Haifa Approves Plan for 65-Story Residential Tower Overlooking the Sea

Haifa's local planning committee has recommended advancing the "The Gateway" urban renewal project in Dolphin Square, which will feature the tallest building in northern Israel. The development, promoted by Shoval Group, is located at the intersection connecting Kiryat Eliezer, Bat Galim, Kiryat Eliyahu, and the lower city, near the seafront and the train station.

The plan involves demolishing four old railway buildings containing 128 apartments to make way for a mixed-use complex with 618 residential units, approximately 4,000 square meters each for commercial and employment spaces, and a 200-room hotel. The centerpiece will be a 65-story tower, the tallest in Haifa and the north, accompanied by two additional residential towers of about 37 stories each. Unlike typical residential buildings, the upper floors of the main tower will be dedicated to hotel, office, and public uses, with an open public observation deck on the 65th floor overlooking Haifa Bay and Mount Carmel.

The project also includes extensive public infrastructure such as an 18-classroom elementary school, a community center, plazas, and promenades. The local committee expects the development to reduce construction pressure on the Carmel ridge and encourage public transportation use. Shoval Group CEO Yishai Rot emphasized the project's strategic importance as a new gateway to the city, while Adi Hod, head of urban renewal at the group, highlighted the recommendation as a milestone following extensive collaboration with apartment owners and the municipality toward creating an innovative living environment.