High-density living coming to Caesarea

Caesarea  photo: Tamar Matsafi
Caesarea photo: Tamar Matsafi

The new project consists of 86 apartments in 3-4 storey buildings.

After 20 years in which only private housing units have been built in Caesarea, the Caesarea Development Corporation has begun to contact real estate developers for the purpose of founding a partnership in a project for construction of 86 high-density apartments in a neighborhood in the town center. The plan is now possible because the District Planning and Building Commission approved the plan a month ago, while rejecting most of the objections submitted by residents of the prestigious town. Among other things, the objectors argued that the density of the plan and a large addition of commercial space it included changed the character of the town.

The projects, which also includes added commercial space, consists of 86 garden apartments, penthouses, and ordinary apartments with an average area of 100 square meters in 3-4 storey buildings. It will enable veteran and young residents to continue living in the town even if they do not wish, or are unable, to own a private housing unit. "For the first time, there will be a density of six housing units per dunam (24 housing units per acre)," says Haifa District Planning and Building Commission chairperson Liat Peled. "The future of Caesarea will be denser."

The land was originally zoned for hotels, and a plan for building 120 hotel rooms originally applied to it. The land is located near a municipal center with country clubs, a school, and a number of stores. In its explanation of the plan, the Haifa District Committee states, "The neighborhood is an old one initially intended for residence and tourism. The Commission believes that the area of the plan, located in the heart of town, which is marked in the outline plan as the town's public center, is not suitable for hotels, and should be strengthened as a town center containing public utilities for public needs, commerce, and offices for the benefit of the entire town. The plan rezones the land from hotels to residences, arranges for a public and commercial center for Caesarea's needs, regulates construction rights, and adds to existing housing units, including an addition of 86 housing units to the neighborhood."

The plan was deposited for objections in July 2015, and 422 objections were filed, mainly by residents opposing high-density construction in Caesarea, and by residents of the neighborhood concerning the construction rights within it. The objections subcommittee appointed a researcher to discuss the objections, who recommended that the District Planning and Building Commission should endorse the plan, after some of the objections were accepted, including a reduction of the original amount of commercial space.

The opponents of the plan argued that it changed the rural character of the entire town, especially the neighborhood of the project, a closed residential neighborhood with 270 housing units, in order to promote narrow economic interests.

After the objections were rejected, the opponents also petitioned the Haifa District Court, but Court Vice President Dr. Ron Shapiro recently rejected their claims.

Published by Globes [online], Israel Business News - www.globes-online.com - on September 18, 2017

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2017

Caesarea  photo: Tamar Matsafi
Caesarea photo: Tamar Matsafi
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