(Hai Fe) - At the end of a stormy discussion in the plenary of the local committee, it was decided today (Tuesday, 05/11/2024) that the members of the committee supported the deposit of the Lincoln Hills - Tel Aharon plan. The recommendation will go to the district committee, which has the authority to deposit the plan.
14 council members voted in favor of the recommendation and 3 members abstained. Council members discussed the question of whether there is an alternative to building the neighborhood, and agreed that shifting rights is not a realistic possibility. It should be noted that due to the security situation, the meeting was broadcast on zoom and environmental activists and residents who live near the new neighborhood could not enter the discussion.
In the discussion held before the vote, Mayor Yona Yahav said that the plan allows for the preservation of the landscape: "When it comes to lots that are approved for construction, we have no alternative. The landowners went to court, and the discussion here is by order of the court. If we do not advance the plan, the court will charge us with fines tall," Yahav said. "The architects who designed the plan are talented and we will get a beautiful product in the end. It will not be built during my lifetime and that of several other members of the council, we are not building at the moment. We are not estimating the impact of the war at all, you have to see what is happening in the lower city to understand."
The deputy mayor and chairman of the sub-committee for planning and construction, Sharit Golan Steinberg, agreed with Yahav and also noted that the construction will take a long time: "It should be understood that if 66% of the rights holders unite, they will be able to come up with their own plan."
Councilwoman Yael Shanar claimed that due to the slopes in the area, the cost of construction would be very high: "I fear what will happen with the wadis. This could be an opening for more construction in the wadis, which are the uniqueness of Haifa." Councilor Motti Blitzblau mentioned that there have already been 4 attempts to plan the neighborhood, and that the construction of the neighborhood should be used to create another exit from Harofeh Street.
Deputy Mayor Sophie Nakash explained that there is a ruling that needs to be followed: "It is impossible to stop progress and step into the shoes of the land owner," Nakash said and added: "Ugly things will not be built. We must not create a situation where the Haifa Municipality will be exposed to lawsuits. Only in recent times has the municipality required to pay NIS 20 million because of construction that was not carried out 20 years ago."
Councilor Zvika Barbie said that when established people decide they don't want construction next to the house, they manage to stop the move. "We have to build. When people who have money don't want construction next to their house, it's suddenly important to everyone, but who will raise the cry of East Haifa? People in Neve David can't get to the shelters and that's of no interest to anyone."
"Severe and irreversible environmental damage"
Following the recommendation to deposit the plan, the Society for the Protection of Nature stated:
"This is a plan that will cause severe and irreversible environmental damage, harm the local promenade, and be a prominent scenic hazard. In general, the establishment of a new neighborhood contradicts the national, district and city planning policy, which promotes urban and textured construction based on urban renewal, walkability, prioritization of public transportation over private vehicles, and a focus on the old neighborhoods of Haifa and not on the establishment of new neighborhoods at their expense. In particular, there is a contradiction to the 6th Civil Aviation Law which stipulates an obligation to consider the issues of preventing damage to natural resources and maintaining the continuity of the open space. Apparently, these considerations were not taken into account and at least not seriously." According to the statements of the Haifa Local Planning and Construction Committee, the reasoning The main and decisive factor for the promotion of the plan is the ruling of the district court in the petition filed against the municipality regarding the neighborhood, and the fear of civil lawsuits in large sums. This consideration is not inappropriate in itself, but it cannot be used as the sole reason for the promotion of a new neighborhood that would not have arisen for substantive reasons only, while Causing irreversible environmental damage in an open area that the residents of Haifa and the public as a whole are currently enjoying. In addition, the conduct of the municipality, which convened to discuss the plan in a closed forum and without allowing the public to enter the discussion, is to be regretted, in an improper manner and without the transparency required of a local authority."
Attempts to postpone the committee meeting were unsuccessful
(live here in the green areas) - Members of the "Green Mountain Group", residents' opposition to the construction plan on the slopes of Lincoln and Tel Aharon, sent a letter on Sunday, 03/11/2024 to Mayor Yona Yahav, Deputy Mayor and Chairman of the Planning and Construction Subcommittee Sharit Golan Steinberg and my friends The Haifa Planning Committee and the members of the City Council are warning of serious deficiencies in the plan and therefore they request to postpone the discussion of the plan, scheduled for Tuesday, 05/11/2024.
