Committee Approves Chareidi Neighborhood Plan in Har Yona

The National Committee for Planning and Construction of Preferred Housing Complexes (UMAL) on Wednesday approved a plan for establishing a new chareidi neighborhood in Har Yona in the town of Nof Hagalil.

The plan was approved within a timeframe of only six months.

The plan encompasses a comprehensive area of about 500 dunams (approximately 124 acres) and is located in the western part of Nof Hagalil.

The plan, initiated by the Ministry of Construction and Housing in collaboration with the Nof Hagalil municipality, includes 2,800 housing units to be built in 60 residential buildings with six stories above ground level and six to nine stories below ground.

Out of the total housing units, 560 will be allocated for small apartments of up to 80 square meters. Additionally, about 500 housing units will be allocated for accessible rental housing and student accommodations. The housing units will vary in size to cater to different life stages.

Apart from housing units, the plan offers approximately 103,000 square meters of commercial and employment space that will be highly accessible to residents and employees. Moreover, the plan provides around 240,000 square meters for public and institutional buildings, in addition to those integrated within residential buildings, with a strong emphasis on creating inviting public spaces distributed optimally and tailored to the chareidi population.

Approximately 84 dunams of open space are also proposed.

The plan adopts a pedestrian-oriented approach, as it incorporates inner green streets within the residential buildings, ensuring high accessibility and safe spaces for children while improving connectivity to public areas for the residents.

This plan replaces a previous plan whose implementation faced difficulties due to site conditions. The new plan includes a fresh approach to the existing neighborhood’s development from the west, optimizing land use, creating construction adapted to the needs of the chareidi community, and offering quality planning while addressing topography challenges.

Rabbi Yitzchak Goldknopf, minister of Construction and Housing, said, “I congratulate the approval of UMAL for the establishment of a new residential neighborhood in Nof Hagalil. This is an important decision that will lead to another significant housing solution for the chareidi community. Additionally, the construction of a new neighborhood in the city will also benefit Nof Hagalil economically. I see investment and development throughout the country as a significant milestone for the Israeli society, and we will continue to promote additional plans soon.”

Interior Minister Moshe Arbel said, “In recent months, we have been promoting a massive planning effort throughout the country. The State Comptroller’s report, recently published, highlighted enormous disparities in planning and construction of housing units for the chareidi public. The approval of UMAL for the establishment of a new neighborhood in Nof Hagalil is an important step that will help narrow these gaps. I thank the National Planning Administration, led by Nathan Alnathan, for its efforts and resources in strengthening the north of the country to attract more residents and promote housing solutions for the underserved.”

Nathan Alnathan, chair of UMAL and Head of the National Planning Administration, said, “I am pleased to approve this comprehensive and extensive plan in Nof Hagalil, which will significantly increase the housing solutions for the chareidi population. The plan was approved in a very short timeframe of six months without compromising on planning quality.”

Vered Solomon Mamman, chief architect of the Ministry of Construction and Housing, said, “The Ministry of Construction and Housing has been working on this plan for several years, as the topographically challenging site required special engineering and planning solutions. The existing plan on the site did not match the needs of the chareidi community, and over the past years, we have learned to develop programs for the unique public needs of all populations in the country. This plan places special emphasis, in collaboration with UMAL, on organizing the employment area and the commercial street, ensuring that shops and commerce serve the residents near their homes. Significant thought was also given to providing public transportation services and reducing parking standards to utilize building space for areas that will serve the neighborhood’s children and residents. We are very proud to have reached the moment of approval for this plan, which clearly brings good news to the chareidi community, which needs housing solutions in various parts of the country.”