11,000 Homes Planned for New Carmei Gat East District

The “Carmei Gat East” plan, advanced by the Israel Land Authority, includes approximately 11,000 housing units and about 550,000 square meters of commercial and employment space in buildings up to 20 stories. The new district will be based around the planned “Kiryat Gat North” train station and will be connected to the city via six bridges and crossings above and below the railway.

The National Planning and Building Committee for Preferred Housing Compounds is expected to discuss, this coming Wednesday (July 22), the deposit of the “Carmei Gat East” plan, under which a new residential district will be established in northeast Kiryat Gat. The plan is being advanced on the initiative of the Israel Land Authority (ILA) and constitutes the first stage in developing a new district east of the Carmei Gat neighborhood.

The plan extends east of the Carmei Gat neighborhood and the Tel Aviv–Beer Sheva railway line. It includes the construction of approximately 11,000 housing units in varied construction, ranging from seven-story buildings to towers of about 20 stories. Alongside the residential units, approximately 550,000 square meters of employment and commercial space are planned, along with public buildings, open spaces, and a public transportation network.

According to the plan documents, the district will be designed as a mixed-use urban compound, with commercial, employment, education, and leisure hubs within walking distance of the neighborhoods. At its center, a network of urban boulevards will be established to serve as the main public transportation routes, along which urban squares, commercial frontages, and public buildings will be located.

The plan relies on the planned “Kiryat Gat North” train station, which was approved as part of Vatmal in 2023, with most of the district’s area located within walking distance of it. The neighborhood will be connected to Carmei Gat via six bridges and crossings above and below the railway, and will also receive new connections from Roads 35 and 353. In addition, the planning includes a network of bicycle paths and climate-adapted planning principles, intended to reduce dependence on private vehicles and mitigate the urban heat island effect. The plan was prepared by Armon Architects and Urban Planners Ltd.

The advancement of the plan joins a series of plans approved in recent years as part of Vatmal in Kiryat Gat, including six preferred housing plans, three of which are on the evacuation-reconstruction (pinui-binui) track, as part of the continued expansion of the city and increase in housing supply in the south.