The White House will present new details on the planned East Wing ballroom during a Jan. 8 hearing.
Reuters reports the National Capital Planning Commission, chartered by Congress to manage planning for Washington-area federal lands, announced the Trump administration will offer an “information presentation” on the plans for the new ballroom, which is budgeted at $400 million and is being financed by corporate donations. The ballroom has created controversy after the Trump administration demolished the East Wing of the White House without advanced notice.
The nonprofit National Trust for Historic Preservation has filed a lawsuit to stop the ballroom’s construction, arguing that its proposed 90,000 square feet would overwhelm the 55,000-square-foot White House.
The National Capital Planning Commission is chaired by Will Scharf, a White House aid and former personal attorney to President Trump. The commission previously declined to review the East Wing’s demolition and the impact of the new ballroom on the White House complex. However, in a recent posting the commission said a formal review slated for the spring will consider lines of sight, public space, landscapes, and other structural issues.
Photo by G. Edward Johnson / Wikimedia Commons
