Thursday, November 14, 2024

355-foot Project 2021 gets the green light from FAA

Called Project 2021, Busch Gardens first publicly proposed the attraction when it asked the James City County Board of Supervisors for a 355-foot height waiver, which would be required to build the project. (WYDaily/Courtesy of Google Maps)
Called Project 2021, Busch Gardens first publicly proposed the attraction when it asked the James City County Board of Supervisors for a 355-foot height waiver, which would be required to build the project. (WYDaily/Courtesy of Google Maps)

The Federal Aviation Administration has determined a new attraction reaching up to 355 feet at Busch Gardens will have “no substantial adverse effect” on area aircraft safety.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg filed a notice with the FAA in August for the 355-foot structure in Oktoberfest, which is currently identified as Project 2021 and could reach a peak of 435 feet above sea level. 

On Wednesday, the FAA published a determination letter on its obstruction evaluation case tracking system.

The letter gives the project the green light, so long as the attraction has a red light marker at the top. The FAA also requires the park to notify them if the light ever malfunctions for more than 30 minutes.

Busch Gardens will also need to contact the FAA and file a notice of “actual construction or alteration” within five days of construction reaching its greatest height.

Busch Gardens construction information filed with the FAA notice estimate construction to occur between Jan. 6, 2020 and June 30, 2021.

The type of attraction Project 2021 will be remains a mystery to the public.

To move forward with the project, Busch Gardens will still need to submit site plans to James City County before construction to ensure it complies with guidelines set by the Board of Supervisors.

Sarah Fearing
Sarah Fearing
Sarah Fearing is the Assistant Editor at WYDaily. Sarah was born in the state of Maine, grew up along the coast, and attended college at the University of Maine at Orono. Sarah left Maine in October 2015 when she was offered a job at a newspaper in West Point, Va. Courts, crime, public safety and civil rights are among Sarah’s favorite topics to cover. She currently covers those topics in Williamsburg, James City County and York County. Sarah has been recognized by other news organizations, state agencies and civic groups for her coverage of a failing fire-rescue system, an aging agriculture industry and lack of oversight in horse rescue groups. In her free time, Sarah enjoys lazing around with her two cats, Salazar and Ruth, drinking copious amounts of coffee and driving places in her white truck.

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