The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, a separate federal agency, approved the design for the arch in May
President Donald Trump’s plans to build a skyline-altering arch in the nation’s capital won initial approval Thursday from a key federal commission.
The National Capital Planning Commission voted to approve preliminary site and building plans for the 250-foot (76-meter) arch the Republican president wants to build on a traffic circle at the Virginia end of Memorial Bridge from Washington.
Agency staff had recommended preliminary approval along with a series of revisions to the project to comply with a federal law that limits building heights in Washington, but the commission voted to continue deliberating the height issue.