Herzliya mayor Moshe Fadlon today announced that he would withdraw the outline masterplan for the city. His proposal will be brought before the municipal building committee for approval next Monday. According to Fadlon's announcement, he learned that the outline plan, the planning of which began in 2009, had been drawn up without adequate, proper, and professional participation from the public, which accounted for his dramatic decision.
The population of Herzliya is 90,000, which the deposited outline plan proposes to double to 182,000 by the target year. The plan, which was prepared by a team headed by urban planner Moshe Cohen and architect Amir Kolker, was based on a broad vision that included "a large city in the Greater Tel Aviv district… an urban web connecting all parts of the city… a lively and developing business center in the old part of town… high-quality and developed open spaces and urban nature… environmentally friendly, seeking to reduce hothouse gases, development of environmentally friendly construction, use of purified water," etc.
The chairman of the Young Herzliya neighborhood committee, who is active in a coalition of residents, welcomed the news, but warned, "The test will be in deeds, not words. The real test will be issuing an immediate notice to the District Planning and Building Commission that the plan has been withdrawn, and in filing a court petition in the event of a refusal to return the plan to the mayor for a decision."
Published by Globes [online], Israel Business News - www.globes-online.com - on June 22, 2017
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