Want to express your thoughts on the demolition of the East Wing? Or the construction of the $400 million White House ballroom?
You’ll have your chance to sound off on March 5 at a hearing of the National Capital Planning Commission, before members vote on the project. An online portal allowing the public to register to speak will open on Feb. 12, according to recently filed court documents. USA TODAY is the first to report on this detail of the filing.
The documents were filed in response to a Dec. 12 lawsuit by the National Trust for Historic Preservation aimed at blocking the construction of President Donald Trump's new 20,000 square foot White House ballroom as part of a 90,000-square-foot renovation of the East Wing.
A court hearing is set for January 22.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, names Trump, the National Park Service and several other administration officials involved in a fast-expanding project that already included the demolition of the East Wing and prompted the ire of preservationists and former first ladies including Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama.
