A construction crane that would rise well above Easterwood Airport's height limits needs a variance before work can begin on an eight-story student housing building at the corner of College Main and Cherry Street, and the city's Zoning Board of Adjustment takes up the request Tuesday night.
The board meets at 6 p.m. Oct. 6 in the City Hall council chambers, 1101 Texas Ave. City planning staff recommends approval.
What the builder is asking for
The site, 403 Cherry St., is about a third of an acre in the NG-3 Residential Northgate district. The property owner is listed as Core College Station Cherry LLC, with engineering firm Kimley-Horn as the applicant.
According to the staff report, the finished building is expected to stand about 107 feet tall, which stays under the airport ordinance's ceiling for that spot of 470.6 feet above sea level. The crane needed to build it does not.
The request would let a temporary tower crane reach up to 556 feet above sea level, or 218 feet above the ground, a variance of 85.4 feet over the limit. The report also states that the crane itself is expected to top out lower, at about 143 feet above ground, which leaves the two figures in the packet unreconciled.
In its application, the developer said the project cannot be built without the variance and called the crane a temporary structure that would not affect the public.
Airport and FAA review
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a determination of no hazard to air navigation for the crane on July 30. The FAA found the crane would exceed federal obstruction standards, sitting about 2.12 nautical miles north of the airport, but concluded it would not be a hazard because it is temporary, provided conditions are met.
