(haipo) - Residents of Sderot Hatzvi Street in Carmel, Haifa, are following with concern the work that is beginning on building number 27, corner of 2 Al-Kalaniyot Street, which has been declared designated for preservation. According to them, the permit granted for the reconstruction harms not only the historical values of the building, but also the old trees around it, posing a real threat to the unique character of the entire street.
Building permit for a building declared for strict conservation
Permit issued by the local committee
According to Prof. Uzi Eliada, a resident of the neighborhood, the main problem lies in the permit issued by the local committee. According to him, the permit contradicts the very declaration of the building as a building for strict preservation, since it allows for the partial demolition of parts of the building and substantial changes to the building. "If a permit is already issued for work, it should be done with extreme care over every detail, with a genuine intention to preserve the building and not harm it," Eliada says.
According to residents, conservation values are being significantly harmed.
Among the points raised by the residents is the planned demolition of the building's front entrance steps, which are considered one of its most distinctive architectural elements. Eliada claims that this is a direct violation of the building's character and the architectural values that led to its declaration as a building for preservation in the first place. "Stricter preservation is supposed to be a mandatory standard, not a general recommendation," he emphasizes.
Damage to trees and fear of large-scale felling
In addition to the damage to the structure itself, residents of the neighborhood point to serious damage to the old trees surrounding the building. According to them, the excavations, which have already begun, are endangering their roots, and in fact the construction will lead to many trees failing to survive. "The construction is planned within a few centimeters of trees that are decades old. It doesn't matter if there is a felling permit or not, a tree can't survive like that," notes Eliada.
"The beautiful street in Haifa is gradually losing its unique character"
Residents of Sderot Hatzvi Street emphasize the scenic uniqueness of Sderot Hatzvi, which has been preserved for decades thanks to the abundance of trees and historic houses that were an integral part of Haifa's urban landscape. They fear that project after project will lead to overall damage to the urban fabric and the erasure of the historical identity of the street, which is considered a highlight in Haifa and one of the most beautiful in all of Israel.
The residents emphasize that they do not see the property owners as responsible for the situation, but rather the municipality and the local planning and building committee. "Whoever gave the permit is responsible," they claim, adding that supervision of construction performance must be much tighter, especially in cases where buildings are being preserved.
Avihu Hahn: "The permits were granted in the previous term"
Deputy and Acting Mayor and Chairman of the Committee for the Preservation of Buildings and Sites, Avihu Han, told the newspaper in response that the permits in question were issued during the previous term. According to him, this is an unfortunate case in which the permit did not match the spirit required for the preservation of buildings of this type. However, he notes that an effort is currently being made to closely monitor the work and minimize damage to the trees and the architectural fabric of the street as much as possible.
The importance of preserving historic buildings in Haifa
Avihu Han emphasizes the importance of buildings for preservation in the educational, historical and touristic context of the city of Haifa. "Historic buildings are public assets that connect the past with the present. Haifa boasts unique architectural textures, and this is part of the city's DNA. If we do not preserve them, we will lose our unique identity," says Han.
Trees as a public value, not just a landscape
Residents and public figures emphasize that street trees are not just a matter of landscape or aesthetics, but an important environmental element, playing a role in shading, natural cooling of the space, and environmental balance. According to them, large-scale tree removal endangers the quality of life of area residents.
A dangerous precedent for future projects
There is growing concern among residents that this case could set a dangerous precedent for future projects. “If a municipality approves a project that is so damaging to a listed building and protected trees, why would anyone feel obligated to preserve it in the future?” asks one of the street’s residents.
Call for a reexamination of the permit policy
In light of recent events, residents are calling on the Haifa Municipality and planning committees to reexamine the policy regarding granting permits for construction on conservation sites. They are seeking to establish a clear procedure, which will include consultation with conservation experts and the local public, before making any significant decisions.
"Partial preservation is no preservation at all"
According to residents and professionals, the phenomenon of "partial preservation" has become widespread in Israel. According to them, this is a practice in which only the facade of a building is preserved, while the remaining components are destroyed or completely changed. "This is not preserving historical values. It is a display for approval purposes only," says Prof. Eliade.
"No one would come to live in Carmel if it weren't green, pleasant, and special here. We are not against construction, but we want a planned city with respect for the past and the residents," the residents conclude painfully.
