Panel to Reconsider Site, Design of D.C.’s World War II Memorial

The National Capital Planning Commission voted unanimously Thursday to reconsider the site and design of the proposed World War II Memorial on the Mall, unexpectedly reopening a bitter debate that had seemed closed just a few months ago.

The commission voted to hold a two-day public hearing on the subject and to get advice from a “blue-ribbon” panel of architects and urban planners. In addition, commissioners asked the National Park Service to build a mock-up of the memorial on the proposed 7.4-acre site between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument so they could better assess the structure’s scale and effect.

Until Thursday’s meeting, the commission had indicated that it would focus on the narrow question of whether its former chairman, Harvey Gantt, should have been allowed to participate in votes last year approving the memorial’s design. Gantt voted even though he had not been reappointed to the panel, a problem that did not surface until a court hearing in March on a lawsuit brought by the project’s opponents. Gantt has since resigned.

Supporters and opponents said Thursday that they were surprised the commission agreed to reconsider not only those votes but also earlier votes in favor of the controversial Mall location.

Opponents of the design have said that it will block the famous Mall vistas and that it is too large for the site. The memorial would include a sunken pool and 43-foot granite arches.

But most veterans organizations have strongly supported the project.