The building that is causing a stir: What will happen to the casino in Bat Galim?

One of the most fascinating buildings in Haifa is the casino building, located on the beach in the Bat Galim neighborhood. Since the 90s, it has stood abandoned, with exposed concrete walls, closed to visitors. For many years, the building served as a center of attraction for the city's residents, thanks to the pool that was on site and the events that were held there. There are many struggles behind the casino, and at this stage, the developer plans to build a 110-room hotel on the site and another building adjacent to it. The plan will be presented to the district committee, but it is expected to encounter opposition from neighborhood residents and environmental activists, who oppose it and want to see the municipality involved and protect the public interest, as they understand it. The municipality, at this stage, serves only as an advisory body, but claims that it is not the authority to make the final decisions.

In June of last year, the Planning and Building Subcommittee, headed by Deputy Mayor Sarit Golan Steinberg, discussed a plan to build a hotel on the casino grounds. The plan was designed by Gordon Architects and includes the construction of a 110-room hotel on the casino grounds (with the addition of two floors) and an additional building on the grounds where the pool used to be. In order to implement the plan, the zoning of the land, which is currently designated for the public, must be changed so that it is designated for hotel use. Golan Steinberg determined that a vote would not be held until a public consultation on the matter had been held. A public consultation was held in July, where the plan was presented and residents were invited to comment. The developer contacted the District Committee to have the plan approved.

It should be noted that although the building is called a "casino", it was never used as a casino. It operated in the 30s and 40s as an entertainment center, and after the establishment of the state it was used as an event hall until the 70s. The building was then abandoned and bought in the 80s by a developer with the aim of establishing a complex on the site that included an event hall, cafes and a swimming pool. During the developer's reconstruction of the building, it was demolished and rebuilt, and the skeleton that still stands on the beach in Bat Galim is the result of the reconstruction, which was carried out in 2000.

Dr. Nir Barak, one of the leaders of the struggle: "We are waiting for an official document from the municipality with its intentions regarding the casino."

Dr. Nir Barak, a resident of the Bat Galim neighborhood, one of the leaders of the struggle and an expert on urban politics, emphasizes: "It is very important for us to promote the casino issue in cooperation with the municipality. We see signs that the municipality is changing its position. Last September, we heard the statement by the mayor, Yona Yahav, that no construction will be made on the area of ​​the historic pool, and that there is an intention to return the pool that was there in the past. Deputy mayor, Sarit Golan Steinberg, also notes that the position of the municipality's management is not to allow a new structure on the area of ​​the pool, and that the old pool should be returned. Such statements are important, but they are not enough. We are waiting for an official document from the municipality. This means that the municipality should oppose the existing plan comprehensively, and not approve a change of designation, neither of the casino nor of the pool. We also expect public participation regarding an alternative plan, and we will continue to work to promote alternatives."

"A few months ago, public participation was held that was mainly to inform the public," he says, "and not really active participation in the decision-making process. We are waiting for the opportunity to shape the program ourselves, and not just offer comments on an existing plan. A clear distinction must be made between genuine consultation with the public and unilateral information. This is an absurd situation, in which the municipality presents a developer's plan to the public, when it is not clear how a developer or an architectural firm presents the plan themselves. We expect the public to have a real voice in this process. The needs and constraints of the developer must also be taken into account, but at the same time, we must rely on those with expertise in the municipality. Real public participation must be done at an early stage, before the final plan is formulated, and not afterwards. This is a symbolic complex for both the city and the neighborhood, in a particularly sensitive area that is a sentimental focus for many. An example of this is the Beit Galim Festival during Hanukkah, where an exhibition by Yael Horwitz was presented with photos of the casino and the pool. The photos Many were moved, and we were thrilled to see the number of people who came to the exhibition and felt a strong connection to the region and the memories it represents."

