An achievement for Haifa city quality activists: The submission of the Tel Aharon Lincoln Hills plan was postponed

(Haipo) – The decision of the District Planning and Building Committee not to allow the submission of the plan for the Lincoln-Tel Aharon slopes, and the delay set until the end of August 2027, constitute a significant achievement in the longest planning struggle in Haifa in recent decades.

The decision, which was justified by a lack of data and incomplete plan documents, was made after months of heated discussions, public objections, and calls from Haifa residents who care about the quality of the city, along with environmental organizations, to preserve the last green lands on the West Carmel ridge.

Along with the decision to postpone the submission of the plan, the committee determined that the Tel Aharon areas will remain undeveloped and that no construction will be permitted below Freud Road towards Nahal Ahuza. This decision changes the planning trajectory in the area and re-establishes the question of how to balance historical property rights with environmental public interest, preserve the green lungs of the city of Haifa, and focus construction efforts within existing neighborhoods, through urban renewal.

A decision that reshapes the boundaries of planning

The district committee determined that the submitted plan documents did not allow for a professional decision to be made on its deposit. The lack of environmental, transportation, and topographical data led the committee members to decide to postpone the deposit until they were completed.

In addition, the committee determined that the Tel Aharon areas will remain undeveloped and that no construction will be permitted under Freud Road, an area considered sensitive from a landscape and ecological perspective. The decision also includes a requirement to reexamine the alternatives for connecting Harofeh Street to 1000 Street, a key transportation issue that was at the heart of public opposition.

The committee also referred to the extreme slope of the slope, which reaches up to 65 degrees, and noted that this is an unusual topographical condition that requires careful examination of any construction plan.

The committee also emphasized that the plan includes historical building rights from the Mandate period, which cannot be realized without a planning decision, and therefore it is necessary to balance the brevity of the procedure with its complexity.

Activists in the field of quality planning for the city of Haifa celebrate a significant victory

Landscape architect Noa Belter of the Green Mountain Organization welcomed the decision. She said that the fact that the materials were not delivered on time and were not made public constitutes a fundamental flaw in the process, and the lack of environmental answers requires a halt.

Beltre noted that the plan could result in the cutting down of about 4,000 trees for 1,700 housing units that she claims are not needed, and that the committee showed responsibility by not giving in to pressure from landowners.

She emphasized that environmental organizations insist that no rights be added beyond what was stipulated in the original mandatory plan, which includes 1,700 housing units in the compound's areas.

According to her, any additional rights are made at the expense of the quality of life of the city's residents, both present and future, and therefore it is important to preserve the open spaces and the balance between development and preserving urban nature, which is a significant component of the city of Haifa and the quality of life of its residents. Belter added that the decision proves that the committee is attentive to the people of the city as well as to environmental professionals and understands the enormous importance of the open and green spaces in the Carmel Ridge.

The last land reserves on the Carmel are the focus of discussion

The Lincoln Slopes-Tel Aharon Plan (HP/2185/T) covers an area of ​​approximately 700 dunams on the western slopes of Haifa. The area is bounded to the north by the Azov Stream, to the south by Freud Road, to the east by the Ahuza and Ramat Eshkol neighborhoods, and to the west overlooks the southern entrances to the city.

This is one of the last green land reserves in the Carmel Range, an area of ​​scenic, ecological and planning importance. Environmental organizations warn that implementing the plan will lead to serious damage to nature, the cutting down of thousands of trees and damage to the streams that flow into the sea. On the other hand, the landowners claim that these are historical property rights that were acquired during the British Mandate period, and that the municipality cannot freeze them without a solid planning justification.

Historical roots that became a legal cesspool

The roots of the struggle go back to the 40s, when hundreds of plots of land in the area were sold for private construction. Over the years, the complex has become a legal and planning conglomerate that includes about 1,600 private landowners alongside large real estate companies. Every attempt to advance a plan in the area has been met with opposition, petitions, repeated hearings, and demands to preserve nature. Environmental organizations claim that the forested ridge is a vital green lung for the city and that its development will harm the quality of life of Haifa residents. On the other hand, the landowners claim that the municipality has been dragging its feet for decades, preventing them from exercising basic rights.

The ruling that changed the rules of the game

The turning point occurred in September 2023, when the President of the Haifa District Court, Judge Ron Shapira, ruled that the municipality had not presented sufficient planning reasons for freezing the building rights. Shapira sharply criticized the municipality's conduct and defined it as unreasonable. The ruling forced the planning institutions to return to the hearings table and created heavy legal pressure on the municipality. Recently, a huge lawsuit was filed in the amount of 58.5 million shekels by Gold Real Estate, which claimed heavy damages due to the failure to advance the plan. The ruling has become a significant legal tool that has accompanied all hearings since.

A struggle between planning alternatives

The legal pressure led to heated discussions in the planning committees. The Haifa Municipality tried to promote a limited alternative aimed at preserving Tel Aharon Hill as a protected nature area, while concentrating construction on the slopes of Lincoln only. On the other hand, representatives of the developers and landowners opposed any reduction in building rights. Residents of the area and environmental activists claimed that this was a planning grab that was being promoted without adequate transportation solutions for the traffic congestion on the Horev axis and Freud Road. The decision of the district committee not to submit the plan at this stage changes the balance of power and returns the discussion to a new starting point.

The municipality's response to the decision

Deputy Mayor Sarit Golan Steinberg, who also holds the engineering portfolio, welcomed the decision and emphasized that it reflects the complexity of the plan and the need to preserve Tel Aharon as a green space. According to her, the municipality will respect the court's decision to promote a plan that reflects the rights of the landowners, but will act with utmost caution in the public interest. She noted that the complex topography, large slopes and unique natural values ​​require a thorough examination of each planning alternative.

Basic questions about the future of planning in Haifa

The discussion about the Lincoln-Tel Aharon slopes raises broader questions about the future of planning in the city. Should decisions from the British Mandate era determine the character of Haifa in 2026? Do historical property rights outweigh environmental public interest? Can a solution be found to transfer rights that will balance landowners and city residents? These are questions that continue to preoccupy the Haifa public, planning institutions, and the legal system.

Between construction and development and nature conservation

Personally, I believe that a city must develop and build, and that new construction brings residents and improves the urban fabric. But in the case of Lincoln-Tel Aharon Slope, this is a unique complex, where the decisions are not only planning but also values. The question of what the southern entrances of Haifa will look like is not just a matter of building rights but of urban vision. There is no doubt that there are many precedents for the transfer of rights in Haifa and elsewhere, and therefore a solution can be found that will balance the public interest with the economic interest of the landowners.