(haipo) – Nine years have passed since the great fire in Haifa, which broke out on November 24, 2016, leaving behind hundreds of destroyed houses, hundreds of homeless families, and the harsh sights of a burning city. Despite the relatively rapid reconstruction of most of the damaged apartments, one building on Freud Street still stands burned, as it was on that terrible day. To this day, no final decision has been made as to whether it can be restored from an engineering perspective or whether the structure should be demolished and a new one built in its place.
The apartment owners are living in rentals and waiting for a solution.
The long wait is particularly difficult for the apartment owners in the building. They have moved to other apartments in the city, but the apartment they own is uninhabitable and cannot be rented. Over the years, the Haifa Municipality has tried to make it easier for them by waiving the payment of property taxes, after several years in which they paid partial property taxes, but in practice many of them are forced to pay additional rent even though they have their own apartment. This situation has been going on for nine years, and the tenants describe a persistent feeling of helplessness.
The Great Fire: Many Focal Points in the City
The fire broke out in several locations simultaneously: at the Check Post, New Romema, Ahuza, Freud Road, Ramot Sapir, and more. Many schools were evacuated, including Romema Nigunim on Oren Street and the Beit Biram building of the Reali School. Despite the severe damage to hundreds of homes, there were no casualties. One reason for this is that the fire broke out in the morning, when most of the apartments were empty. However, many residents rushed to return to their homes to save their pets.
Firefighters worked intensively, with the assistance of teams from other stations. Those who were particularly unlucky were the owners of housing units in the Givat Oranim neighborhood on Zalman Shazar Street, where the houses were almost completely burned down.
Sights of another city
On the day of the fire, the sky in Haifa was painted red, and the residents were shocked. The next day, the city looked completely different, with burned trees, destroyed houses, and schools forced to find alternative solutions for students. The mayor at the time, Yona Yahav, who was experienced in dealing with complex events, understood that reconstruction had to be quick. He ensured that the city's appearance was restored by planting hundreds of trees in the burned areas.
Cooperation with the government and rapid compensation
Yahav enlisted the then-Finance Minister, Moshe Kahlon, a resident of the city, and his assistant David Etzioni, now a member of the city council and a candidate for mayor. Etzioni gave his phone number to everyone whose house was damaged and ensured that compensation was transferred quickly. Thanks to this, most of the apartments were restored within a few months and the families returned to their homes. Those whose houses were damaged initially stayed in hotels in the city and then moved to renting until the reconstruction was complete.
Mental damage alongside material damage
In addition to the physical damage, many of the residents experienced severe psychological harm. The basic sense of security in their home was shaken, and they described distress and stress. For many, home, the safest place, disappeared in an instant. This trauma accompanies some families to this day.
The building on Freud Street – an ongoing legal dispute
Three years ago, it was reported that the burned building on Freud Street was being discussed by an appeals committee, which is supposed to determine whether to restore part of it or demolish it entirely and build a new one. In the meantime, the tenants continue to pay rent because the apartment they own is unfit for habitation.
At this stage, a decision has been made to demolish the building and build a new one in its place. The problem is that today a new building that is built must provide its residents with accessibility and parking. Until the fire, the building had no private parking and no elevator. All of this is supposed to change, and therefore it is difficult to obtain a building permit. Many engineers, officials, appraisers, lawyers and other professionals have been involved in recent years in discussions in the various committees regarding the building, but currently the situation is that there is no building permit since there is no agreement on what the new building will look like and who will finance the new construction additions. A great many people are involved and are trying to promote obtaining the building permit so that work can begin, but in practice, 9 years after the fire, there is still no way of knowing when the burned building will be demolished and construction of the new building will begin.
Planning problems – parking lots and parking
The original building permit from 1963 does not include basements or parking, and the walls are only 15 cm thick. Today, a building permit cannot be issued under such conditions. The Compensation Fund hired an architect to plan the renovation, who approached the Home Front Command for an exemption from protection. However, the exemption was not approved, because the new apartments must include basements. The architect tried to claim that this was a return to the status quo, but received an answer in impossible terms.
Long wait for a decision
A check with the apartment owners at 23 Freud Street shows that nine years after the fire, they are not interested in being interviewed. They claim that they are finally close to receiving the permit that will allow them to begin rebuilding their homes. It is possible that in a few years they will be able to return to them.
The story of the building on Freud Street raises difficult questions about the conduct of the authorities. Hundreds of apartment buildings burned down 9 years ago. Any of the city's residents could find themselves in the shoes of the tenants at Freud 23, who are forced to pay rent for years, even though they own their apartments. Who will compensate them for the financial loss of hundreds of thousands of shekels for each of the 6 families in the building? Who will compensate them for the mental anguish and annoyance that an administrative decision has not been made for 9 years?
The Haifa Municipality stated:
The delay in the restoration of the building stems from ongoing proceedings between the property owners and the property tax. A request for a permit to construct a new building was recently submitted and is being promoted by the municipality.
Regarding property taxes; the building is currently permanently exempt from property taxes in accordance with the law. Municipality representatives are personally monitoring the issue and have met with the apartment owners out of a desire and intention to continue to assist in the best possible way.
Let's be precise – arson.
Regarding the "single building" – do you know that there are the majority who move forward from crises and there are those who have eaten and drunk for me?
So that's them.
I understand a thing or two and say that if they had run and not waited, this article wouldn't have been written.
Regarding other issues – for decades, buildings throughout the city have stood like a garbage dump, and even a neighbor doesn't feel like moving matters, and as someone who knows the matter intimately, I can tell you that if suddenly there is a neighbor who wants to move matters, there are those who are so used to garbage that change "scares" them.
The law states that rebuilding under an original permit does not require the issuance of a new permit.
However, building today without dimensions is impossible, and it is also impossible to build using the original construction methods. In other words, it is impossible to build according to the original plan.
In any case, a new building permit must be issued. Such a permit must resolve the accessibility and parking issues.
You write that the tenants agreed to finance the additional parking spaces that are currently not in the building.
What's the problem then, approving a building with accessibility (elevator) and parking?
How can the municipality even think of approving a building without the cooperation and consent of all the residents? After all, such a construction requires 100% consent.
The tenants will definitely be entitled to compensation for the authorities' failures, and therefore the construction must be carried out as early as possible. This will reduce the waste of public money. Dahan, do you understand that?