One ballroom isn’t enough.
Together with other alterations, the project would double the size of an existing clubhouse and more than triple its seating capacity. The new ballroom at his private golf club in Bedminster would be used by the club’s 550 members and their families for events such as weddings.
Ivanka Trump married Jared Kushner at the club in 2009. Currently, there are 370 seats available at maximum capacity—but that doesn’t include room for a dance floor, a critical component for a wedding or bar mitzvah. The president and his son Eric Trump, who runs the Trump Organization, have been involved and updated on the project’s progress, according to a person familiar with the matter.
In Washington, Trump abruptly demolished the East Wing and started construction on his ballroom, alarming conservationists and prompting legal challenges. In the township of Bedminster, his team of architects and planners are taking a more methodical approach to expand the clubhouse at his golf club, going through local and state permitting that could take months to complete. The idea for the expansion came from Bedminster club members and the club’s longtime general manager, David Schutzenhofer. Developers hope to start work on part of the project this fall. He transformed the property into a private country club with two championship golf courses, a clubhouse with a restaurant and a helipad. Trump’s ex-wife Ivana Trump was buried there in a private plot. First lady Melania Trump and Trump’s son Barron enjoy spending their summers at the club. Some seating would be seasonal on an awning-covered rooftop terrace. The plans cleared the board, and the club also got approval from the Somerset-Union Soil Conservation District for erosion control.
Her objection to a potential increase in traffic sparked a tense exchange with the club’s attorney, Michael Lavery, who said she didn’t have to like the project, but that wasn’t what the meeting was for. Ed Russo, who represented the Trump Organization, told the land board the property gets too crowded on holidays like Mother’s Day when many of the members want to bring their families to the club. it wouldn’t all be used at the same time, club representatives said While the expansion would more than triple seating. It still needs three permits from the state environmental agency that could take months, according to the township’s engineer.
