Hakoah heading to Stage 2 of DA
THE Hakoah Club intends to lodge the Stage 2 development application (DA) for its $47 million redevelopment of White City with Woollahra Council “as soon as possible”, and will be seeking donations to make the project a reality.
THE Hakoah Club intends to lodge the Stage 2 development application (DA) for its $47 million redevelopment of White City with Woollahra Council “as soon as possible”, and will be seeking donations to make the project a reality.
In December last year, the Joint Regional Planning Panel (JRPP) unanimously approved Hakoah’s DA, finding that the application was “well considered” and “will provide sporting facilities currently missing in the Woollahra local government area”.
Speaking at the club’s annual general meeting last week, Hakoah president George Farkas said as significant as the DA approval is, “it is but one step in a continuing complex and detailed process required to achieve our vision to provide unique sporting, recreational, social and cultural facilities at White City”.
“The next step, having had our Stage 1 Concept DA approved, is to now lodge a detailed DA for the whole development, to allow demolition and building to take place,” Farkas said.
“However, the work done for the Stage 1 DA was so comprehensive that the vast majority of the work required for the Stage 2 DA has already been done.”
Farkas noted that the club has “wasted no time” in embarking on the next steps.
“We have completed the process of listing and collating all necessary further consultants’ work and updated and/or additional reports required for the DA and are now commissioning that work, with the intention of then lodging the Stage 2 DA with Council, for staff evaluation and ultimate determination by the JRPP as soon as possible,” he said.
Farkas said the Hakoah board has been approached by a number of commercial entities interested in operating various facilities to be provided, and that a number of communally active people have indicated their willingness to assist in raising the necessary funds for the redevelopment.
“A fundraising committee will be formed to further a strategy, already in draft form, to obtain funds via memberships, naming rights, fully tax deductible donations and a manageable level of debt,” he said.
He added that the board’s membership committee is working on a new detailed membership model, which is likely to comprise multi-tier memberships, depending on level of access to facilities.
It was announced at the AGM that Hakoah had received a pledge of $250,000 from a non-Jewish donor, and that the club still owns 96 poker machine entitlements valued at more than $1.2 million. When contacted by The AJN, Farkas would not go into detail about the club’s existing funds.
The AGM also welcomed two new directors, Daniela Freed and Greg Einfeld, following the retirement of vice-president Daniel Moses and director Peter Grunfeld.
Kevin Wunsh was elected as vice-president while Phil Opit returns as treasurer.
EVAN ZLATKIS
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