The zoning plan for urban renewal in Haifa's coastline neighborhoods was presented this week to the plenum of the District Committee. Mayor Einat Kalisch-Rotem promises: "The coastline neighborhoods will become Haifa's Riviera, among the most beautiful in the country. They will offer a high quality of life, various services and municipal and neighborhood activities, and easy beach access."
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The plan, encompassing a total area of 1,600 dunams, taps the immense potential of the veteran coastline neighborhoods: Neve David, Sha'ar Ha'Aliya, Sprinzak West, and Ein Hayam. It will position them as unique, high-quality sealine neighborhoods, infusing the area with local pride.
The plan is the initiative of the Urban Renewal Department in the municipality's City Planning Division, in collaboration with the government's Urban Renewal Authority. It is set between the coast on the west, the Sde Yehoshua cemetery and the IDF's construction and maintenance base on the south, and the lower Mount Carmel neighborhoods on the east, including Ramat HaNasi, Kiryat Sprinzak, and Ramat Shaul.
The plan was prepared by Prof. Arch. Irit Tsaraf, who led a large team that included a landscape architect, an appraiser, and consultants on a variety of issues such as movement, environment, preservation, infrastructure, programming, social issues, and public participation. The plan lays emphasis on beach access, with bridges connecting each neighborhood to the nearby beach. It allows for the construction of about 8,000 new housing units in new and diverse construction and renovated modern structures. These will be built using perimeter-block construction in combination with high-rise construction, while retaining views of the sea from the Carmel.
The apartment mix will fulfill the needs of the neighborhood's veteran residents and of newcomers, who will enjoy affordable housing and rental apartments. The plan is based on a mixed-use approach, with a residential complex that also offers commercial spaces, employment, and leisure opportunities, prioritizing public transportation and including pedestrian and bicycle lanes.
The plan will include the renovation and expansion of existing apartments, which will be reinforced against earthquakes and fitted with security rooms and elevators in the building. The public space will also be renewed, with addition of public and educational facilities, access to nature and the city's wadis with an emphasis on landscape values, development of parks and green areas, and lanes for pedestrians and cyclists. Additionally, a new, southern entrance to the city will be constructed.
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Approval of the plan will provide certainty for the developers and the public, with clear regulations for renewal projects, construction scopes, and height and use restrictions in each area.
The plan was presented to the City Council following a public online conference held last week for the neighborhood's residents and the general public, conducted via Zoom and broadcast live on the municipality's Facebook page. After the conference, it was uploaded to the municipality's "Insights" website for continued public input and comments, which will be discussed and incorporated as necessary. It will then be brought up for further discussion pending its approval by the plenum of the Local Planning and Construction Committee and its designation as a statutory plan.
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