Haifa Bay Approves Major Development Plans for Districts 3 and 4 Under National Outline Plan 75
The National Council for Planning and Building has approved the environmental guidelines for Districts 3 and 4 as part of the extensive National Outline Plan 75 (Tama 75) for Haifa Bay. This plan envisions over 4,750 new housing units, millions of square meters dedicated to employment and industry, a large metropolitan park, and a new arena.
District 3 covers approximately 5,800 dunams in the heart of Haifa's metropolitan area, including the vacated oil refinery site, Hutzot HaMifratz, and the industrial zone of Kiryat Ata. It plans for about 8 million square meters of built space for advanced industry, commerce, leisure, and employment. Specifically, the former refinery area will host around 3 million square meters for advanced industry and commercial use. The plan also includes a "metropolitan core" public center spanning 1.1 million square meters, featuring exhibition centers, a city square, office buildings, and community activity hubs. An open urban corridor with sports and leisure facilities and a post-industrial park reusing existing industrial infrastructure is also planned. Hutzot HaMifratz will undergo industrial and employment renewal with 2.8 million square meters of development, new open spaces, and increased building rights, alongside the addition of approximately 3,000 housing units.
District 4, spanning about 10,000 dunams, includes the renewal of the Checkpost area, a new logistics park with a rail branch near Haifa Port, and a metropolitan park exceeding 5,000 dunams around the Kishon River. The district will also feature leisure areas, a new multi-purpose arena, and a new integrated transportation hub at the Yagur junction, designed to connect multiple mass transit modes and serve as the southern gateway to the new Haifa Bay area. Additionally, two stormwater management sites are planned near the Yagur interchange and within the metropolitan park.
This approval marks a transition from strategic planning to detailed design and environmental impact assessments. Over the past two years, the planning committee has finalized the spatial framework and identified infrastructure needs. Detailed planning and environmental reviews will proceed alongside professional consultations, culminating in a final review by the planning committee.
Rafi Almaliah, CEO of the Planning Administration, described the approval as "another significant step" in advancing a plan that integrates urban development with environmental rehabilitation, aiming to create a new space for housing, employment, commerce, logistics, and open areas in Haifa Bay.
