Residents of the Jerusalem neighborhood of Har Nof are fighting a plan to construct three sixteen-story towers at the entrance to the Jerusalem forest.
The plan calls for the towers to be constructed on land zoned for a public structure; the zoning has not yet been changed. In addition, the zoning guidelines for the area calls for buildings on the side of the street bordering the forest to rise not more than one or two stories above street level.
If the towers are built, it is estimated that approximately 1,000 trees will need to be uprooted.
According to a petition to stop the construction, "Har Nof was founded with the vision of integrating community with nature. The proposed plan will harm the neighborhood's character and create a dangerous precedent."
Residents also warn that construction of these towers would present a clear danger to the children playing in the park opposite the planned construction site, overburden community infrastructure, reduce the value of the neighborhood's existing housing units, block the view of the Jerusalem hills and the entrance to the Jerusalem forest, and create unbearable traffic.
This is not the first time such a plan has been proposed: In 2007, the National Committee for Construction and Planning rejected a similar plan, stating that site is "a sensitive and strategic area" which requires limits on structure height. Residents fear that approving the new plan would encourage other investors to submit similar plans along the entire length of the forest.
"The project will block the view, destroy nature, and harm the quality of the air we breathe," the residents stress.