"When we started to delve deeper into the story, we started to examine comprehensively and it became clear that the municipality is allowing Gil Dankner to hold us hostage, without any means of pressure to develop the land. There is an environmental and social hazard here, and he is waiting for land values ​​to rise. It doesn't work like that. When he bought the land, he knew what the land's designation was. We need to understand the significance of changing the land's designation. When the change of designation happens, the value of the land jumps, and in fact a person who has done nothing for the city will make a lot of money here. We are trying to examine the possibility of not continuing the lease of the land, because the lease of the area is until 2038."

"We always come with a constructive approach. We want to work with the municipality, but let them bring us into the picture. The situation in which a plan is presented to us as a fait accompli is unacceptable to us. This is a symbol that was a source of pride and has become a source of neglect. Not every possible solution is appropriate. We are waiting for an official document, and we expect the municipality to argue against the plan in the district committee. In other cities, they said there is no such thing as going to the district committee first and not to the local committee. There is an attempt here to ignore municipal democracy."

"We want to see appropriate consideration for a symbol that touches the hearts of so many Haifa residents."

"We understand the planning constraints and also the constraints of the developer. Our group has very experienced professionals. We want to work with the municipality and not against the municipality, and that is what is right for the city and the residents. We want to see proper and appropriate treatment of the symbol, which touches the hearts of so many Haifa residents."

"At the same time, we are also organizing for the district committee. We are working with very serious professionals, but we hope that we will not have to reach this situation. What is important to us is what the Haifa Municipality is doing. The one who is supposed to protect the public interest is the municipality. This is the time to remind the Haifa Municipality that it has significant tools to put more pressure on the developer to develop the land and not leave it as it is. The casino is at the zero water line, I don't understand how we allow this. We are fighting because we have to fight, but our priority is to be with the municipality. We want the municipality to understand that behind these claims there is a real defense of the public interest."

Attorney Inbar Droyan: "It is important to us that the municipality understands that it can approach the plan from a position of power."

The host of the Environmental Justice Clinic at the Haifa Faculty of Law, Adv. Inbar Droyan, who is accompanying the residents in the struggle: "The developer's plan is being promoted in the planning institutions and is not receiving the opposition we would have expected from the municipality." Droyan says: "We are hearing voices from the municipality, whether from the Deputy Mayor, Adv. Sarit Golan, or from the Honorable Mayor, Yona Yahav himself, who promise to act as much as possible against construction in the mythical pool complex. We are waiting to see an official recommendation on the municipality's clear position. What is it willing and unwilling to be promoted within the framework of this plan? The municipality's position is very important vis-à-vis the planning institutions, and in our opinion, even if the plan is not approved at its level, it has a great ability to influence the way in which the plan will be promoted. It is important for us to make the municipality understand that it can approach the promotion of the area and the plan from a position of strength, and not only out of consideration for the economic interest of the developer. Even more so, when the developer's interest is harmed "In the public interest of the residents in such a significant way."

Adv. Droyan adds and emphasizes the potential for public participation by Bat Galim residents: "We hope that the municipality will understand that we are not acting against it, but are here to help it strengthen the tools at its disposal to dictate the tone of the promoted plan." According to her, there is one central question here - "Who will dictate what the fate of the casino complex will be? The landowners or the public representatives? Will the municipality act in the broader public interest or in favor of promoting the construction of a hotel that will serve only tycoons and the rich?"

Among the levers of power she is expanding on are tools available to the municipality, such as paying property taxes, examining the termination of existing lease agreements until 2038, and opening the public area in the complex, which will ensure public access to the beach. The same area is currently blocked by a perimeter fence, for which, she claims, the permit for its construction was not found in the municipality's online records. "We ask: Did Dor Chemicals, over the years in which it held lease rights to the area, act to improve the land? Did they have to pay property taxes? What economic incentive did the company have to develop the area in a way that would benefit the public, while the value of the land, without any cultivation, only increased over the years? What incentive is there to develop the area today, if we can simply wait and wait for the mayor to change the land designation and increase its value?" She elaborates on the leasing issue and says: "So far, we have not received any reference from the municipality to examining the existing leasing agreements and the conditions that appear in them, or any intention to do so. It is hard for us to believe that a strong municipality like the Haifa Municipality cannot act with the Israel Land Authority to examine the issue. Even if it ends in a negative answer, what is there to lose by trying?" Landscape architect and neighborhood resident Inbal Yodfat Ne'eman: Taking the beating heart of Bat Galim Promenade and turning it into a closed and enclosed hotel is a mistake.

