WASHINGTON - The National Capital Planning Commission unanimously approved a plan to give a facelift to America?EUR??,,????'???s most famous Avenue - the stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House. The 12-member Commission reviewed an updated version of Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates?EUR??,,????'??? design before making its decision. NCPC selected the Van Valkenburgh proposal from among plans submitted by four of the country?EUR??,,????'???s preeminent landscape architecture firms. For nearly seven years the stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House has been closed to vehicular traffic, and scattered with ad-hoc security barriers ranging from large concrete planter pots to jersey barriers and makeshift guard huts. The Van Valkenburgh Associates?EUR??,,????'??? design is aimed at removing all of the makeshift security measures and leaving in their place a beautiful civic space worthy of America?EUR??,,????'???s ?EUR??,,????'??Main Street.?EUR??,,????'?? The design?EUR??,,????'???s central elements include new paving materials and tree planting within the civic space; a route for a planned transit system; a combination of retractable, removable and fixed bollards; and new security booths. ?EUR??,,????'??The conditions in front of the White House are an embarrassment and an eyesore,?EUR??,,????'?? said chairman of the Interagency Security Task Force, Richard Friedman. ?EUR??,,????'??I wholeheartedly support Van Valkenburgh?EUR??,,????'???s design. It will remove all of the clutter and create a dignified and safe place for viewing the White House grounds.?EUR??,,????'?? The concept design proposes replanting trees in place of the existing concrete bollards along Pennsylvania Avenue, where a row of trees once existed. New trees will also be planted at 15th and 17th Streets with a single row on the north side of the Avenue, and a double row on the south side. The tree rows will help create a welcoming public space and provide a more dignified view of the White House grounds.