Evacuation of IDF bases, moving the Volcani Institute - Agricultural Research Organization from its campus at Bet Dagan, and reducing the area of the Mikveh Israel agricultural school, are at the top of the government’s housing plans for 2025. This is alongside extensive plans for raising the supply of housing through what are called "mega roof agreements," and distribution of aid to advance urban renewal projects. These measures are the basis of a highly ambitious government housing plan for next year, as part of its general economic plan.
Central to the plan is the government’s desire to move the bases at the "Kirya", the IDF’s headquarters in central Tel Aviv, the military training bases at Glilot on the border of Tel Aviv and Herzliya, and bases at Tzrifin, Tel Hashomer and Haifa, to new locations to be determined by the Israel Land Authority, the Ministry of Defense, and the Budgets Division of the Ministry of Finance.
According to the timetable in the proposal, the bases at Glilot will be moved to a new location by the end of 2026, and the Kirya will be moved by 2030, as will the other bases.
Where will the Kirya move to? Not clear. Under the proposal, within four months the Israel Land Authority, the Ministry of Defense and the Budgets Division will come to an agreement on realizing this decision, including the costs of removal and the location of the land to which the bases will be moved.
At the same time, the plan instructs the Israel Land Authority to advance the planning for the sites that the IDF will evacuate within 45 days of the decision, and to start planning the IDF bases in the new locations chosen for them, allocating priority to these plans in the planning and building institutions.
The area of the Kirya will be reduced, as, in the government’s view, with today’s technology there is no need for such extensive areas as are currently taken up, amounting to about 3,000 dunams.
The government also wants to move the Volcani Institute to a new location, or locations, in order to increase substantially the supply of housing in the heart of the areas in high demand. Within four months, the Israel Land Authority, the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Finance Budgets Division are to formulate a detailed agreement on realizing this decision, including costs and location.
Another large, historic agricultural site that the government plans to deal with is the Mikveh Israel youth village and agricultural school. The government’s decision calls for the Ministry of Finance to reach a detailed agreement with Mikveh Israel-Kol Israel Haverim, part of the Alliance Israélite Universelle, on the planning and development of housing units on part of the land currently used by the school, while the Israel Land Authority advances planning for the land that will become free.
The government also seeks to instruct the minister of construction and housing and the minister of finance to sign "mega roof agreements" within 90 days of the decision with local authorities that have plans for at least 15,000 housing units due to be approved within a year and a half by the planning institutions.
Under the agreement, these local authorities will commit to allowing the sale of land within their jurisdiction, at a rate of at least 5,000 housing units a year, and the local planning authority will commit to being prepared professionally to approve applications for building permits within 90 days.
The plan also attempts to deal with the slow progress of urban renewal projects, and it includes a substantial increase in government aid for projects that are not worthwhile economically, and reinforcement of buildings against earthquake. Owners of apartments in such buildings will be required to repay the government aid, with interest and index-linkage, if they sell their apartments.
What are the chances of these plans being carried out? It’s hard to believe that they are high. To take the removal of the Kirya bases: the target date is 2030, which won’t be met, even if the IDF and the Ministry of Defense rapidly come to agreement with the Israel Land Authority and the Ministry of Finance om alternative sites, which itself is doubtful. Planning, constructing, and relocating are long, expensive, and very complex processes, not to mention slow, certainly in the midst of a war.
Shifting the Volcani Institute was an idea of former minister of agriculture Uri Ariel, and it met with opposition both within his ministry and from the Rishon LeZion municipality, within whose jurisdiction the institute lies.
Reducing the area of Mikveh Israel is another move that will arouse public opposition, since the school is perceived as a green lung in the Tel Aviv metropolis, not to mention the school’s historic status.
As for "mega roof agreements", it must be said that very few local authorities currently meet the condition of available plans for 15,000 housing units. Those that perhaps do are those that already performing well in construction - places such as Ashkelon, Ashdod, Dimona, Rishon LeZion, and Kiryat Ata, which have existing roof agreements, but have yet to construct many housing units under them.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on September 22, 2024.
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