Key Takeaways
- • The Tel Aviv District Appeals Committee, chaired by attorney Michal Degani-Halberstam, approved in principle the plan to demolish Atarim Square and replace it with two towers, but made the plan's validity conditional on substantial amendments.
- • The committee ordered a 4,000 square meter reduction in building rights and a smaller tower footprint to expand open public space and sea views.
- • The approved concept calls for two 25-story towers with 220 residential units and approximately 300 hotel rooms, advanced by real estate investment fund JTLV.
- • The committee required a clear separation of residential and hotel towers and barred residents from occupying apartments until the hotel tower is completed and occupancy-permitted.
- • The committee found a shortfall of roughly 2 dunams of usable open public space that must be addressed, and the process is not yet complete as property valuation issues remain unresolved.
Summary
The Tel Aviv District Appeals Committee has moved the Atarim Square redevelopment forward, approving the plan in principle while requiring significant changes before implementation, according to Ynetnews. The ruling came nearly two years after Tel Aviv's Local Planning and Building Committee approved the plan in November 2024. The plan calls for demolishing the existing square at the junction of Ben-Gurion Boulevard and the beachfront and constructing two 25-story towers containing 220 residential units and approximately 300 hotel rooms, along with commercial space, lower-rise buildings, an underground public parking garage and open public areas. The project is being advanced by real estate investment fund JTLV, which was also involved in earlier planning stages.
The appeals committee rejected arguments challenging the local committee's authority and determined that redeveloping the complex was an appropriate planning initiative of urban significance. It nonetheless accepted parts of the objections and ordered a reduction of 4,000 square meters in development rights and a smaller tower footprint. The committee also found a shortfall of approximately 2 dunams of open public space, stressing that designating areas as public on a map is insufficient and that walkways and staircases do not substitute for a usable square. Other conditions include wind studies and mitigation measures, round-the-clock public access to the coastal park with municipal management and maintenance, increased distances between buildings to protect the neighboring Carlton and Herods hotels, and a plan to limit environmental nuisances during demolition and construction.
The committee also ordered a clear separation between residential and hotel uses, requiring one dedicated residential tower and a separate hotel tower. Residents may not occupy apartments until the hotel tower is complete and has received an occupancy permit, a measure intended to preserve the coastline's tourism function. The redevelopment would also eliminate the sunken section of Eliezer Peri Street, restoring it to street level to create a continuous connection from Ben-Gurion Boulevard to the beach. Atarim Square, built in the 1970s, had become one of the most neglected complexes along the coastline.
Attorney Noam Kolodny, who represented the nonprofit "No to Towers at Atarim Square," called the decision a victory for the public and for the protection of Tel Aviv's coastline. He said the committee approved the principle of demolition but made the plan's validity conditional on substantial amendments. Kolodny cautioned that the process is not complete, that the plan still requires amendments, that property valuation issues remain unresolved and that further proceedings may follow.
The appeals committee rejected arguments challenging the local committee's authority and determined that redeveloping the complex was an appropriate planning initiative of urban significance. It nonetheless accepted parts of the objections and ordered a reduction of 4,000 square meters in development rights and a smaller tower footprint. The committee also found a shortfall of approximately 2 dunams of open public space, stressing that designating areas as public on a map is insufficient and that walkways and staircases do not substitute for a usable square. Other conditions include wind studies and mitigation measures, round-the-clock public access to the coastal park with municipal management and maintenance, increased distances between buildings to protect the neighboring Carlton and Herods hotels, and a plan to limit environmental nuisances during demolition and construction.
The committee also ordered a clear separation between residential and hotel uses, requiring one dedicated residential tower and a separate hotel tower. Residents may not occupy apartments until the hotel tower is complete and has received an occupancy permit, a measure intended to preserve the coastline's tourism function. The redevelopment would also eliminate the sunken section of Eliezer Peri Street, restoring it to street level to create a continuous connection from Ben-Gurion Boulevard to the beach. Atarim Square, built in the 1970s, had become one of the most neglected complexes along the coastline.
Attorney Noam Kolodny, who represented the nonprofit "No to Towers at Atarim Square," called the decision a victory for the public and for the protection of Tel Aviv's coastline. He said the committee approved the principle of demolition but made the plan's validity conditional on substantial amendments. Kolodny cautioned that the process is not complete, that the plan still requires amendments, that property valuation issues remain unresolved and that further proceedings may follow.
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