RKO Keith plan might endanger airline flights

Even though the city Board of Standards and Appeals approved developer
Patrick Thompson’s $160 million plan to transform the old RKO Keith’s
Theater in Flushing into condominiums in July, he may now have
run into some trouble far above the ground, Yournabe reported.

This
week, the Federal Aviation Administration said it had never approved
the building and that its 17-floor height might interfere with the
safety of flights to and from nearby LaGuardia Airport. An FAA
spokesperson said that agency had received an application regarding
the project and has asked for additional information before doing a
study. If the FAA determines that the building’s height could be a
risk for aircrafts, Thompson would have to reduce it, which could mean
the project would have to go through a renewed public approval process.

Thompson said he didn’t think there should be a problem because he
hadn’t changed the height from a prior proposal by developer
Shaya Boymelgreen, which fell apart due to financing problems. [Yournabe]