A potential helipad and new parking spots are the latest changes at the White House

By Kevin Liptak, CNN

(CNN) — Two new projects at the White House aim to resolve a common problem: where to park.

In one case, the parking spot in question is for Marine One, the green-and-white helicopter whose designated space is on the South Lawn grass.

The other is for administration staffers, whose rank can often be ascertained by how close to the executive mansion they’re allowed to pull their cars.

Both projects are the latest changes to the White House grounds overseen by President Donald Trump, who has taken personal interest in overhauling the historic campus to solve what he says are modern-day problems.

In the case of the helicopter, the problem stems from the high-velocity heat blasted downward by a new model used for presidential transport, the VH-92A Patriot. In test runs, the exhaust has scorched the grass.

To fix the issue, Trump has discussed plans to install a helipad on the White House grounds, according to people familiar with the discussions.

Currently, Marine One lands on three small round planks that are placed on the grass shortly before it arrives. Landing on a permanent spot without any vegetation underneath could avoid damage to the turf.

The burnt-grass problem has prevented use of the new helicopter at the White House for years. While Trump and his predecessor Joe Biden both used the new model outside Washington, an older model that the Pentagon is trying to retire is required to ferry the president from the South Lawn to points afield.

“President Trump has continued to make improvements at the White House and all around D.C. to benefit future presidents and Americans,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said in response to questions about plans for the helipad, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

On the other side of the building, a different parking solution is emerging. Over the weekend, yellow lines denoting parking spots appeared on a pedestrianized stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue opposite the North Portico.

The sight of a new parking lot in the spot where tourists often congregate to admire the White House alarmed many. But the White House quickly explained it was temporary.

“It is temporary staff parking through June 28 to accommodate projects and events within the White House complex,” an official administration social media account said.

Staff parking at the White House is a hierarchy. Those with the highest rank are given spots to park on West Executive Drive, which runs between the West Wing and the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.

The further down the ladder, the farther the parking spot from the building. Mid- and low-level staffers park on the Ellipse, which can be a hike from the offices inside the complex.

Next month, Trump is hosting a UFC fight on the South Lawn and a “fan fest” on the Ellipse, potentially disrupting some of the normal staff parking. The new spots on Pennsylvania Avenue are far closer to the working areas of the White House.

The stretch where the spots were created has been closed for months as renovations proceed in Lafayette Park — another pet project of Trump, who insisted on seeing the fountains working again and the grass repaired.

The avenue has been closed to vehicle traffic since 1995, when a truck bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Office Building in Oklahoma City led to new security protocols around the White House.

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