The greening of Ganei Ya’ar: Landmark agreement on open spaces

 

The Supreme Court has given its seal of approval to an agreement signed between IUED and Lod community representative Lia Steinberg, and the developers of the Ganei Ya’ar housing project. The agreement will bring green areas and playgrounds to a neighborhood notoriously lacking in open spaces.

 

Three years ago, IUED and residents of Ganei Ya’ar appealed to the Supreme Court over the District Court’s decision to allow the construction of hundreds of additional residential units without allocation of public open spaces.  IUED’s appeal argument was based on clear government guidelines that require a minimum allocation of seven square meters of public open spaces per person in all new neighborhoods.

 

For a year and a half work on the project was suspended pending a court hearing. When the development project was taken over by a new company, Logat, its director asked IUED and Lia Steinberg to enter into negotiations.

 

“We shared a determination to find a practical solution that would bring the maximum benefit to the community,” comments Yael Dori, IUED’s urban planner. “The agreement means that Ganei Ya’ar will now include over ten acres of public open space, including a promenade and park area along the banks of the Gezer stream which skirts the neighborhood.”

 

The heavily polluted stream will also be rehabilitated and turned into a recreational asset, and the developer will foot the bill.

 

IUED attorney Amit Bracha notes that this is the first time in the State of Israel that a property developer has committed in a formal agreement – supported by the Supreme Court – to providing public open spaces according to statutory planning guidelines. Adds Bracha: “This is a sea change, environmentally and ethically, in how developers relate to community needs. Kids in Ganei Ya’ar, a neighborhood planned with not so much as a single swing or a green lawn, will now enjoy open spaces and a riverside park.”