Trump’s White House ballroom wins approval of planning authorities | Donald Trump
Donald TrumpThe White House ballroom project won approval from Washington planning officials Thursday, two days after the judge’s ruling business cannot continue Without the approval of Congress.
The National Capital Planning Commission, chaired by one of Trump’s former lawyers, gave the green light to the “East Wing Modernization Project” on Thursday, describing the ballroom as only the latest phase of two centuries of constant changes.
“Some may wish history on Earth would stop, but the truth is that the White House complex is constantly evolving to meet the programmatic needs of the federal government and the presidency,” said commission chairman William Scharf. “I believe that over time this ballroom will be valued as much as a national treasure as other important components of the White House.”
The Republican president said the $400 million, 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-meter) ballroom would be a defining, privately funded addition to the White House and a permanent symbol of his presidency.
The ballroom is part of Trump’s broader effort to reshape Washington’s monumental core; the initiative also includes plans for a 250-foot (76-meter) arch and multi-year renovation of the Kennedy Center performing arts complex. He also ripped out and replaced the White House Rose Garden and added a large array of gilding to the Oval Office.
Phil Mendelson, president and commissioner of the District of Columbia Council, criticized the process that began with the demolition of the East Wing before it was more carefully deliberated.
“The fact that it was uncharacteristically demolished before the plans were submitted means the iterative process is more constant,” he said. “I don’t see any analysis of the square footage requirement. I don’t see any analysis of why the structure can’t be taken down. We’ve been told for safety reasons. Maybe that’s true. But there’s no analysis… It’s just too big.”
The commission, along with the U.S. Commission on Fine Arts, is one of two federal bodies charged with overseeing major construction projects in the D.C. area.
Trump selected several members from both groups. Scharf, Trump’s former personal attorney, chairs the National Capital Planning Commission.
The Justice Department on Tuesday appealed a ruling that said the president could not build his planned ballroom on the site of the White House’s demolished East Wing without approval from Congress.
The federal judge in the case granted a request for a preliminary injunction by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit organization that filed a lawsuit alleging Trump overstepped his authority in razing the historic East Wing and starting construction on the new building.
