Bnei Brak Moves Forward on New Housing Plan

The municipality of Bnei Brak has gained initial approval for construction of up to 1,900 housing units in the northern part of the city, Globes reported on Thursday.

The National Planning and Building Committee for Priority Residential Sites approved for deposit a plan that is being promoted by the Israel Land Authority (ILA) through Merhav Iski Tel Aviv in cooperation with the city of Bnei Brak. The architect designated for the project is Eli First.

The proposed location is north of Bnei Brak’s municipal area and Em Hamoshavot Road, west of Highway 4, and south of the Yarkon River.

The plan calls for a mix of residential construction alongside business and income-producing commercial space. The site is close to the Bnei Brak railway station and the future Greater Tel Aviv light rail Red Line.

As of this juncture, the average space of a housing unit will be 270 square feet, and 20 percent of the apartments will be small ones.

In a statement released on Thursday, the ILA said: “The construction outline in the plan is designed to create environmentally friendly traffic connections and passages in order to ensure continuity between the built-up municipal space from the south to Yarkon Park in the north. This continuity includes building a bridge and partial roofing of Road 491 and the railway tracks. In many areas in the plan, a mix of uses along the streets is planned aimed at generating urban intensity through commercial facades and the inclusion of public buildings, while taking advantage of the different levels in the plan.”