Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat has won an interim victory in his effort to freeze an Israel Land Administration (ILA) tender for the construction of 53 luxury houses on the slopes of the city's western neighborhood of Kiryat Hayovel, in favor of a plan to build 300 apartments of affordable housing. In a hearing, the Jerusalem District Court decided that the ILA tender will be suspended for 60 days to enable the municipality to prepare an alternative plan for the site.
Two weeks ago, Barkat asked Minister of Housing and Construction Ariel Atias to suspend the ILA tender in order to promote a plan for affordable housing for young couples on the Kiryat Hayovel site. The proposed project is part of the Jerusalem Municipality's policy to give priority to housing for young couples over luxury homes.
The court decision enables the municipality to promote its alternative plan for the site, which includes a vacate-and-build and urban renewal project for the Olswanger-Brazil housing projects.
Barkat said, "The Jerusalem Municipality wants to preserve the youthful character of the Kiryat Hayovel neighborhood, and promote housing in the neighborhood for young couples instead of luxury houses, as part of its effort to keep young people in Jerusalem, provide affordable housing, and stop migration from the city."
The Jerusalem Municipality's wish to promote its alternative plan for the site is based on its work on the new outline plan for Kiryat Hayovel. As part of this work, the planning team examined the slopes of the neighborhood in the direction of Ein Kerem. They found that the ILA plan did not properly utilize the area. The municipality claims that more efficient use of the land would enable high density housing for 300 apartments, nearly six times the number of units planned for the site under a plan dating back to 1983.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on April 28, 2010
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