The national construction sector raised its voice and asked to be heard. This group believes a Civil Aviation regulation is a threat that would slow the expected growth of the sector by 2017, because it limits the construction of towers in different areas of San José, Heredia, Tibás and Escazú.
This is ensured by Abel Castro, president of the Federated College of Engineers and Architects (CFIA), and Jorge González, president of the Costa Rican Chamber of Construction (CCC). Both leaders say that the regulation already prevents the construction of buildings and it’s not in compliance with the global trend of construction.
The norm is not in accordance with the policies of San José’s repopulation by the Municipality of San José, or with the urban planning policies that they told us to intensify in the center of the cities, where we already have infrastructure,”
said the president of the CFIA.
Castro explained that by 2017 they expect to reach 11 million square meters of construction, but the constructions in places such as Pavas, Rohrmoser and Paseo Colón cannot be more than 2 or 4 stories high.
According to González, several buildings were already surprised by the regulation in the areas surrounding Tobías Bolaños airport and Heredia, Tibás and Escazú. In these areas there is a rise on tall buildings housing, which, according to the promoters, reduces commutes and improves the quality of life.
The director of the General Directorate of Civil Aviation, Enio Rodríguez, pointed out that the norm establishes international standards issued by the International Civil Aviation Organization regarding the approach and takeoff cones.
It’s the amount of space you have to travel on an ascent so you can turn left or right and there can be no obstacles. We do not want aircraft embedded in any building,”
said Rodriguez.
For Transport Minister Carlos Villalta, this is a technical issue that has been valued by civil aviation professionals, but he did not hide his concern for the complaint by the sector.