Is President Donald Trump's proposed 250-foot arch in jeopardy? As complaints and lawsuits pile up, it is becoming more uncertain that this plan will come to fruition. Read on for all of the details of the planned Triumphal Arch and the backlash that it faces.

About Trump's Proposed Triumphal Arch

The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) met this week to discuss the application for a plan to build a 250-foot arch in the middle of Washington, D.C. President Trump's proposed Triumphal Arch will feature a 60-foot-tall gilded and winged Lady Liberty figure towering over the nation's capital.

The Trump administration wants to build the arch at Memorial Circle, the busy traffic circle located between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery at the heart of Washington, D.C. The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts voted to approve the design of the arch last month. It should be noted that members of this committee were appointed by the president himself.

The project now needs the approval of the NCPC. The commission received nearly 1,700 comments on its website about the project. An analysis of these comments found that more than 99% of them were negative about the project.

The Triumphal Arch is one of the many ways that Trump is looking to insert his personal style on the landscape of the capital through a variety of construction and renovation projects. These include a ballroom attached to the White House, extensive renovations at the newly renamed Trump-Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and repainting the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

Congress has not yet authorized the project; however, the president claims that he does not need congressional approval to move forward with construction of the arch. The federal land slated to house the arch is managed by the National Park Service (NPS).

The U.S. Department of the Interior is the official applicant on the project. This federal agency said in the formal filing that “the purpose of the arch is to celebrate the triumphs of the American people, inspire patriotism and love of country, and beautify our nation’s capital.”

Legal Pushback to the Triumphal Arch Project

Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization, has sprung into action to try to stop the construction. The group recently filed a lawsuit representing three Vietnam War veterans and an architectural historian asking to block construction of the arch. The lawsuit alleges that the arch would obstruct the sacred view between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial. The filing said that this view has been "carefully designed to symbolize the unification of the country after the Civil War and the strength of a united nation."

Public Citizen alleges that the NPS must first authorize the construction since they control the land. Trump disputes this notion, claiming that the land is owned by the Department of the Interior. Similarly, the president did not seek congressional approval when he demolished the East Wing to make way for the ballroom. This case is also being contested through the courts.

The proposed arch would sit on the Memorial Avenue Corridor, a zone in the district that includes Memorial Circle, Memorial Avenue Bridge, and Arlington Memorial Bridge. A memo written by staff at the NCPC notes that the Memorial Avenue Corridor was designed to be a “symbolic and physical link between the Lincoln Memorial, a tribute to the 16th American President; the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery and Arlington House, the former plantation home of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.”

Edward Stierli of the National Parks Conservation Association spoke at Thursday's NCPC meeting, saying that the congressional authorization of the Arlington Memorial Bridge in 1925 specifically called for a low design to preserve the sightlines between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. Stierli said that “The proposed Triumphal Arch would physically and symbolically shatter that relationship."

The NCPC staff memo also stated that the applicant needs to work with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to determine whether the proposed arch would affect air navigation in the region. The proposed arch is located along the Potomac River, approximately 3,000 feet from Reagan National Airport. According to some critics of the arch, the proximity to the landing approaches for two runways could pose hazards to air navigation.

The commission staff is being asked to request that the Department of the Interior provide an “analysis and justification for the project’s height.” The Height of Buildings Act is a federal law that limits building height and could prove problematic for supporters of the arch.

The NCPC heard three hours of public comments and discussion during its June 4 meeting. The planning commission concluded the meeting by voting to seek more information from the Department of the Interior before proceeding.

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