(haipo) The Egged Bat Galim complex in Haifa, Egged's central bus station, which has been abandoned since 2003, is currently undergoing massive renovation with plans to build a huge project that includes residential (approximately 1,350 to 1,650 housing units), commercial space, offices, hotels and environmental development, and will become an integrated urban center that will connect the area to the port, the sea and the nearby train station.
The old central station in aerial photography from a drone ◄ View
As you may recall, after many years in which the old Egged Station complex in Bat Galim stood abandoned, neglected and without any planning horizon, for the first time real progress has been made towards its development. Large-scale plan documents have been submitted to the Haifa District Planning and Building Committee, a move that marks a significant change in the status of one of the largest, most central and complex complexes in the city. The submission of the documents constitutes the first official step towards changing the land's designation and transforming it into an active, integrated and modern urban complex.
Submitting the plan to the district committee
The plan, submitted by the companies Orhan Carmel and Station Works, and designed by architect Oded Rosenkiar, is being promoted as part of an urban renewal track, which seeks to change the land's zoning to a mixed urban zoning: residential, commercial, employment, hotels and public buildings. The land is owned by the Nitsba company, and is located at Dolphin Junction, where Egged's central bus station used to operate, which served the residents of Haifa and the surrounding area for many years.
Years of neglect at a strategic site
Since the station closed more than two decades ago, the area has remained empty and neglected. The complex, located between major transportation infrastructure and an old residential neighborhood, has become an urban "white elephant": a large, blocked and neglected area, unused and without a clear future plan. For years, no plan was formulated to allow its reintegration into the urban fabric, despite its enormous potential and the urgent need to reconnect it to the public space.
Large-scale plan: thousands of housing units and mixed uses
According to the submitted plan documents, the complex is expected to undergo a dramatic change. The plan includes the construction of 1,650 new housing units, alongside commercial, employment and hotel spaces. In addition, public buildings, urban squares and open spaces will be built to serve the residents of the neighborhood and the entire city. This is a plan of significant scope, which will change the face of the Bat Galim area and will affect the entire nearby urban space.
Division into seven dedicated space compartments
The plan divides the complex into seven spatial cells, with each cell assigned a different planning designation. The division allows for planning flexibility and adjustment between urban needs and the characteristics of the area. Some of the cells are designated for residences, others for commerce and employment, and some for public buildings and open spaces. This multi-layered approach is intended to create a diverse, active, and balanced urban space.
Future connection to monitored train stations
One of the most prominent elements of the plan is preparation for future infrastructure of the tunneling project, if it is realized. The plan documents include planning for future connections to underground train stations, a move that could transform the complex into a central transportation hub and significantly improve accessibility to it. This combination indicates long-term thinking and an attempt to adapt the complex to the expected changes in Haifa's transportation system.
Potential to change the face of the neighborhood and the city
The scope of the plan and the area it covers make it one of the largest urban renewal plans in Haifa in recent years. The complex, which for years was considered a problematic and neglected area, may become a new urban center, with modern residences, active commercial areas and high-quality public spaces. For the Bat Galim neighborhood, this is an opportunity to significantly upgrade the urban environment and strengthen the connection between the neighborhood and the city center.
Planning and execution challenges
Along with the great potential, the plan also poses some difficult challenges. It is a complex complex, close to major transportation infrastructure and an old residential neighborhood. Combining different uses, traffic planning, accessibility, parking, and maintaining the quality of life of existing residents will all require precise planning and cooperation between all parties involved. In addition, the success of the plan also depends on promoting broader transportation projects, such as the tunneling project.
Broad questions about the liability of property owners in the city
Beyond the specific plan for the old Egged complex, a broader question arises regarding the conduct of property owners in Haifa. For years, private or industrial buildings in a poor state of maintenance have been visible throughout the city, sometimes to the point of posing a real danger to passersby. Some of these buildings have been abandoned for decades, without renovation, without use, and without any progress on the part of their owners. This situation raises the question of whether it is possible for private property owners to maintain central areas of the city in a neglected state for such a long time, without significant steps being taken against them.
The need for municipal tools to enforce maintenance
These questions lead to a discussion about the municipality's powers and the tools at its disposal. Does the municipality not have effective sanctions that can compel property owners to renovate or sell buildings that are in a dangerous or neglected condition? Is it possible that in this area too, the economic interest of property owners outweighs the public interest of Haifa's residents, who seek a safe, clean, and functioning urban space? These issues do not only concern the Egged complex, but reflect a broader challenge of municipal management, public accountability, and the need for a clear policy that will prevent continued neglect in the heart of the urban space.
