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May 18, 2007
The city’s ever-changing skyline
The spate of new luxury towers being built in Tel-Aviv will ratchet
up housing prices.
RHONDA SPIVAK
Serena and Guy Rosner live with their two young children on Zeitlin
Street near Kikar Rabin, in the centre of Tel-Aviv. They are both
medical doctors who work at Ichalov Hospital nearby. Their two-bedroom
apartment is approximately 800 square feet, and does not come with
a parking spot.
"I can never keep up with political developments in this country
because I spend too much of my time looking for a place to park
my car," Serena laughed. None of the apartments in the area
have bomb shelters, since they were all built before the birth of
the state, and the nearest public shelter isn’t that close
by. But this doesn’t seem to detract from the desirability
of the neighborhood.
The Rosners have been looking for a larger apartment in Tel-Aviv,
but "the prices are unbelievable, and we haven’t been
able to find anything," said Serena. About a year ago, they
spoke to a real estate agent about listing their apartment. Within
several days, the agent brought a buyer who was willing to offer
them their full price with immediate possession. The Rosners didn’t
sell. "We realized we’ll be able to sell our apartment
easily," said Serena. "The question is whether we’ll
be able to find a larger place that’s more affordable nearby."
In the meantime, the value of their apartment has gone up by 30
per cent in the last year and a half.
The Rosners’ situation is typical for middle-class Israelis
trying to live in the heart of Tel-Aviv, and their housing dilemma
isn’t likely to become any easier in the future. Downtown Tel-Aviv
is undergoing a major transformation, as luxury towers that cater
to the elite are mushrooming. The richest of the rich, who years
ago opted to live in villas outside of the city, are returning to
the city centre. Many of them have soured on the idea of suburban
life, which has kept them caught in traffic jams for hours getting
in and out of the city. As housing prices climb, the average middle-class
family will find it increasingly difficult to stay in the city centre.
Guy Rosner’s grandfather built a three-storey apartment building
"with his own hands" right off Hayarkon Street in Tel-Aviv,
where Guy’s parents and sister now live. "When my grandfather
built it, there was practically nothing else there," Guy recalled.
"Tel-Aviv was just sand dunes. He chose a lot not too far from
the sea and built on it. He would never have imagined that one day,
the whole area could turn into high-rises. Right now, no one in
our family would ever consider tearing down my grandfather’s
building to build a high rise, but who knows what the future will
bring?" he said, looking down at his two sons.
In the meantime, the towers continue to rise. Billionaire Shari
Arison became the talk of Tel-Aviv when she reportedly paid $13
million for a 700-square-metre, triplex penthouse on Ibn Gvirol
Street, in what will become the Glazer Towers. Richard Meier, who
designed the Getty Centre in Los Angeles, will design a 32-storey
high rise at Rothchild and Allenby streets, and Philippe Starck
is building the Yoo Towers nearby. Even Donald Trump plans to build
a 70-storey residential and office tower in Ramat Gan.
The proliferation of luxury towers in Tel-Aviv is being propelled
to a significant extent by the demands of many affluent Diaspora
Jews, who want to purchase a second home in Israel. In 2002, foreign
buyers invested $192 million in Israeli real estate but, by 2006,
the number had soared to $1.43 billion, the highest ever, according
to the Bank of Israel.
Avi Slama, a businessman who runs La Mer Restaurant on the main
beach in Tel-Aviv, sees the changes unfolding before his eyes. A
few months ago, Slama purchased a building in south Tel-Aviv, near
Florentine, which is not considered a very desirable residential
area. "I bought there because I expect that in the next number
of years, real estate in south Tel-Aviv is going to substantially
increase in value," he said. "The centre and the more
affluent areas of north Tel-Aviv will become unaffordable for the
middle-class, and so weaker areas in south Tel-Aviv will be developed."
The municipality, under Mayor Ron Huldai, has been promoting 11
luxury apartment towers along the Tel-Aviv beachfront, some of which
will be near the Opera Tower and the Herbert Samual Promenade. Environmental
groups oppose the building of these residences, claiming they create
a physical and psychological barrier between the public and its
beachfront.
Another proposed development that has raised the eyebrows of environmental
groups is the construction of a man-made island approximately one
mile off the Tel-Aviv shoreline. According to an agreement between
Huldai and Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, the construction
of this island will be used for a new international airport that
would replace Tel-Aviv’s Sde Dov airfield. The Tel-Aviv municipality
has indicated that, in light of the density in the vicinity, there
will be no choice but to move Sde Dov to the sea.
Yael Dayan, deputy mayor of Tel-Aviv, opposes the plan. "Let
them announce what they announce. It’s not going to happen,"
she said confidently. "There are so many environmental problems
with it. It would interfere with the flora and the fish. It will
block the flow of sand that comes from the Nile and is deposited
on our beaches.... Where will all of the output from this airport
go? All of the sewage will end up in the sea."
According to the Union for Environmental Defence, the environmental
repercussions of an island airport would be so severe that it is
impossible for them to all be calculated in advance.
"Who would want to lie out on the beach in Tel-Aviv and look
out onto an airport?" said Serena, on hearing of the plan.
"Besides, can you imagine how bad traffic will be on the bridge
that will have to be built to get out to that airport?"
Rhonda Spivak is a freelance writer who divides her time
between Winnipeg and Netanya, Israel.
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