An incarnation of the Lincoln Hills plan
The Lincoln Hills program has a very long history. As I recall, In 2013 A plan was submitted for the construction of the neighborhood, which included over 3,000 units. A number of significant deficiencies were discovered in the plan, so the district committee rejected it. In 2015 The committee approved part of the plan, 4 years later, some of the private landowners filed a petition against the municipality, demanding that the plan be promoted. According to the municipality, fewer units are included in the plan compared to the original plan, so it is not economical (that is, nuclear).
The local committee accepted the comments and decided not to promote the program. At the same time, the court hearing the petition decided that the municipality is obliged to set a schedule for handling the plan. In 2023 The private landowners filed another petition against the municipality. Although the petition was rejected, the court ruled that the municipality must submit the plan by the end of the month אפריל 2024. The municipality met the demand and submitted a plan to build about 2,800 units to the district committee.
The letter to the mayor and council members: "Why not build according to the original and limited plan?"
In the letter sent by the members of the "Green Mountain" group to the Haifa municipality, they explain the reasons why the discussion to approve the Lincoln Slopes plan must now be postponed:
"In the opening of the opinion of the city engineer, which was brought as part of the invitation to the plenary meeting of the above-mentioned local committee for planning and construction, it appears that two city construction plans already apply to the area: HC/223 and HC/1D, which define in detail the rights of the landowners, the building densities, the method Area development and planting. The plans state that no buildings can be built in the area with a slope exceeding 40%. Also, the plans allocate the huge development costs to the landowners and not to the Haifa municipality (from property tax funds of Haifa residents).
The HF/223 plan from 1936 and the HF/1d plan from 1941 are valid claims that apply to the area. In fact, a permit can already be issued today based on these plans. The plans define a spacious building envelope with a low construction of up to 2 stories and sloped with greenery, which does not harm the landscape texture Carmel and its surroundings. Why don't we stick to the rights granted by them?"
Noa Belter from the Green Mountain organization: "It is not clear what the reason is for the municipality to add hundreds of building percentages to private landowners"
Noa Belter from the "Green Mountain" organization claims in a conversation with haipo:
"When there is an approved plan with limited building rights, there is no justification to add building rights and allow the construction of hundreds of additional housing units. According to her, the organization asked to postpone the discussion on the issue. Every area of the city is subject to a zoning ordinance, and in the area in question only two zoning ordinances apply from the days of the British Mandate , which allow compact construction with guidelines for wide spaces between the houses and green areas.
According to Belter, the rights in the approved plans include low-rise construction that is not economically viable for the contractors, due to the topographical limitations and the complex infrastructure of the steep terrain. According to her, the municipality allegedly increased the construction rights in order to make the project financially viable, a step that raises questions about the correctness of the move.
"If I purchased a property, will rights be added to me so that I can realize it?" she asks, and asks the municipality to justify its position. The building rights are a public resource, so the reason for increasing the rights of private land owners in such extensive rates is not clear.
"We believe that this plan should be shelved, as it lacks justification," Belter adds.
"The plan disproportionately damages the Haifa landscape, and the cutting down of about 4,000 trees is planned - in an era of global warming, this is an unacceptable action. The development of the infrastructure on the slope of the mountain will create a massive supporting wall, which will lead to the appearance of walls upon walls.
The simulations presented by the municipality are apparently misleading. The road planned for the addition of 2,200 housing units will further burden the already busy traffic lanes of an estate neighborhood, and the problem is expected to worsen. The municipality stated from the beginning that the plan was problematic and not in its priorities, and now it turns out that the landowners can act at any time to obtain a permit according to the plan from the days of the mandate, so their rights were not harmed. It is not clear why the municipality chooses to grant them additional privileges.
