10,000 Homes Planned for Bnei Brak

A new regional plan envisions the construction of 10,000 housing units for Bnei Brak, Globes reported on Sunday.

The plan, which was deposited at the Tel Aviv District Planning and Building Commission, calls for 8,000 units to be located in already built-up areas, while the remaining 2,000 would be in a new neighborhood near Yarkon Park.

If implemented, it would make Bnei Brak, already the most densely populated city in Israel, more crowded still. According to Central Bureau of Statistics figures, the city has 25,000 people per sq.m., 185,000 residents on 1,950 acres.

The plan allows for expansion of the BBC business zone, with a possible 1.5 million sq.m. of additional commercial space, along with upgraded transportation links.

Tel Aviv District Planning and Building Commission planner Naomi Angel said, “In addition to increasing the supply of housing units in the city, the plan establishes an internal municipal public transportation system moving on circuits between the existing and future public transportation terminals and the various neighborhoods in the city. Streamlining the public transportation system will keep hundreds of buses currently passing through the city every day outside the city, give the city’s sidewalks back to its residents, encourage the developing street life in the city, and contribute to the local economy.”

The plan was prepared at the initiative of the Planning Administration, in cooperation with the Bnei Brak municipality and architect Zadik Elyakim.

No target date was given for implementation of the plan.