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clear the Providem building by 150 feet, the aircraft would have to be at an altitude of 308 feet MSL as it passed by the Project site. In order to achieve a 150-foot clearance over the Paragon building, which is in direct alignmem with the EA building on the short base to final approach to Runway 12, an aircraft would have to pass over the 10-story building at an altitude of about 325 feet MSL. (d) Flight track and altitude data derived from the San Francisco International Airport PASSUR system do not support the contention that aircraft operate at ~!t~.tudes ms !ow ~_s !50 to 200 f~ MSL ,_'n ~he vle_inlty oFthe 1N-~Zary h, filAi.~o when making a short base to final approach to Runway 12 under SVFR conditions. No operations conducted in the vicinity of the Project site were at altitudes of less than 300 feet during the periods surveyed, which included severe winter conditions. 3.10.9 P_o_Le, B/~LKIIg~: The location and height of the Project buildings could potentially limit the number of aircraft that air traffic controllers would be willing to handle under SVFR conditions within Class D airspace, particularly at altitudes of 200 feet or less. FARIIili~: The City hereby makes finding (1). Facts in Support of Findings: (a) The FAA Air Traffic Manager at San Carlos Airport has expressed this concern. He has not, however, stated that the Project would represent a "hazard" or "risk," but only that the job of the air traffic controllers could be made more difficult. In fact, he stated at a public meeting on May 23, 1996, that he had not reached the conclusion that the building represents a "hazard" to navigation, and further any statement to that effect attributed to him in the press is a misquote. (b) To determine the extent to which this issue could create problems, it is useful to assess the likelihood and frequency of the conditions described. The conditions that would result in aircraft maneuvering at altitudes of 200 feet or less within the vicinity of the Project are in the extreme: a cloud ceiling of around 300 feet with one mile visibility. These conditions are not a regular or frequent occurrence. If they do occur, however, the Air Traffic Manager has questioned whether staff would be willing to provide visual separation for more than two or three SVFR aircraft in the Class D airspace if they also had to be concerned about the altitude of such aircraft in the vicinity of the ten-story building. However, it would be even more rare to have more than three aircraft operating under SVFR clearances at any one time in the Class D airspace because of thase separation requirements. -26- EAFNDGCC.DOC 7/11/96 9:56 AM