Jerusalem Municipality Blocks Massive Plan Threatening Beitar Training Grounds
The Jerusalem Municipality has blocked a massive 1,650-apartment residential and commercial project by the Israel Land Authority over concerns it would ruin Beitar Jerusalem's Bait Vagan training grounds.
The Jerusalem Municipality has blocked a massive construction plan at the Beitar Jerusalem training complex in Bait Vagan. The Israel Land Authority (ILA) is promoting the 'Emek Tiyon' plan, which spans 194 dunams and includes 1,650 apartments across four 50-story towers and one 40-story tower. Approximately 30 dunams currently feature three soccer fields used by all Beitar Jerusalem departments, serving thousands of players. The ILA's plan leaves only two fields, located half a kilometer apart, with one built on a commercial center's roof and failing to meet official standards.
The municipality argues that a club of Beitar's size cannot function under such a split, which would hinder coaches' work, require duplicate equipment, mandate separate gyms, and prevent joint activities. Although the ILA submitted documents to the Jerusalem District Planning and Building Committee in January, it presented its proposed solution for the fields only last Thursday. Following a meeting with planning and sports department officials, the municipality decided to oppose the plan and halt its approval. The District Committee was scheduled to discuss depositing the plan for final approval today, but the hearing was canceled at the municipality's request.
The ILA is searching for alternatives, and Jerusalem officials demand that at least two connected fields be provided, complete with a gym and locker rooms. Due to the capital's mountainous topography, finding a large enough plot is challenging, but the ILA is exploring alternative solutions. One proposal involves extending the decking of Highway 16 near the project area to create space for a field. Another previously examined option is locating a suitable land reserve elsewhere. The overall 194-dunam site is located south of Shaare Zedek Medical Center, north of Begin Highway, west of Shmuel Ha-Navi Street and Highway 16, and east of the Lev Academic Center and Shalem institutions.
The site's ownership is divided among private individuals, companies, and state institutions, including the ILA, the Jewish National Fund (JNF), and the Development Authority. Commercial areas in the plan include five residential towers, about 100,000 square meters of employment space, and 13,000 square meters of commerce. The project is vital for Jerusalem as it connects neighborhoods, lies near two light rail lines, and allocates 19 dunams for the expansion of Shaare Zedek Medical Center—a project backed by a $200 million donation from WhatsApp founder Jan Koum in May. Additionally, the plan allows for the expansion of the Shalem organization, which promotes the integration of people with disabilities, enabling the creation of a national emergency trauma rehabilitation center in synergy with Shaare Zedek.
Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion told Calcalist: "The development of Jerusalem is welcome and important, but it will never come at the expense of a training complex used by children and youth from all over the city, which could harm the future of a glorious sports club and Jerusalem symbol like Beitar Jerusalem. We will not allow harm to thousands of children, youth, and athletes. We call on the ILA to present a proper alternative and a professional, real solution for the training fields to ensure the club's continued activity."
The ILA stated: "The Emek Tiyon plan, promoted jointly with the Jerusalem Municipality, is an essential part of the Innovation Quarter. It offers urban development alongside responses to citywide needs, including the expansion of Shaare Zedek Medical Center and the Shalem Center. The ILA and the municipality are cooperating to locate alternative sites for Beitar's fields."
The Bait Vagan training grounds have long been the focus of legal and business battles over their potential conversion into residential housing worth hundreds of millions of shekels. In 1999, Beitar ran into financial distress and sold its rights to the fields to Neot Bait Vagan for $6.5 million, valued at the time at about 27 million shekels. Shareholders then included Meir Panigel, brothers Meir Levy and Sasson Levy, and Sasson Shem-Tov. In 2005, then-owner Arkadi Gaydamak attempted to buy the complex, but the deal collapsed due to the Israel Land Administration's opposition to construction. For years, the ILA opposed transferring the rights to Neot Bait Vagan, but in 2009 an agreement allowed lease regularization subject to payments to the authority. Beitar, under Moshe Hogeg, continued to train at the complex. In January 2022, Hadas Capital, controlled by Hillel Zoribin and Asher Sabag, acquired Neot Bait Vagan for approximately 120 million shekels.
