Deal Struck on Waterfront; Fan Pier to Lower Buildings

BOSTON-After weeks of wrangling with the Federal Aviation Administration over the heights of some of the buildings proposed for the Fan Pier development here on the South Boston waterfront, it appears that Mayor Thomas M. Menino has conceded. In a letter Menino reportedly sent to Fan Pier developer Nicholas Pritzker, the mayor calls upon the Chicago-based hotel magnate to lower the heights of some of the buildings in his project. A city official tells GlobeSt.com that Pritzker has agreed to the mayor’s request.

The embattled Fan Pier development spent years squabbling with the state’s department of environmental affairs over regulatory approval before its building heights were noticed by the FAA. Two of the buildings in the proposed development were well into the 30-foot range and this was considered a flight risk for planes coming into Logan Airport. The FAA was in the process of considering whether to give the project a hazard designation, which could have had serious implications for this $1.2 billion project–the largest waterfront project in this city’s history.

According to Susan Ellsbery, spokesperson for the Boston Redevelopment Authority, seven of the buildings on the Fan Pier project will be lowered and one will be raised slightly. Due to the smaller floor plates, the residential component of the project will be increased and 20% of the housing will be designated affordable. In the original plans, that figure was 10%.