After delays and appeals against the plan, the National Planning and Building Commission has given a go-ahead for the Elef construction project in western Rishon LeZion. The plan, which involves one of the largest residential and industrial sites in the Central District, was developed over many years.
The National Planning and Building Commission appeals subcommittee dismissed the appeal against the plan by the Bat Yam municipality, stating "Given that no one disputes the necessity for the plan, and our finding that the appellants' arguments concern municipal issues, not planning ones… we accept the decision by the Central District Planning and Building Commission to approve the plan."
The 1,000-dunam (250-acre) site is located west of the Ayalon Highway and south of Rehavam Ze'evi Blvd. (the continuation of Moshe Dayan Blvd.). As of now, the site contains sand dunes with no construction or development. Under the future plan, a huge business center is planned with 1.7 million sq.m. of building rights zoned for industry and 5,500 housing units. Half of the area is owned by the Rishon Lezion municipality, which intends to market some of the land already in the coming weeks.
The Rishon LeZion municipality today said, "The site constitutes the largest land reserve for developing the city. Its location is advantageous, being near the Moshe Dayan railway station on the Tel Aviv-Ashdod line and the future Tel Aviv light rail lines, with access to national traffic arteries (20 and 431)." The municipality added that it was considering an internal railway system to transport passengers within the business district. The cost of one kilometer of this system is estimated at $20 million.
Rishon LeZion Mayor Dov Zur said today, "This site will be Israel's future business center. For the first time, a business complex is being built in the center of the country with none of the past planning constraints, and planning flexibility is accordingly maximal."
Shoob & Co. managing partner Adv. Shmuel Shoob, who is representing a large proportion of the private landowners in the site, today welcomed the plan's approval. He said that the entire site was divided into three parts: one owned exclusively by the municipality, for which tenders can therefore already be issued and construction of business space promoted, and other two parts with hundreds of private owners.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on March 8, 2016
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