in the airport's master plans. As long as they do, the FAA will still consider them when evaluating building heights.

The friction between the city and county over the radar deal spurred a city investigation, but as the FAA report eliminates any problems with the city's development plans, some think it's time to bury the hatchet.

The city's manager Tom Leath says the report is good news, adding "...my recommendation to council would be we drop this whole thing and move on to something else."

FMI: www.faa.gov