Donald Trump’s proposal to build a 250-foot ceremonial arch in Washington, D.C., has hit a potential roadblock after federal planning staff recommended changes to ensure the project complies with the city’s strict building height limits.
The National Capital Planning Commission is scheduled to review the project Thursday, but agency staff is urging commissioners to require design revisions before granting final approval.
According to an 185-page staff report, the commission should approve the proposed site and building plans in principle while directing the project team to revise the design to comply with the federal Height of Buildings Act, which protects Washington’s historic skyline.
“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 report states.
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, which oversees the National Park Service, 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.
The proposal has drawn fierce criticism from preservationists, veterans and historians, who argue the massive structure would overwhelm the capital’s skyline and disrupt the historic view between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery — a sightline deliberately created to symbolize the reunification of the North and South after the Civil War.
Despite the opposition, critics face an uphill battle. Trump appointed senior White House aide Will Scharf to lead the planning commission, whose members include several administration allies.
A coalition of veterans and a historian has also filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block construction, arguing the project would damage the historic landscape.
If built, the arch would tower over many of Washington’s landmarks. It 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 has previously said the project could be paid for with leftover private donations originally raised for a planned $400 million White House ballroom. The administration has since acknowledged that public money will also be used to fund both projects, although the White House has not released a cost estimate for the arch.