With Approval Of FAA, a Final Tower Is Set to Rise in Rosslyn

Zimmerman said the county has asked the FAA to do a comprehensive study of the area surrounding the airport to help Arlington set appropriate height limits.

"They have the regulatory power, and it's up to them," he said. "We'll do what they tell us."

At the board meeting, Planning Commissioner Jim Pebley testified that he believed the county should consider implementing building height limits to address FAA concerns rather than dealing with the agency repeatedly as different buildings are proposed.

Some critics have questioned whether the rules restricting the construction of buildings on airport flight paths are restrictive enough. Leo J. Schefer, president of the Washington Airports Task Force, a nonprofit group that promotes economic development of the region's airports, said building high-rises near the airport "defies common sense."

According to the Web site of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, it is difficult for opponents to block construction projects because such buildings are part of "an extremely lucrative business."

Timothy Helmig, chief development officer for Monday Properties, was out of the country and could not be reached for comment. Other officials at the firm declined to comment on the FAA approval process.

Arlington has long sought to redevelop the Rosslyn area, viewed as an unattractive conglomeration of 1960s office buildings. It has given developers density bonuses for building top-notch buildings in that section of the county, asking them to offer plentiful "community benefits" to make the projects more palatable to county residents and leaders.

Monday Properties offered the county about $25 million in such community benefits to win approval of the 30-story tower, including a record $4.8 million for the county's affordable-housing fund, about $8.5 million toward transit improvements, including a new entrance to the Rosslyn Metro station and new bus shelters, and rent-free use of the former Newseum space, worth an estimated $6.9 million over 10 years. The new building will also be one of the most energy-efficient structures in the country.

These were benefits of particular appeal to specific members of the board. Zimmerman, who has served on the Metro board, is a mass transit expert; Paul Ferguson, who is leaving as board chairman to become clerk of court, made environment initiatives his signature issue; and J. Walter Tejada, the incoming board chairman, is a prominent advocate of affordable housing.

There is an existing 11-story building at the site, with ground-floor retail stores, and a Dominion Virginia Power substation. The substation will remain, redecorated as public art, but the office building will be torn down.