Interior Department say D.C.'s height limits don't apply to Trump's proposed arch

+ National A federal panel advances Trump's proposed arch, despite unanswered questions July 10, 20264:49 AM ET Heard on Morning Edition By Rachel Treisman Interior Department say D.C.'s height limits don't apply to Trump's proposed arch Listen &middot; 2:00 2:00 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5887491/nx-s1-9843259" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript The National Capital Planning Commission greenlit preliminary site and building plans after hours of public pushback.

+ Sponsor Message Transcript STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: A federal planning commission has advanced President Trump's proposed arch in Washington, D.C., or just outside Washington, D.C., but the commission wants more details before it gives the final green light. NPR's Rachel Treisman reports on some of the remaining hurdles.

+ RACHEL TREISMAN, BYLINE: The National Capital Planning Commission's Thursday meeting started with protesters outside and continued with over two hours of public pushback in the room. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) MEG COWAN: This proposal is an affront to the men and women buried at Arlington National Cemetery. ED STIERLI: So only Congress can decide if such a work belongs here? PEGGY BARLETT: Its design is fussy, imitative and intrudes on the harmony of the surrounding area. TREISMAN: Meg Cowan, Ed Stierli and Peggy Barlett were among the roughly 40 people who spoke out against the arch. That's on top of thousands who submitted written comments, overwhelmingly in opposition. Many of the speakers criticized the arch's proposed placement in a traffic circle directly between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. Veterans, some of whom are suing over the arch, and gold star mothers like Cynthia Morrison said a huge structure would be out of place. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) CYNTHIA MORRISON: For me, that view is not merely visual. It is remembrance. TREISMAN: There are also safety concerns for pedestrians, cyclists, cars and planes. The 250-foot arch would sit directly in the path of flights coming in and out of Reagan National Airport. Cowan again. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) COWAN: The fact that this so-called monument would require red obstruction lights only underscores how inappropriate it is. TREISMAN: The commission, which is chaired by a Trump appointee, ultimately voted 8-1 to approve the site and building plans. Three members voted present. Commissioners asked the Department of the Interior to come back with more details, including traffic and environmental studies. Jessica Bowron represents the department. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) JESSICA BOWRON: I can certainly commit that we will continue to work to be responsive to the comments of the commission. TREISMAN: The panel tabled a discussion of D.C.'s building height limits until its next meeting. That's scheduled for early September. Rachel Treisman, NPR News. Copyright &copy; 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. Facebook Flipboard Email Read & Listen Home News Culture Music Podcasts & Shows Connect Newsletters Facebook Instagram Press Public Editor Corrections Transcripts Contact & Help About NPR Overview Diversity NPR Network Accessibility Ethics Finances Get Involved Support Public Radio Sponsor NPR NPR Careers NPR Shop NPR Extra Terms of Use Privacy Your Privacy Choices Text Only Sponsor Message Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor (function () { var loadPageJs = function () { (window.webpackJsonp=window.webpackJsonp||[]).push([[22],{309:function(e,n,o){o.p=NPR.serverVars.webpackPublicPath,Promise.all([o.e(1),o.e(2),o.e(3),o.e(4),o.e(80)]).then((e=>{o(15),o(770),o(154),o(175),o(93),o(448),o(253),o(128),o(130),o(755),o(174),o(756),o(254),o(77),o(774)}).bind(null,o)).catch(o.oe)},783:function(e,n,o){e.exports=o(309)}},[[783,0]]]); }; if (document.readyState === 'complete') { loadPageJs(); } else { window.addEventListener('load', function load() { window.removeEventListener('load', load, false); loadPageJs(); }); } })();