Another problem that worries us is the effect of the plan on the landscape and how the southern entrance to the city will look after the massive construction and the addition of concrete walls instead of the existing green. We are particularly troubled by the effect of the change on Haifa, which strives to brand itself as a tourist city. On Tuesday, November 5, 2024, a meeting of the planning and construction sub-committee will be held, and we believe that the municipality should clarify its position at this meeting. We are waiting to receive answers and explanations from the municipality."
Society for the Protection of Nature: "Nature and the Haifa landscape are a major asset of the city"
The Society for the Protection of Nature joins the residents' demand and claims that the designated neighborhood will damage the landscape, the views and the environment. This is a problematic plan that has already been rejected in the past for reasons of damage to the landscape, the views and the environment. Instead of strengthening and preserving the existing local ecological corridor in infrastructure crossings adapted to the passage of animals, this plan arrives and significantly interrupts the animals' ability to move in space. We believe that nature and the Haifa landscape are a major asset of the city. The unique expression of Haifa, which makes it one of the most special and beautiful cities in the world, is based on these patterns of nature and landscape, and harming them is harming the soul of the city.
We call on the Haifa Municipality to re-examine all the open spaces where there are plans from the 30s to the 80s
"The Society for the Protection of Nature further emphasizes that in the city of Haifa, and especially in the natural fringes to the west - the western slopes of Carmel - a comprehensive urban nature survey was conducted in 2012, which determined that Haifa is a city of unique natural value at the national level, rich in natural values and rare biological diversity."
"We see great importance in leaving the western slopes of Haifa and the Carmel as an open area, without restrictions that could harm the movement of animals in the area. We call on the Haifa municipality to re-examine all the open areas where there are construction plans from the 30s to the 80s, and formulate an approach A plan that combines the needs of urban development on the one hand, and the preservation of open spaces on the other, in accordance with the contemporary concepts of the year 2024."
Haifa Municipality's response:
Against the municipality of Haifa there is a judgment requiring the promotion of the program under the authority of the district committee. The local committee acts as it is obliged to do according to the law to formulate its recommendations and submit them to the district committee which, as mentioned, has the authority to approve the plan.
Just let's understand what is being done here and how to destroy here:
It is important that we understand the data. 3,000 apartments (housing units) were approved there.
OK tower in the center of Tel Aviv of 40 floors contains 200 apartments.
Let's assume that they would have received an alternative space in Naot Peres B.
Every Huadi destruction to such a neighborhood enters a 200 dunam area of 15 40-story towers,
Like Top Park in Tel Aviv. The wholesale market in Tel Aviv has 3000 units on an area of 60 dunams.
But we will be large - 3 times. 200 dunams with gardens and squares.
In other words, all the expensive quarries, the interchange, the infrastructures that would cost at least half a billion shekels were possible
To prevent, with one simple planning decision, a large movement of rights of all the owners of the rights in the neighborhood and unification and division
For towers with luxury apartments (better in a better neighborhood on the slopes of Haifa with the same view from the same height)
This is the difference between good and benevolent urban planning that preserves open spaces
to careless bad planning which in the end brings us to bad neighborhoods and creeping development at the expense of open space.
This is what happens when technocrats sit at the head of the city and its leadership, who do not understand its unique qualities, but only understand the language of money and quick profits. They call irreversible destruction "development"... We see Yahav than building monsters in his neighborhood, Dania. They will not build monsters there, because the rich residents will of course object. The monsters will be built in a place of weak or medium populations, where there is no strong enough resistance. Yahav, future generations will remember this to you, Ladiron.
This city is being systematically destroyed, and it is unforgivable. The whole uniqueness of Haifa is that it is in a unique landscape, between the mountain and the sea, between the forest and the bay, between wadis and a natural forest, and all of this is being destroyed lightly and thoughtlessly, following immediate economic interests, and not according to the good of the public, the city and future generations. The advantage of Haifa as a relaxed, cultured and nature-immersed city, as a city with qualities that attract tourism, as a city of different cultural communities, all of this is reflected in the monstrous construction of towers. This is the cutting of the branch on which the city sits. Crying for generations.