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Efficiency Suggestions: Popular Moves for Ending or Beginning
1. The seawall... blocks... the seafront must be cleared and opened to residents 2. Harmony between residents and neighborhoods
3. Installation of solar roofs on public and private buildings
4. Feasibility of evacuation of construction in neighborhoods
5. Old Egged Bat Galim amusement center.. to open a Haifa amusement park and attractions for young people
6. Dolphin Bridge Intersection to reduce traffic jams
7. Bat Galim Casino Building to be Disappeared and Open the Seafront to Residents
8. Nazareth and Nof Galilee Light Rail to Open
9. A cruise to Acre... and to other places in Israel from Haifa is very nice.
10. Bat Galim Bridge, Hulda Promenade, Rambam Siyum and more attractive to young people and lively
11. Metropan Haifa Metropolitan Bicycle Routes.. Bicycle routes and promotion of electric bicycle rentals in the city.
12. The Sderot Tunnel Train or Transfer Through the Carmel Tunnels…
13. Beautiful sailing center Bat Galim Allenby
14. Stella Maris Cable Car Perhaps make part of public transportation and add cable cars and open additional cable cars
15. Underground City Development and Attractions for Young People
16. Opening the city to the sea.. Marina throughout the city.. Marine attractions
17. The opening of the German Colony Boulevard to the sea
18. Improvement of urban appearance, strengthening of buildings, evacuation, construction
19. Electrification of all vehicles and public transportation
20. Accessibility of places for the disabled, including the Carmelit and underground passages
21. Sea Research Building, improving visibility and sea view
22. Construction in gradual height... to allow the sea view and not block it
23. Bicycle and electric scooter rental throughout the city promotion
24. Polluting factories, making them non-polluting or moving them
25. Wonderful international airport
26. International cruise from Haifa to other countries of the world
27. Railway improvement of carriages and electrification
28. Extension of Hecht Park and stretching it at the beginning and end
29. Promotion of music, art and fusion between cultures
30. Mobile libraries.. an abstract idea.. mobile vans of libraries for renting books with coffee and internet points throughout the city
31. Health promotion and the health system in the city
32. Water sports
33. Amusement park attractions and such
34. Promotion of green energy, solar wind, sea waves and more
35. Promoting recycling by raising public awareness of the importance of the matter
36. Solve the problem of pigs and dog poop in a proper way
37. Thanks
38. Separation road, Dolphin Junction, from train to cars until the train is moved
39. Property tax discount for a disabled person
40. Stand-up music culture for a pleasant atmosphere in the city for all of us and for wonderful tourism
41. Furthermore:
The entire Bat Galim promenade must be upgraded so that the stretch from Dado Beach to Gurvitz Promenade will be attractive and have a good atmosphere. Improve the appearance of the coastal landscape, clean and prevent the accumulation of sand on the promenade, clean the beach and sea from pollution, maintain the smell of clean sea air, and not the smell of ... and it is preferable that they continue the promenade to the German colony ... allow access through or instead of the port that blocks access to the sea. There is a lot to do in the wonderful city of Haifa. And the citizens of the city, its residents, young and old, women and men, need to be encouraged and also open the sea to the public. The train that blocks: There are 3 options:
1. The train sinks in a section that blocks the sea
2. Relocating the train through the Carmel Tunnels or parallel to them by cutting a dedicated tunnel. Additional
3. The Avenue Tunnel _ A transfer that bypasses the existing one. Forgo the Central Hasmona and Bat Galim stations. And directly from the central Carmel Beach to the bay. With the possibility of a station in Kiryat HaMalcham. Thank you for your consideration.
There is no such thing in the world as the Jewish people. If it were in China, they wouldn't be writing an article. They would be doing work without much of a blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.
Financing, as usual, holds assets for years without payment to the authority and at the right time will extract the juice from them. And from those who are emotional, the soul!
Why can't the future planning be shown in a special presentation so that we can understand what the planning is like they do at the Tel Aviv Municipality? The time has come.
Instead of building another concrete monster, let's build a square that will justify the beautiful name of Dolphin Square.
Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
How beautiful! And where will they move Rambam?
Will it be completely blocked?
A. In the severe state of neglect and crumbling concrete, the structure cannot be restored; it can only be built a new one in the same way.
B. The project does not take into account 4 tracks with electricity poles and a busy main road that confine the area. Who wants to live in a corral with a radiation hazard and the noise of hundreds of trains a day?
C. Offices – If there was demand, office towers would already be built on Jaffa Road instead of garages. There is no demand in Haifa for offices at all and the space is not suitable for hospitals.
D. 1700 apartments is for a population of 6000-7000 people. Where will they camp? Where will they study? A school on the roof of the station? Does this seem logical to anyone?
E. In addition, all the towers of the second Aliya will block their and Kiryat Eliezer's view of the sea with a hermetic wall to a height of at least 100 meters, 30 stories high.
A lot of digging without any interesting information
How will they demolish this building without damaging anything important around it?
Implementation schedule?
A waste of the reporter's time
Tap the roof and fire from an F-15!
A very beautiful project, which will not be realized.
A deposit for show, unfortunately.
If the company wanted to promote the complex, it would have done so long ago.
After all, she has owned the complex for more than 20 years, so what did they suddenly remember?
A move towards elections, perhaps, like all the years, "Look how the wheel turns..."
Not in our lifetime.
All over Haifa, there are mostly abandoned buildings and the city has no ability to do anything, which is a great shame.
Writing down a lot of words and no schedules is perhaps relevant to the next generation in decades.
The success of the plan also depends on advancing broader transportation projects, such as the tunneling project.
The intention is to sink the tracks and tunnels into the underground structure from the project, which are a fantasy and will remain so.
There is no feasibility for tunneling (14 billion shekels for 2 tracks, when the Ministry of Transportation actually wants to double it to 4 tracks).
In addition, there is a serious problem of groundwater and fuel pipes. There will be no subsidence in 10 or 50 years. And tunneling through the mountain is also ruled out.
In short, the implementation of a project in 80-100 years.
There will be no settling either.
My wife wrote a very interesting article.