16,000-home Sde Dov plan deposited for objections

Sde Dov plan Photo: ILA
Sde Dov plan Photo: ILA

Sde Dov Airport is slated to halt operations in November 2019 despite a public campaign against the closure led by the Tel Aviv and Eilat mayors.

The Tel Aviv District Planning and Building Commission in the Planning Authority today deposited for public objections the plan for a Sde Dov residential neighborhood in place of Sde Dov Airport in north Tel Aviv. The plan, which applies to 2,500 dunam (625 acres), was initiated by Israel Land Administration (ILA) and the managers of the so-called "large lot" in Tel Aviv. The site is bordered by the Reading power station on the south, land in northwest Tel Aviv on the north, and the Nofei Yam and Lamed neighborhoods on the east.

Under the deposited plan, 16,000 housing units will be built on the site, including 6,900 rental apartments at reduced rents, assisted living facilities, and student apartments. The plan also includes 514,000 square meters of public buildings, 126,000 square meters of commercial space, 323,000 square meters of office space, 200,000 square meters of hotel space, 3,700 hotel rooms, and 385 dunam (96.25 acres) of public parks and gardens.

The proposed construction includes 5-10-floor buildings along the main streets and 35 towers of up to 40 floors along the main arteries in the site. The District Planning and Building Commission limited the height of construction in the line of buildings closest to the sea to 25 floors, according to the outline plan for Tel Aviv. Ibn Gvirol Street will be continued northward and the light rail Green Line will pass along it. The plan therefore includes a reduced parking standard in order to substantially reduce the use of private vehicles. The proposed streets were planned to create a comfortable walking space for pedestrians.

The proposed plan contains a variety of public spaces, including three parks. The Tel Aviv municipality emphasizes that the planned public buildings in the neighborhood will provide a public solution for its residents and a municipal solution for carrying out urban projects in the city's historical quarters. The entire area of the plan will be designated for consolidation and distribution among the landowners.

In February, the Protection of the Coastal Environment Committee Tel Aviv Planning and District Commission approved the plan, but made changes in it, increasing the number of hotel rooms from 1,700 to 3,700.

Tel Aviv District Planning and Building Commission chairperson Daniela Posek said, "The principles of the plan reflect a different planning spirit than in the existing neighborhoods north of the Yarkon River. The new quarter is planned as an urban residential, commercial, office, and hotel area in order to create an optimal quality of life for the residents."

Sde Dov was founded as a civilian airport in 1938 north of Tel Aviv, near the Reading area. Part of it later became a military airport, and the area now contains a military base and a civilian terminal.

In January 2015, the government decided that the military airport would be moved from the site by January 2019. In January 2016, the Supreme Court ruled that termination of civilian activity at the airport would be postponed until April 2017. In March 2017, a Sde Dov law was enacted stating that use of the Sde Dov Hoz Airport would continue as long as military activity on the site continues. The government reaffirmed the Sde Dov law in June 2018 and decided that the military airport would be vacated by July 2019 and the civilian airport by November 2019.

Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai and Eilat Mayor Meir Yitzhak Halevi are waging a public campaign against the closure of the civilian airport at Sde Dov.

Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on April 3, 2019

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2019

Sde Dov plan Photo: ILA
Sde Dov plan Photo: ILA
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