The Jerusalem District Planning and Building Committee has given final approval to the construction of a 42-floor tower near Mount Herzl in Israel’s capital, overriding 200 objections, Israeli business site Globes reported last week.
Officially the Epstein Tower, it has been dubbed the “Jerusalem Burj” after the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world’s tallest high-rise. The nickname fits as both the current project and the Dubai skyscraper were designed by the same Chicago-based firm, Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill Architects.
The proposed mixed-use high-rise will be located in the capital’s Kiryat HaYovel neighborhood. The tower will cover 1.75 acres along Herzl Boulevard, and will feature 240 housing units, 60,000 square meters of office space and an 11,000-square-meter hotel on the lower floors, Globes reported.
It will also include 4,000 square meters of public building, a museum, cultural center and 300 square meters of commercial space.
The plan, first submitted to the authorities nearly six years ago, attracted opposition from the start. Many objections revolve around its location, overlooking the Yad Vashem Holocaust remembrance center and the Mount Herzl military cemetery.
Critics say it’s disrespectful to the memory of fallen soldiers and the Holocaust, calling it a “blasphemy” that would “dwarf and severely damage” the status of Mount Herzl and Yad Vashem, Globes reported.
They say that the plan is “contrary to the public interest and in complete contrast to the values of Judaism, Zionism, heritage, social culture, nature and the landscape of Jerusalem.”
Globes noted that the Mount Herzl military cemetery and Yad Vashem don’t oppose the plan.
Yad Labanim, a group which commemorates fallen IDF soldiers, initially opposed the plan but withdrew its objection.
The group’s chairman, Eli Ben Shem, told the district committee that after an in-depth review, “We came to the conclusion that the necessary balances and actions were indeed taken to prevent harm to the families’ feelings and to preserve the integrity of the area. In view of the aforementioned, and after considering the matter seriously, we believe that there is no reason to continue our objection.”
The Association of Architects and City Builders in Israel also opposes the plan, saying that the building isn’t in keeping with the policy of dense construction along the Jerusalem light rail route, and noting that the planned tower is exceptionally high for Jerusalem’s skyline.
The Jerusalem District Planning and Building Committee said the plan was in keeping with dense construction.
The committee looked at several alternative plans before final approval of the complex, including two adjacent 30-story towers or the construction of four 10-story buildings.
A single high-rise was found preferable as it allowed for the most open public space.
In its approval, the committee called for a reduction in the height of the tower, from 193 meters to 165 meters (2,100 to 1,775 feet), by reducing the height of each floor.
