Dive Brief:

• The Federal Aviation Administration this week said the Raiders' $1.9 billion stadium proposed for Las Vegas doesn't pose a threat to airplane traffic in and out of the city, according to The Las Vegas Sun. A day later, local officials approved land-use permits for the stadium, according to U.S. News & World Report.

• The FAA announced in August that it would conduct a five-week comment and review period regarding air safety, primarily around the stadium's 225-foot height. The FAA cut the review period to two weeks prior to issuing its final decision.

• The expedited FAA ruling will allow stadium construction to stay on schedule, with site work expected to begin in December.

Dive Insight:

The FAA wields considerable influence over construction design, be it a stadium, a highway or a high-rise.

Last month, the agency decided that a proposed $250 million beltway around Denver posed a safety risk by being inside a local airport's runway-protection zone. That ruling put the entire project in jeopardy due to the costs associated with acquiring new land to construct the highway elsewhere and reluctance on the part of private-sector partners to finance such a risky project.

The FAA nearly sidelined the new $2.6 billion Los Angeles Rams stadium in Inglewood, CA. As in Las Vegas, the agency was concerned that the height of the sports venue would interfere with air traffic and radar, in this case at Los Angeles International Airport. To mitigate the stadium's potential effect on airport operations, the Rams agreed to pay $29 million for an additional radar system.

In February of last year, FAA concerns forced developer Crescent Heights Inspiration Living to reduce the size of a mixed-use tower it had planned for Seattle. The agency said the original height would interfere with "navigable airspace or air navigation facilities" and relayed concerns that the cranes would impede emergency helicopter service at a nearby hospital. In response, the developer cut the building's height by seven stories.