Sde Dov Housing Plan Moves Forward

A plan to build 16,000 housing units on the vacated site of the Sde Dov civilian airport has moved forward in the approval process, Globes reported on Monday.

The Sde Dov plan, approved by the Tel Aviv District Planning and Building Commission, calls for 514,000 square meters of public buildings, 126,000 square meters for commerce, 333,000 square meters for business space, 125,000 square meters for hotels, and 96.25 acres for parks and public gardens, besides the housing units.

The plans also reserves 6,900 apartments for marketing as affordable housing at reduced rents, housing for senior citizens, and student apartments.

While future use of Sde Dov is still far from a final determination, it appears that the aforementioned plan has gotten the upper hand over a rival proposal put forth by Mayor Ron Huldai, which allows for only 8,000 housing units, along with continued operation of the airport. That proposal has not been officially recorded at the District Planning and Building Commission or scheduled for discussion.

The District Planning and Building Commission issued a statement, saying: “The proposed plan contains a variety of public spaces, including two parks in the western part of the plan and another park cutting across the plan from east to west connecting the avenue of public buildings to the coast. The planned public buildings will serve the neighborhood residents and provide an important urban response to the city’s growth generated by the urban renewal plans in the city’s historical neighborhoods. The plan also includes a network of main streets, the most important of which is Ibn Gvirol Street, which will be extended to the north, with the Greater Tel Aviv Metropolitan light rail Green Line alongside it.”