The storm of emotions that arose following the intention to allow the demolition of the Lebanon Gate complex and the fatal damage to an urban fabric that is exceptional in its qualities, which was designated for preservation at the highest level, And which arose as a result of word-of-mouth advertising, brought Mayor Yona Yahav to hold a meeting with public representatives, experts in conservation, and members of the City Engineer's Office. The meeting was held on April 30, 2026, and at the end of it, the Mayor ordered that alternatives for spatial planning be presented to him, and that members of the Heritage Sites Preservation Council be involved in presenting the alternatives.
For their part, they pledged to present an alternative that would allow for both preservation, protection, and the development of building additions to the residential buildings, without harming the trees and the unique texture of the area, which is one of the most sensitive in the landscape and image of Haifa. Incidentally, at the same meeting, the mayor was presented with incorrect statutory drawings (city planning drawings) and incorrect facts, such as the fact that there is no protection in the buildings, while each of the four buildings has a large shelter on the entrance floor, albeit of the old type, but there is.
With complete surprise, the conservationists learned that on August 24, 2026, a meeting was held at the mayor's office, Without inviting the conservationists, who had already prepared their own alternative, but were not allowed to present it. Worse still, the architect and planner of the destruction of the fabric was invited and apparently convinced the mayor that…there was no reasonable alternative! The people from the city engineer's office, of course, supported his opinion, and the mayor decided to allow Walking the demolition route This is without hearing any other position or alternative. The demolition of the buildings will be accompanied by the complete elimination of the vegetation and garden surrounding the buildings, including in the public forest strips and the historic public garden, due to the impact of excavations on subsoil cracking, damage to roots, the water flow regime on and under the ground, and more.
The very fact that the mayor's directive was not followed raises concerns that some of his people are not following his instructions, and this week, committee chairman Avihu Hahn was forced to place the issue on the committee's agenda, which includes more and more proposals from the city engineer's office to exclude listed sites and conservation surveys, to demolish buildings of historical value, and to damage urban landscape textures. The Lebanon Gate complex will be discussed to the ire of preservationists, and the quarry will probably end up on one of Haifa's rare urban landscape textures.
It is important for the public to know, There is a good and reasonable alternative to preserving the texture of the Lebanese Gate., which has extremely high conservation values in every respect: architectural, environmental and scenic, which have given it an iconic status that symbolizes all that is beautiful, green and special about Haifa. The original plans for the area, which were in use from 1935 onwards, All of them require high-level preservation and construction while integrating into the landscape and vegetation..
And more you should know: There is an alternative.And not once, for all problems The MigoThe development and preservation together are indeed not in the desired configuration and with proportional building rights, but there is an alternative that will preserve this magical texture in the cityscape.
MayorAs in this case, there are several other points of contention about preserving buildings in Haifa, in which you approve destruction without examining alternatives: Will you be remembered as a destroyer of Haifa's built and environmental heritage, or as someone who preserved it to the fullest extent, while initiating development and construction on new and renewed sites?
The decision to allow a path of destruction without even listening to conservationists raises concerns that Your legacy will be one of destruction and cutting down, not of development integrated with the preservation of the city's heritage. Where you were born and raised.