Government okays plan for new haredi city to combat housing shortage
Posted on 18. Mar, 2010 by Buy-It In Israel Staff in Israel Real Estate
Housing Minister Ariel Atias
The Israeli government this week approved plans for the construction of an ultra-orthodox city in the community of Harish in the North of Israel in an effort to combat the housing shortage among the haredi population in Israel.
The Israel Housing and Construction Ministry has in recent years been aggressively pursuing plans to build two new cities for the ultra-Orthodox community – one in the south in the city of Katif next to Arad in the Negev and one in the north in Harish – with tens of thousands of apartments.
Every year there are more than 5,000 haredi couples who get married and are having difficulties to find places to live causing great distress in this sector. According to a demographic study by the Housing Ministry based on the situation of the haredi housing market in 2005 to 2007, it was estimated that until 2025 another 60,000 new housing units would have to be located to accommodate the housing needs of the haredi sector. In order to find solutions to the growing housing shortage problem, the Israeli government decided to establish an executive committee for the promotion a haredi Harish.
Harish was the brainchild of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who in 1992 was serving as housing minister. The town, which was founded in 1993 is located in the Haifa District of Israel near the Green Line next to northern Samaria, with a population of 3900 people and governed by a local council. Originally Sharon thought to build 10,000 housing units. However over the years, repeated efforts by the Housing Ministry to populate the area failed, until 2003 when a group of 50 national-religious families moved into what was the largely deserted town of Harish. Now Atias wants to expand the town’s area by 5,000 dunams by expropriating land from adjacent towns and to build 25,000 housing units for 150,000 Haredim. Much opposition has been raised by nearby communtities and residents in the Wadi Ara against the establishment of a Haredi town in the area. Furthermore there are discussions to limit the development to only 50,000 residents, and not the 150,000 planned by the Housing Ministry and developers.
The new executive committee is due to present the government with its recommendations within the next 90 days in order to kick-start and advance construction and infrastructure plans for the establishment of a haredi city in Harish as fast as possible.
At the beginning of March this year, the National Planning and Building Council approved the establishment of a new city in Kasif in the South of Israel, for the ultra-Orthodox community. Kasif will stretch over 1,190 acres tailored for the construction of around 10,000 apartments in the first stage of the plan providing homes for an expected population of 50,000.
© Copyright 2010.
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