District Committee Approves 53,000 Square Meters of Construction in Jerusalem, Between Talpiot and Baka

The Jerusalem District Planning and Building Committee, chaired by Shira Ptolomeo, decided today to approve the plan to establish a US Embassy complex in the city. The plan covers a total area of approximately 31 dunams that is currently vacant of construction, and is bounded by Hebron Road to the west, Hanoch Albek Street to the east and Daniel Yanovsky Street to the south, next to the light rail Blue Line. This area is currently undeveloped.

According to the plan, the central building is expected to rise to 10 floors, and alongside it a 4-floor residential building for staff will be built. In total, the plan includes approximately 53,000 square meters of built area, of which approximately 1,800 square meters are designated for housing.

The planning director said: "The embassy complex is a complex of public and symbolic importance, and in the future it will draw public activity around it on a large scale, similar to the US embassy complexes in other capitals around the world. The complex is located along Hebron Road, which is the city's main historic road, and next to the light rail axis, which will be an intensive, mixed-use urban axis with active frontages along its route.

The plan emphasizes improving the complex's interface with the surroundings, and to that end the committee set special instructions for widening the sidewalks, in order to ensure gardens, walking paths and bike lanes. In addition, the committee determined changes to the building and its lowering, in order to reduce the extent of uprooting of trees in the compounds, as well as the appearance of the building's height toward the street." It will bring activity, and will provide hundreds of new jobs for the city, relying on the excellent light rail service along Hebron Road. The plan was submitted by the US Embassy and the Israel Land Authority, and was prepared by the Yigal Levi Architects office.