Landscape architect and neighborhood resident Inbal Yodfat Neeman: "We are currently working on two fronts: with the municipality, we issued a letter to the city council members about the plan and received responses, we are talking with the Society for the Protection of Nature and monitoring the plan's activity in the district committee. We are also continuing with ongoing field activity. We are being contacted through the networks and stands we operate. Many residents in Haifa think that building on the beach is prohibited, and they are not aware of the restrictions that may allow it. We are continuing on both ends at the same time. We feel that the struggle has not yet begun. We are a fairly large and very active group. Even if one of us is busy, someone else will be more active. We are managing to maintain a relatively significant activity status."

"As someone who has been involved in the professional field for many years, I know very well that the impact of planning plans on the public space continues for decades to come. Once a certain area is treated, no substantial change is expected over a long period of time. Every action in the public space must be carefully examined, especially when it comes to a sensitive area like the beaches, which may be crowded with tourists. Already today, the beach in Tel Aviv is unable to accommodate the number of weekenders. It is simply foolish to build a hotel there. Our goal is to maintain the existing designation of the area and prevent it from being turned into a hotel. Someone wrote online that 'Haifa never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity,' and this is an excellent example of this."

Yodfat Ne'eman strongly opposes the construction of a hotel in place of the casino. "Turning the beating heart of the Bat Galim Promenade into a closed and enclosed hotel is a serious planning error. Hotels do not belong in open spaces – this is sheer folly. I cannot ignore this, especially when it happens near my house. It is an anti-urban effect. Many members of my group share these feelings. It is important to understand: the beach is public space, and it is an injustice to close it and turn it into a closed area. If we do not fight for this, we will not have a public beach left. We must remind elected officials who they represent, and demand that they protect the public good."

Deputy Mayor Sarit Golan Steinberg: We are in favor of a public pool in the historic pool area

Deputy Mayor Sarit Golan Steinberg says that the municipality's position is that the existing casino building will be a hotel and that a public pool and beach open to the public will be built in the historic pool area.

Haifa Municipality's response:

The municipality responded that the "Casino" plan is a plan that is under the authority of the District Committee and is the authorized body to approve it. "If the committee decides to submit the plan, it will be published for objections according to law and residents will be given the right to submit their objections and comments to the plan. In this situation, the Haifa Municipality is only a recommending body."

• The municipality is very sensitive to residents' inquiries, and therefore Deputy Mayor and Chairwoman of the Planning and Building Subcommittee, Sarit Golan Steinberg, held a meeting with the neighborhood's residents, in which the municipality's professional team also participated. At the meeting, the proposed plan was presented to the residents, explanations were given, and the residents' comments on the plan were heard, which will be taken into account when formulating the municipality's recommendation on the subject.
• Lease Agreement: The municipality is not a party to the lease agreement signed between the developer and the Israel Land Authority (ILA).
• Property tax liabilities: The municipality is prohibited by law from providing any information relating to property tax liabilities or payments of any taxpayer.
• As for the fence: The fence was erected for safety reasons. The issue of its erection, due to planning and construction, is being examined by the Licensing and Supervision Division."

Dor Group's response:

The Dor Group responded by saying that in recent years, in cooperation with the Haifa Municipality and the District Committee, it has been promoting a plan to develop and renovate the casino building, with the parties' shared intention to optimally develop the place without any further delay. "The plan is being promoted in accordance with the guidelines and uses approved in Haifa's outline plan. Dor hopes that approval of the plan will be completed during 2025 and will allow the plan to be implemented without further delays."