White House is expected to submit plans for new ballroom to planning commission this month

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is expected to submit plans for its new ballroom to a federal planning commission this month, about three months after construction began, the presidentially appointed head of the panel said Thursday.

“Once plans are submitted, that’s really when the role of this commission, and its professional staff, will begin,” Will Scharf, chair of the National Capital Planning Commission, said at its monthly meeting.

The 90,000-square-foot ballroom will dwarf the White House itself, at nearly double the size, and President Donald Trump has said it will accommodate 999 people. It will have an estimated price tag of $300 million, a cost that has increased from initial projections.

Trump said on social media that the ballroom won’t cost taxpayers a dime because it is being privately funded by “many generous Patriots, Great American Companies, and, yours truly.”

In September, Trump moved ahead with site preparation work despite the lack of sign-off from the National Capital Planning Commission, the executive branch agency that has jurisdiction over construction and major renovations to government buildings in the region.

Scharf has made a distinction between demolition work and rebuilding, saying the commission only has jurisdiction over the latter. L. Preston Bryant Jr., a former chair of the commission under President Barack Obama, told The Associated Press that the approval process typically involved four stages, including an early consultation when the project was conceptual.

In October, Trump demolished the East Wing, where he has proposed to build the ballroom. Site preparation work has continued daily since then, with the sound of construction audible amid the hustle and bustle at the White House.

The East Wing was the traditional base of operations for the first lady and her staff. Several other White House offices also were housed in that wing.