The Jerusalem District Planning and Building Commission has approved for deposit an urban renewal plan for the Beit Hakerem neighborhood in Jerusalem. The plan concerns the Haarazim site for Haarazim St. The plan proposed demolishing four residential buildings at 8-14 Haarazim St. with a total of 154 apartments and building 13 new 5-19-storey buildings in their place.
As of now, the four buildings face towards Haarazim St. with open public space at the back. The plan proposes to build six six-storey residential buildings facing the street and seven 10-19-storey buildings behind them on the back of the lot.
The plan for the site began as an initiative by the tenants, who later contacted the municipality. The municipality assumed responsibility for promoting the plan, with participation from the residents. In the past, the site was designated for urban renewal. As of now, Moriah Jerusalem Development Company is managing the project on the local authorities track of the Ministry of Construction and Housing.
The plan also proposes including a few stores in the buildings facing Haarazim St. and two kindergarten classrooms for public use. The entire project will be served by an underground parking lot. Haarazim St. will be widened, and 70 stores approved for it.
The Jerusalem District Planning and Building Commission today said that it welcomed the plan "which offers a worthy and attractive residential site with a significant improvement in access to nearby open public space for all the residents of the neighborhood. The proposed residential buildings fit optimally into the existing neighborhood, preserve an acceptable neighborhood height and volume of construction on the street facade, and clearly mark the municipal construction boundary with a line of high buildings on the border between the city and the open rear surrounding it."
Commenting on the approval for deposit of the plan, Moriah CEO Doron Noiwirt said, "We welcome the approval of the Haarazim plan, and regard it as an important step in the promotion of the entire project. This project is unusual, because the tenants initiated it, and organized themselves most impressively. From our perspective, there is no doubt that a project in which the tenants organize themselves independently through an administration will be easier to carry out. Our model is to help the next residents' administrations to carry out their project."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on January 19, 2016
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