It is no secret that one of the challenges for motorists in Tel Aviv is finding a parking place. Home and apartment owners rent out their spaces during business hours and City Hall continues efforts to boost the city’s bicycle rental program due to the critical shortage of parking.

Most drivers would be more that perturbed to learn that a new 1,000 space parking garage that is completed is not being granted a certificate of occupancy (COO) permit because the company that built it has not yet completed the fountain on street level that it promised to construct. City Hall fears if the underground multilevel parking lot is opened the fountain will never be constructed.

The 150 million shekel lot is located between HaArba’a and Hashmonaim Streets and it was constructed to assist in alleviating vehicular congestion in that area. The Gindi Company, which constructed the parking facility cannot open it to the public because the city has yet to sign the COO. It appears 70 local merchants park their vehicles atop of the underground lot where the fountain is supposed to be built and this is holding up the latter.

The construction company maintains it has offered to permit the 70 vehicles to use the new lot while the fountain is under construction but it cannot do so since it has not received the occupancy permit. The owners of the 70 vehicles explain they agreed to the construction after receiving a commitment from the city they could park their vehicle atop of the lot. Some officials in City Hall are calling it “Chelm” as the matter is entangled in a Catch22. The standoff continues and the lot remains closed to the public.

An attorney involved in the matter feels the new lot will open in February 2015.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)