The faithful reader. He faithfully expressed the conduct of
The municipality and its departments related to the inspection and examination of building permit applications for the illegal TAMA
Apparently in Haifa and especially in Carmel.
His comment on the conduct of the subcommittee
Horrifying.
What was the name of the whole saga?
Colombia is here!
According to the facade they photographed, it is an ugly building with no value.
What exactly should be preserved in it?
The bars can be sent for recycling.
Everything else goes in the trash.
Who is the architect Adolf Redding anyway? He wasn't even Jewish. Besides, there are several more of his buildings in Haifa and there is no obligation to preserve them all. The municipality is 100% right... According to the same logic, what does A.H. need two eggs for? Two eyes? Isn't one enough?
With all the sadness for the coastal neighborhoods that are waiting to be cleared for construction and the developers who are just doing Tama 38 in Carmel, what can be done? It's called a demand area.
The most sought-after neighborhoods will always be the first target for developers to create projects because they want to make a profit.
In coastal neighborhoods, very large multiples are required to make a profit, and it is not certain that there will be demand, meaning the risk level is high.
An urban scandal in full force!
The false and destructive TAMA distribution plan in the Carmel neighborhoods must be stopped immediately.
Crime and corruption are celebrated in the Haifa Municipality without hindrance, with an emphasis on the Engineering Administration.
The national institutional elements support the criminal acts carried out by the Haifa Municipal Planning and Building Institute and headed by the Haifa District Appeals Committee.
The Haifa District Attorney's Office consistently supports criminality in these planning and construction institutions. The Haifa District Attorney's Office lies in its testimony and brazenly misleads the Haifa District Court!! Criminals in the Attorney's Office institution charged with upholding the law!!
The chairwoman of the Planning and Building Subcommittee, Adv. S.G., knowingly and intentionally disseminates the destructive TAMA 38 based on false infrastructure by the urban engineer, Eng. Y.S., and is also targeting the next mayor…
The "legislative" attorney, with the legal advice of the local committee, Attorney S.W., invents and writes new regulations and laws from her private seminary in violation of the law. The same attorney will soon leave the municipality after causing tremendous destruction in Carmel with her actions. The same attorney is lying and misleading the district court in her testimony. Boldness is accompanied by unbridled criminal courage. Thank goodness we got rid of her very soon.
A mayor disconnected from what is happening in the local committee where he serves as chairman has disappeared.
A system that is completely screwed up!!
Lawlessness and contempt, fraud and breach of trust have become common among these lawyers, who manage the "construction business" for us in the ruined Carmel.
Colombia is here!!
The local committee is engaged in granting building permits, which are illegal, without authority, and include a significant deviation from the plan – Prashkovsky and Ofer Towers – there is no supervision of work suspected of being criminal, which differs from the permits actually granted, without a foreman, without fencing, and at the risk of the public – so what are the residents (who are the sovereign in a democratic state) asking for – are they asking for trees or buildings to be preserved? The Haifa Municipality, including the mayor, and the local committee are engaged in robbing the landscape, which is the intellectual property of the property owners – and declare exactly the opposite – so there is no municipality here and no local committee here – only corruption and dysfunction.
What a fuss (however justified) about one project
While all the coastal neighborhoods are stuck and tens of thousands of residents have been waiting for a decade for a construction eviction that is not coming.
Failed municipality, failed mayor
A generation goes by and a generation comes by.
Also the construction
Very important article. We must stop the destruction of the Carmel. And the demolition of amazing buildings
The struggles are over.
The real estate boom is at its peak, everyone who even tweets is accused of wanting earthquakes and cracks.
There is pressure from the local committee, which needs to bring more revenue from levies and property taxes to the municipality's coffers.
The situation is clear. And not just in Haifa, the entire country is undergoing a takeover by lawyers of planning.
Contractors taking over the planning. Money considerations and quick profits taking over the quality of life.
Bored people, what's so special about this building? And who knew about this building? Except for four narrow-minded and jealous people. The contractor must demolish everything and build a new one, and whoever doesn't like it is welcome to leave. Anyone who inherits half an apartment suddenly becomes a philanthropist who cares about the Tzivion, for nothing and nothing. And they let another politician of nothing mix them up, who is in the previous term. Just demolish a few more to build and develop this dry, sleepy city.
What's the conclusion? If you're planning to build a house, hire a "simple" architect who will make a banal and ugly house. Why? So that one day they won't prevent you from making changes on the grounds that the house is a work of historical art.