Trump’s proposed arch gets preliminary site approval

President Trump’s proposal to build a 250-foot triumphal arch in Virginia across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., cleared an initial federal review Thursday, allowing the plans to proceed despite pushback from historic and architectural preservationists.

The National Capital Planning Commission, which includes three Trump appointees, voted 8-1 to approve preliminary site and building plans for the arch, which will be constructed near Arlington National Cemetery.

The commission deferred a key question over whether the arch could bypass an existing federal law limiting building heights in Washington to 130 feet.

Evan Cash, who represents D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson on the panel, was the sole commissioner to vote against the arch, raising concerns about the height restrictions in Washington.

“I’m not willing to lend my vote to plans that can have the effect of upending decades of NCPC practice and century-old height framework,” he said.

The arch would be more than twice the height of the Lincoln Memorial and roughly half the height of the Washington Monument.

Chairman Will Scharf, who is also the White House staff secretary, said a final vote will take place at the next commissioner’s meeting in September.

A modified version of the plans had already received final design approval in May from the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts — a panel consisting entirely of Trump appointees.

The arch received thousands of public comments, most of which opposed the plans due to criticism of the arch’s height that could block sightlines and the project’s burdensome cost on taxpayers.

“The proposed arch is an ugly, garish design. It is too tall, a waste of current and future taxpayers’ money and will permanently scar the federal landscape of both Arlington and Washington,” wrote one person.

The arch is one of several efforts by Trump to leave his mark on the nation’s capital during his second term, including plans to construct a new ballroom on the White House complex.