The Interior Department submitted plans for its massive redevelopment of East Potomac Golf Links, detailing the cost and timeline for a new seawall and a tiered-pricing concept but leaving the total cost and timeline of the project unclear.
The plans, sent to the National Capital Planning Commission on Friday, come as President Donald Trump’s plans for a “world class championship” golf course move through an ongoing legal battle ahead of a planned closure date of Nov. 15. The commission will consider the plans at a meeting on Dec. 3.
The plans describe the golf course as “dilapidated” and “unsafe,” and outline a goal of transforming it into an “affordable championship golf course, open to the public.”
The 55-page proposal includes safety assessments that mark nearly every aspect of the golf course as being in poor condition. One assessment found the clubhouse interior, driving range and trees in the parking lot to be in “critical” condition, and 84 fire and life safety deficiencies were flagged around the facility.
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A focal point of the proposal is the rehabilitation of the aging seawall surrounding the man-made island with a “cost-effective” model.
The work would include installing about 20,700 feet of new seawall made with a combination of stamped concrete and stacked stone. The proposal estimates the new seawall would cost $304.5 million — $56 million less than an all-stone version — and would take two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half years to complete.
The cost estimate comes after a hearing on Friday in which U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes castigated the Department of Justice for not being able to precisely say where the funding for the project would come from. Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said at the hearing that the new seawall would cost between $150 million and $400 million, according to three estimates, and that government funds are available for such projects.
The proposal outlined how the redevelopment would address the displaced recreational areas surrounding the current golf course — an issue that has been a source of anxiety for many park users as Trump’s plans have developed.
The new 18-hole “championship”-style golf course would extend to the shoreline, covering the pedestrian walkways that bikers and joggers often use. The redevelopment is also expected to remove picnic and fishing areas around Hains Point.
The Interior Department plans to “locate replacements” for recreation areas “as close as feasible, such as West Potomac Park and the Tidal Basin.”
The proposal bases the redeveloped golf course’s projected economic impact on the reported success of three other public golf courses across the country: Memorial Park in Houston; Bethpage Black in Long Island, New York; and Torrey Pines in San Diego.
It pitches a two-tier pricing model, where D.C. residents would pay a lower rate — similar to the three cited golf courses, which charge two to four times more for nonresidents to play. The plan says that nonresidents paying a higher price would help fund the new course’s upkeep.
“Premium out-of-town fees support championship conditions while locals keep affordable access,” the proposal says.
Currently, East Potomac Golf Links doesn’t offer different rates for residents, and its website lists the most expensive round of golf as $48 for 18 holes on the Blue course on weekends.
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