The head of a federal commission stacked with President Donald Trump’s deputies said he believes the president’s proposed triumphal arch should be exempt from a federal law capping the height of buildings in the nation’s capital.
William Scharf, whom Trump named chair of the National Capital Planning Commission, said he wants to see the commission break from its long-standing interpretation that the law passed by Congress in 1910 applies to federal buildings. The Heights of Buildings Act generally restricts the height of structures at 130 feet, while Trump has proposed an arch that would be 250 feet tall.
“I’ve thought deeply about the issue of the Heights Buildings Act and its applicability,” said Scharf, who is also a White House staffer, arguing that the law challenges the separation of powers. “On reflection, I find that NCPCs position is a little odd to me from a legal perspective.”
The commission met to discuss the arch Thursday, but did not reach its final decision. Commissioners, however, did vote to accept a staff report which included critiques of the proposal to put the arch on a traffic circle across at the Arlington Memorial Bridge. Staffers raised concerns about heavy traffic, pedestrian access, lighting and storm drainage.
