From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, March 8, 2022
Jerusalem mayor revises housing plan, limiting construction on White Ridge forested hillside
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSue Surkes is The Times of Israel's environment reporter
In a victory for environmental groups, Jerusalem’s Mayor Moshe Lion presents a new and revised plan for building on White Ridge, a popular forested hillside of natural springs just to the west of the city.
An original plan called for the construction of 5,250 residential units along with 300 hotel rooms and commercial space covering around 800 dunams (just under 200 acres).
The revised plan, dubbed Good Tidings in White, provides for 6,000 residential units built on a 300 dunam (74 acre) site.
Plans for a light rail line have been dropped, some 10,000 trees will be saved and the city will work to have the remaining 500 dunams (124 acres) declared a national park to stop further building in the future, the mayor says.
The not-for-profit organization Saving the Jerusalem Hills vows to continue to campaign until several threatened areas of the hills, including White Ridge, receive statutory protection.
The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel praises the mayor and welcomes the new plan, pledging to continue to work with the “caring and determined” public to ensure that as much open space as possible is preserved in the Jerusalem Hills.
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