Federal Staff Advances Trump's Proposed Arch Toward Approval; Lawsuit Pending

Federal planning staff recommended that the National Capital Planning Commission approve the proposed site and building plans for President Trump's 250-foot ceremonial arch in principle. The commission is scheduled to review the project on Thursday.

An 185-page staff report states that the commission should request the applicant revise the project design to comply with the Height of Buildings Act and return to the commission for final approval.

Staff said the changes would require redistributing the structure's height between the main arch, the rooftop observation deck and three gilded statues planned for the top. Even with those revisions, the monument would still stand about 250 feet tall.

The report also calls for additional information on traffic around the site, the proposed granite exterior and other design details before the Interior Department considers final approval.

Trump wants to build the arch at the traffic circle on the Virginia end of the Memorial Bridge, just across the Potomac River from Washington. The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts approved the design in May, and the National Capital Planning Commission began its review in June.

Trump appointed senior White House aide Will Scharf to lead the planning commission. A coalition of veterans and a historian filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block construction, arguing the project would damage the historic landscape. If built, the arch would stand more than twice the height of the 99-foot Lincoln Memorial and nearly half as tall as the 555-foot Washington Monument.

Trump previously said the project could be paid for with leftover private donations originally raised for a planned $400 million White House ballroom. The administration acknowledged that public money will also be used to fund both the arch and the ballroom projects, although the White House has not released a cost estimate for the arch.