Let the sunshine in: Jerusalemites to oppose new skyscrapers
Wednesday, June 5, 2013 at 11:41PM by Nir Hasson Haaretz 5 June 2013
Jerusalem skyline to reach new heights when zoning board approves two 34-storey towers; local residents expected to submit objections to construction plans.
The Jerusalem Regional Planning and Building Committee is expected to approve on Thursday a plan to construct the two highest buildings in the capital.
Each of the two towers, which will be at the western entrance to the city, will be 34 stories high. They will contain space for hotels, offices, commercial and other uses.
The debate over high-rise buildings in Jerusalem is almost as old as the city itself. For years residents, environmental organizations and architects have objected to towers in the capital, on the grounds that they would destroy Jerusalem’s unique, historic skyline.
The residents of nearby buildings are expected to submit objections, since the planned towers will block off much of their natural light.
The various plans to build such towers over the years have always brought with them major battles. In the days of the long-serving mayor Teddy Kollek guidelines called for a ban on buildings over eight stories, except in special cases.
But there were many special cases; the cityscape came to be altered by tall buildings that won approval after bitter battles.
But the new plan for a major jump in height at the city entrance has so far proceeded with little opposition. In the past several years environmental organizations have decided to focus their attentions on fighting the city’s incursion into open spaces, rather than battling high-rise construction.
Under Jerusalem’s new master plan the area at the entrance to the city is designated as the new center for business and commerce. The fast train from Tel Aviv to the capital, now under construction, together with the two light-rail lines, will enable the development of a “city” with a concentration of towers, city planners say.
The first two buildings of this new complex to be approved are at the intersection of Jaffa and Herzl streets, and will reach a height of 150 meters. By comparison, the round tower of Tel Aviv’s Azrieli Center is 187 meters high. The new Jerusalem towers will have five levels of underground parking and 78,000 square meters in total floor space.
The Israel Lands Administration is developing the project, which Farhi Zafrir Architects is designing.
The main problem with the towers is their shadows, according to the environmental opinions submitted to the zoning board, which will reach for hundreds of meters on the ground and affect most nearby buildings and streets.
But others question the need for what they say is a grandiose project.
“The problem with the plan is that it creates a precedent for such tall buildings,” said city council member Rachel Azaria, adding, “After approving such a building, no developer in the area will ask for less than 35 stories.”
Continuing, she said, “It is possible the building will integrate into the fabric and the skyline, but it is reasonable to assume there will also be problems with such massive construction. That is why it is proper to start with a much lower building, of 12 or 18 stories, to see how it goes and then to move on to plan such tall and massive construction.”
“Jerusalem is a city that demands caution and modesty in planning, and that is not happening in this building. I hope the regional [planning] committee will learn to significantly reduce its height,” said Azaria.
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