Haifa port may soon undergo a facelift, with a plan for redevelopment to include an entertainment zone, a commercial zone and links to the city’s beaches.
The new Seafront Plan, which will eventually lead to total cessation of regular port activity Haifa, is up for the discussion by the National Planning and Building Council on Tuesday.
If passed, a new promenade will grace the waterfront from the port to the Bat Galim neighborhood to the south.
Storage areas will be transformed into commercial and entertainment centers, similar to the hangars in Jaffa and Tel Aviv ports.
The Israel Ports Company has objected, claiming that closure of the western section of the working port will destroy revenues and workers’ incomes. But architect Renana Yardeni, appointed by the Interior Ministry, noted in her report to be presented Tuesday that construction of an alternate port site has already been approved – and started.