Yardan described a potential shuttering, even if temporary, as a “huge dent” in DC culture that could change the heart of the space.
Trump, an avid golfer and owner of more than a dozen courses, says his vision for the course will make it “one of the Best and Most Spectacular Golf Courses anywhere in the World”.
But courts will need to mediate the dispute between the White House and the community before Trump can realize his plans.
The historic course, which sits 2 miles (3km) south of the White House, is one of three public courses run by the National Park Service in the nation’s capital. A lawsuit from the DC Preservation League and two golfers from the course asks the court to stop Trump’s planned renovation.
“Our litigation is intended to protect this community jewel for the people and communities it serves,” Democracy Forward, the group representing the plaintiffs, said in a statement on social media.
The legal fight intensified this month after the government began large-scale tree removal on the course without giving the court or plaintiffs notice.
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to stop its redevelopment plans until at least 26 October.
Despite the work stoppage, Trump took to social media on Sunday to announce that the course will be closed for 15-months beginning in November to accommodate the renovations. He also shared a rendering of the course redesign.
“The current Course is old, broken, dilapidated, and of no further use or effect. It is in very poor condition, with falling, dangerous, and disease-infested trees and, importantly, a collapsing and hazardous seawall,” Trump wrote in his post on Sunday.
While golfer Thomas Snow, who is not part of the suit, conceded the course could use a “facelift”, he thinks the president’s description of the course is a “gross overstatement”.
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