At a good and successful time the local committee for planning and construction approved the plan. It will not help all the bad people who opposed and oppose this plan. They do not understand that private individuals have invested hundreds of thousands of shekels in this project, the best money they have saved, and this is their last money.
The bad people are the ones who acted to push it into action knowing full well that it is bad and failed and destructive. And with the expectation that they will pass on the astronomical costs of the development and interchange to the other residents of Haifa. which is another opening for a very serious legal battle.
The Municipality of Haifa waves the financial and legal argument as a reason for the decision. Haifa Municipality is not responsible for the welfare of the entrepreneurs but for the welfare of the residents. By approving the plan, the municipality informed the residents of its preference. This is how things should be seen, and only this way: in Haifa Municipality, the welfare of the entrepreneurs comes before the welfare of the residents.
I have already made 10,000 NIS...
The compensation to the landowners, as published, in the amount of 1 billion NIS, is divided among 100 thousand households in the city of Haifa.
What about the other opponents?
The plan is delusional and will create an ugly and unnecessary neighborhood like the slopes of Kabvir - retaining walls 30-40 meters high (gray walls at the height of a 10-story building). A wild quarry that will never be restored. Streets where the children will grow up are closed off in houses or in cars because they will have to go everywhere by car. Completely disconnected from the urban continuum.
Terrible waste of a Wadi destruction area with the highest landscape values there is. Wild quarries that will collapse like the walls in Habiva Reich and White from water on the slopes of the mountain that will also create floods in valleys without the possibility of natural percolation. Uprooting of thousands of trees and bushes. The creation of a buffer in the sequence of valleys on the back of the mountain following the devastating impact of the Kabbir-Neva David road.
West Haifa will look like the gray and ugly mirror of East Haifa to those coming from the north.
And all because in this municipality they could not give alternative lands or transfer rights to apartments to plots in Benaot Peres and under Freud road. What a trash municipality, excuse me, trash is the appropriate phrase.
In my opinion, there is a fear of a conflict of interest in the handling of the Haifa municipality and the local committee in the planning of the complex - and the unapplicable planning that hurts the landowners so much - only sharpens and emphasizes the fear - the conduct of the planning authorities and the Haifa municipality is causing serious damage to the landowners - and some of them have already filed lawsuits amounting to hundreds of millions of NIS. H - and in the future, lawsuits worth billions of additional NIS are expected to be filed against the planning authorities and the municipality of Haifa - entities that are already in economic and functional collapse and the entire public will be forced to bear the burden. And yet, the planning authorities and the municipalities of Haifa refuse to hold a dialogue with me about the benefits of planning and solving the problems - and testify to abuse and mistreat the owners of the land, and this has already been clarified in the discussion of the subcommittee of the local committee according to which perhaps my great-grandchildren will be able to build on the site - this is the policy of the planning authorities and the municipality of Haifa - and for that Compensation will be paid to the landowners in Mihiardi NIS.
The name of the plan does not fit the software - it is the 'quarry plan' which, God forbid, is implemented - and it is not intended to be implemented - it will turn the mountain into one big quarry with huge excavations and formidable retaining walls - since it includes very long lots perpendicular to the slope of the mountain - as if we are On the plain and not on top of the Carmel ridge - there is no compatibility with the topography - a design that simply does not fit the place.
The hearing on November 5.11.2024, 4 is an idle hearing on a plan that is illegal - it does not comply with the provisions of amendment 35 to TMA 4 to which it is subject and the instructions of the district committee to subject every plan instead of the provisions of the said amendment XNUMX.
In the hearing scheduled for 5.11.2024/2015/6.12.2017, the municipality's planning and the public's objections are to be discussed. There is also supposed to be a discussion on the presentation of the qualitative plan that I submitted to the local committee, the district committee and the municipality of Haifa in 1998 - in accordance with the decision of the district committee of December 50, XNUMX - the presentation of my qualitative plan, by me, to the members of the district committee. Since these things are not going to happen, there is no point in holding a discussion on an idle plan that only creates a public hazard and a waste of public money and public resources. In this regard, it will be clarified that in the planning that began in XNUMX and up to today, more than XNUMX million NIS of the public funds and the money of the land owners have been wasted.