A local residents’ survey has surprised the municipality of Tel Aviv in its revelation that all are against existing plans to redevelop the TA Kikar Atarim location facing the city’s Marina and Gordon swimming pool. In response, the Tel Aviv Municipality has elected to review the proposed plan.
The Municipality’s decision is not light as it postpones a proposal deliberated in the city’s building and planning commission back in October of 2015. The plan was already on its way to being paid for, hence this is a significant accomplishment for Tel Aviv’s central residents who opposed the plan in May 2017 claiming that the suggested buildings were excessively tall, would merely benefit the well-to-do, and would obscured the seafront.
The original plan included demolishing the prevailing square, a strip club and disco in its center, shops, and a hotel, and constructing 4 towers. Two towers would be 26 floors, one 31 floors, and the last, 36 floors. The venture encompasses a hotel and residential area spanning 80,000 square meters, public and commercial areas spanning 4,000 square meters, and a large (2.5 acres) open area.
Homegrown architect Meira Mor has expressly opposed the plan and is a partaker in a round table introduced by the municipality’s Engineering Administration that only met recently. According to Mor the municipality conducted a survey which was greeted with extremely negative reactions from the city’s inhabitants. The administration was startled to discover that no one supported the plan. They subsequently resolved to include residents and reps of the developers and Israel Association of United Architects. She said the goal is to attain at an alternative plan that will be an appropriate resolution for the site.
The city’s Municipality responded after gauging the response of the public to the original plan in follow-up meetings, a decision was made to carry on discussions in a sequence of three round table assemblies over the next few weeks. The meetings will include the Architects Association and members of the public who oppose the plan. Thereafter, a restructured plan will be circulated.
The developer behind the Kikar Atarim project is Nichsei Idit (Idit Properties), controlled by Amir Biran, Yakov Shalom Fisher, and Baruch Shohat. The planners are British architect Norman Foster in partnership with Israeli architect Avner Yashar.
