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5,175 Additional Housing Units in New Master Plan for Gilo Neighborhood – Taken off the Agenda of the Planning Committee's Session on November 12, 2014 at the Last Minute

Documents obtained by Ir Amim show that the new master plan for Gilo, initiated by the Jerusalem Municipality, intends to expand the neighborhood towards Bet Jallah and Wallajeh and dramatically increase the number of housing units in the neighborhood. The plan was included in the agenda of the Local Planning Committee for November 12 but was taken off the agenda at the last minute and not discussed. A new date has not yet been set, but the plan appears to be ready for initial discussion. The plan indicates areas where future detailed plans will add 5,175 new housing units: 2,380 housing units are an expansion of the neighborhood to the south and southeast. Another 2,795 housing units are planned in the built-up area of the neighborhood. The above-mentioned plan is additional to three other plans expanding Gilo: in the West towards Wallajeh; in the southwest towards Bet Jallah; and in the north next to Bet Safafa. These plans, including a total of 2,137 housing units, were approved in 2012, but not yet implemented. With the new master plan and those plans approved in 2012, the number of housing units in the neighborhood will thus rise potentially from roughly 9,200 units existing today to roughly 16,500 housing units - an increase of some 80%. The plan also marks new strategic roads: • In the east a new road will connect the neighborhood to Rd. 60 (Tunnel Road) towards the Gush Etzion settlement block and to the new extension of the Begin Highway which cuts through the adjacent Bet Safafa neighborhood to the center of Jerusalem. • From the west side of the neighborhood, a new road will run through Wallajeh land, at the edge of the Wallajeh National Park (TPS 12222) approved last year and offering another route to the center of the city. In the attached map which is part of the plan documents, existing buildings are colored grey-white and planned buildings are colored orange. According to the map and other documents we have viewed, the future expansion of Gilo includes: • 2,100 housing units in a new plan, yet to receive a TPS number, expanding the neighborhood southeast towards road 60. • 280 housing units in a new plan south of the neighborhood which will "thicken" the three building plans approved in 2012 appearing below. • In 2012 three detailed plans were approved but building has yet to take place: a) 797 housing units in Gilo Western Slopes (TPS 13157) extending Gilo westwards towards Al-Wallajeh. Tenders for 708 of these housing units were published in April 2014, contributing to the collapse of the Kerry talks. Winners for the tenders were announced in June but building permits have yet to be issued. b) 1,240 housing units in Gilo South-West Slopes (TPS 13261) extending the neighborhood south-west towards Bet Jallah. The plan requires a re-parcelization process before construction can take place. c) 100 housing units in TPS 13290A north of Gilo, next to Bet Safafa. All together the plans expanding the neighborhood add up to 4,517 housing units (2,380 in the new plan plus 2,137 in the approved 2012 plans). The plan also marks areas inside the built-up area of Gilo where future detailed plans will create an additional 2,795 housing units (out of the total 5,175 units in the new plan). This alert was written by Ir Amim Researcher Aviv Tatarsky. Ir Amim Director of International Relations & Advocacy is out of the country on business until December 1st Please address all inquiries to: Aviv at aviv@ir-amim.org.il 052-6125119

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