Sources inform “Globes” that the Tel Aviv municipality is planning to withdraw its plan for the south Ministry of Defense headquarters (the Kirya) compound from the planning and building committee, thereby in effect canceling the plan in its current form. The plan covers 190 dunam (47.5 acres), one of Tel Aviv’s largest land reserves that can be developed.
The compound is bordered by Kaplan, Ha'arba’a, Hahashmona’im, and Leonardo Da Vinci streets, and Petah Tikva Road. It includes Sharona, a Templar settlement. Most of the 37 buildings in Sharona are 100 years old or more, and are marked for preservation; while five are set aside for exact replication. Solel Boneh Building and Infrastructure (TASE: SOLB) recently won a NIS 26 million tender to replicate the buildings.
The plan being discussed includes 498,000 sq.m. of main space, 390,000 sq.m. of which is zoned for industry, and most of the rest for 600 housing units, to be built in tower blocks around teh park on an area of 40 dunam (ten acres). 30,000 sq.m. will be allocated to hotels and commerce, and the remainder for offices. The cost of the entire project is estimated at $400 million.
”Globes” has obtained a recent letter from Tel Aviv municipal engineer Danny Kaizer to the local planning and building commission legal advisor, asking for a legal opinion on the withdrawal of the plan.
The approved plan for the compound authorizes construction of 250,000 sq.m., and the demolishing of the five buildings designated for replication, in order to widen Kaplan St.
In his letter, Kaizer writes, “The appeals committee has been delaying its decision for a long time, thereby causing severe damage through neglect to the buildings designated for replication, as well as great financial damage to the municipality, which has made all the necessary preparations for replicating the buildings.”
Sources also inform “Globes” that construction company Solel Boneh is threatening a lawsuit for unreasonable delay in the plan. The appeals committee has been holding up its decision for over two months. Senior planning sources asserted that the problem is a result of political pressure on appeals committee chairperson Adv. Ofra Friedman, who was appointed by Minister of Internal Affairs Avraham Poraz. Poraz has expressed his great interest in building preservation more than once.
Kaizer told “Globes” that he did not wish to comment on internal municipality memoranda, but added, “A struggle is now taking place between the Society for the Preservation of Historical Sites and the Tel Aviv municipality. The municipality kept the Society informed about the Kirya compound plan, and tripled the number of buildings designated for preservation. We still ran into objections, and the most frustrating thing is their opposition to replicating the buildings, which costs millions of dollars.”
Kaizer added that out of the 250,000 sq.m. approved, 100,000 sq.m. had already been built (the Platinum towers, the State Comptroller’s building, and the Millennium building, S.K.). “We’ll approve the remaining space as a reserve, which is necessary. Now we’ll widen Kaplan St., demolish the buildings with a heavy heart, and continue with the standard planning procedures.”
In response, Tamar Tuchler, director of Central District for the Society for the Preservation of Historical Sites, told “Globes”, “It sounds like a crazy and irresponsible decision. Kaizer is acting undemocratically, by trying to silence the residents. Eventually, the municipality will go ahead with the project, regardless of our dissatisfaction. Preservation has made the project more prestigious, and that’s how it’s being marketed. Where such fateful decisions are concerned, there should be a completely thorough examination. History will remember those who preserved treasures in the heart of the city, not those who built more high-rises. The planning authorities should be allowed to carry out their task properly.”
No response was available from the Israel Land Administration (ILA), a partner in the building plan, as of web posting. The ILA is believed likely to follow the municipality’s lead.
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on February 17, 2004