Tel Aviv District Committee to Review Objections on 2,500-Unit Housing Project in Ramat Efal
The Tel Aviv District Subcommittee is set to discuss numerous objections next week regarding plan REG/1761 for a new residential neighborhood in southern Ramat Efal. The project covers approximately 310 dunams of agricultural land south of Ramat Efal, proposing about 2,500 housing units including 900 special units and 380 affordable units, alongside commercial, employment, and tourism areas totaling around 270,000 square meters. The neighborhood will be near the under-construction Purple Line light rail and Tel Hashomer Hospital.
Among the objectors are private homeowners from Ramat Efal, including advertiser Rami Yehudicha. They argue that public facilities like schools and a stormwater management site are planned too close to their homes, while affordable housing density could create slum-like conditions with 53 units per dunam. They describe the plan as "defective, dangerous, inefficient, wasteful, and contrary to existing plans, laws, and planning principles." They also note that a previously planned 60-meter buffer zone between their homes and the new development has been significantly reduced.
In related real estate news, the Israel Land Authority successfully marketed land for 73 housing units in Ashdod’s Lachish Park after three failed tenders aimed at long-term rental. The land was sold in a public tender for about 55 million shekels to Rami Tzarfati’s company, reflecting an average land price of 750,000 shekels per unit, lower than previous tenders, indicating a significant drop in land prices since 2021-2022.
Additionally, Rotshtein company acquired half of a large land parcel in Afula for 77 million shekels, planning a mixed-use project with 1,100 housing units, commercial, and employment spaces, with a total investment of 1.22 billion shekels. In Ashkelon, the National Planning and Building Committee approved an urban renewal plan in the Afridar neighborhood to replace 402 old housing units with 2,407 new units in 24 buildings up to 32 stories high, including commercial and public spaces.
These developments reflect ongoing efforts to address housing shortages and urban renewal challenges across Israel, amid debates over planning quality and community impact.
