Trump's 250-foot arch up for key approval as federal staff seeks design changes
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump’s proposed 250-foot triumphal arch is set for preliminary approval Thursday by the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), even as the agency’s staff says the design should be revised to comply with Washington’s building-height law.
NCPC staff has recommended approving the preliminary site and building plans while seeking design changes before granting final approval. The agency also wants more information on traffic, the proposed granite exterior and other aspects of the project.
NCPC staff seeks Trump arch revisions
NCPC is set to review the proposed arch on Thursday, with the project listed on its agenda as Trump pushes to build it on a traffic circle near the nation's capital, according to a report by the Independent published Thursday, July 9.
“In a 185-page report, the agency’s staff recommends approving the preliminary site and building plans,” the outlet reported.
But it also says “the project should be revised to comply with the Height of Buildings Act, which limits building heights in downtown Washington to preserve the city’s famous skyline.”
“NCPC staff suggests the Commission request the applicant revise the project design to comply with the Height of Buildings Act and return to NCPC for final approval,” the NCPC report said.
Applying the law “would require design revisions to redistribute the height between the main structure, habitable roof structure and statuary,” according to the NCPC report.
Even with those recommended revisions, however, the arch, its public observation deck and three gilded topper statues would still reach Trump's desired height of 250 feet, the report said.
Staff is also recommending that commissioners seek more information about vehicular traffic around the arch, the proposed granite exterior and other aspects of the project before the Interior Department returns for final approval.
Trump wants the arch built on a traffic circle on the Virginia side of the Memorial Bridge, across from the District of Columbia.
Trump arch faces skyline criticism
The National Capital Planning Commission, which oversees construction on federal land in the city, began reviewing the arch plan in June. The Commission of Fine Arts, a separate federal agency, approved the design in May, the Independent reported.
“Opponents argue that the arch is too large for the skyline and would disrupt carefully designed views between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery,” it stated.
Those views were intended to symbolize the reunification of the North and South after the Civil War, it added.
The opposition has done little to “sway members of either commission, both of which include some of Trump’s closest allies.” Trump appointed Will Scharf, a top White House aide, to lead the planning commission.
A group of veterans and a historian have also sued the Trump administration in federal court to block construction over concerns that it would disrupt the historic sightline.
250-foot Trump arch height draws scrutiny
The scale of Trump's proposal remains one of its most striking features as the commission weighs preliminary approval alongside staff's call for revisions.
“At 250 feet, the arch would be more than twice as tall as the 99-foot Lincoln Memorial. It would also stand close to half the height of the Washington Monument, which reaches about 555 feet,” the outlet reported.
The staff report said the arch could retain Trump's desired overall height even after the changes needed to redistribute height among the main structure, habitable roof structure and statuary.
The commission staff has recommended approving the preliminary plans while requesting those revisions and additional project details, after which the applicant would return to the National Capital Planning Commission for final approval.
